man.bsd.lv manual page server

Manual Page Search Parameters

TTYS(5) File Formats Manual TTYS(5)

ttysterminal initialization information

The file ttys contains information that is used by various routines to initialize and control the use of terminal special files. This information is read with the getttyent(3) library routines. There is one line in the ttys file per special device file. Fields are separated by tabs and/or spaces. Fields comprised of more than one word should be enclosed in double quotes (``"''). Blank lines and comments may appear anywhere in the file; comments are delimited by hash marks (``#'') and new lines. Any unspecified fields will default to null.

The first field is the name of the terminal special file as it is found in /dev.

The second field of the file is the command to execute for the line, usually getty(8), which initializes and opens the line, setting the speed, waiting for a user name and executing the login(1) program. It can be, however, any desired command, for example the start up for a window system terminal emulator or some other daemon process, and can contain multiple words if quoted.

The third field is the type of terminal usually connected to that tty line, normally the one found in the termcap(5) data base file. The environment variable TERM is initialized with the value by either getty(8) or login(1).

The remaining fields set flags in the ty_status entry (see getttyent(3)) or specify a window system process that init(8) will maintain for the terminal line.

As flag values, the strings ``on'' and ``off'' specify that init should (should not) execute the command given in the second field, while ``secure'' (if ``on'' is also specified) allows users with a uid of 0 to login on this line. These flag fields should not be quoted.

The string ``window='' may be followed by a quoted command string which init will execute starting the command specified by the second field.

# root login on console at 1200 baud
console	"/usr/libexec/getty std.1200"	vt100	on secure
# dialup at 1200 baud, no root logins
ttyd0	"/usr/libexec/getty d1200"	dialup	on	# 555-1234
# Mike's terminal: hp2621
ttyh0	"/usr/libexec/getty std.9600"	hp2621-nl	on	# 457 Evans
# John's terminal: vt100
ttyh1	"/usr/libexec/getty std.9600"	vt100	on		# 459 Evans
# terminal emulate/window system
ttyv0	"/usr/new/xterm -L :0"		vs100	on window="/usr/new/Xvs100 0"
# Network pseudo ttys -- don't enable getty
ttyp0	none	network
ttyp1	none	network	off

/etc/ttys
 

login(1), getttyent(3), ttyslot(3), gettytab(5), termcap(5), getty(8), init(8)

A ttys file appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.

4.4BSD-Lite2 June 4, 1993 TTYS(5)