getty(8)


NAME

   agetty - alternative Linux getty

SYNOPSIS

   agetty [options] port [baud_rate...] [term]

DESCRIPTION

   agetty  opens  a  tty  port,  prompts  for a login name and invokes the
   /bin/login command.  It is normally invoked by init(8).

   agetty has several non-standard features that are useful for  hardwired
   and for dial-in lines:

   ·      Adapts  the tty settings to parity bits and to erase, kill, end-
          of-line and uppercase characters when it  reads  a  login  name.
          The  program can handle 7-bit characters with even, odd, none or
          space  parity,  and  8-bit  characters  with  no  parity.    The
          following  special  characters are recognized: Control-U (kill);
          DEL and backspace (erase); carriage return and line feed (end of
          line).  See also the --erase-chars and --kill-chars options.

   ·      Optionally  deduces  the  baud  rate  from  the CONNECT messages
          produced by Hayes(tm)-compatible modems.

   ·      Optionally does not hang up when it is given an  already  opened
          line (useful for call-back applications).

   ·      Optionally does not display the contents of the /etc/issue file.

   ·      Optionally   displays  an  alternative  issue  file  instead  of
          /etc/issue.

   ·      Optionally does not ask for a login name.

   ·      Optionally invokes  a  non-standard  login  program  instead  of
          /bin/login.

   ·      Optionally turns on hardware flow control.

   ·      Optionally  forces the line to be local with no need for carrier
          detect.

   This  program  does  not  use  the   /etc/gettydefs   (System   V)   or
   /etc/gettytab (SunOS 4) files.

ARGUMENTS

   port   A  path  name  relative  to  the  /dev  directory.   If a "-" is
          specified, agetty assumes that its  standard  input  is  already
          connected  to  a tty port and that a connection to a remote user
          has already been established.

          Under System V, a "-" port argument  should  be  preceded  by  a
          "--".

   baud_rate,...
          A  comma-separated  list  of  one or more baud rates.  Each time
          agetty receives a BREAK character it advances through the  list,
          which is treated as if it were circular.

          Baud  rates should be specified in descending order, so that the
          null  character  (Ctrl-@)  can  also  be  used   for   baud-rate
          switching.

          This argument is optional and unnecessary for virtual terminals.

          The  default  for serial terminals is keep the current baud rate
          (see --keep-baud) and if unsuccessful then default to '9600'.

   term   The value to be used for the TERM  environment  variable.   This
          overrides  whatever  init(8)  may  have set, and is inherited by
          login and the shell.

          The default is 'vt100',  or  'linux'  for  Linux  on  a  virtual
          terminal, or 'hurd' for GNU Hurd on a virtual terminal.

OPTIONS

   -8, --8bits
          Assume  that  the  tty  is  8-bit  clean,  hence  disable parity
          detection.

   -a, --autologin username
          Log the specified user automatically in  without  asking  for  a
          login name and password.  The -f username option is added to the
          /bin/login command line by default.  The --login-options  option
          changes  this  default  behavior and then only \u is replaced by
          the username and no other option is added to the  login  command
          line.

   -c, --noreset
          Don't reset terminal cflags (control modes).  See termios(3) for
          more details.

   -E, --remote
          If an -H fakehost option is given, then an -r fakehost option is
          added to the /bin/login command line.

   -f, --issue-file issue_file
          Display  the contents of issue_file instead of /etc/issue.  This
          allows custom messages to be displayed on  different  terminals.
          The -i option will override this option.

   -h, --flow-control
          Enable  hardware  (RTS/CTS)  flow control.  It is left up to the
          application to disable software (XON/XOFF) flow  protocol  where
          appropriate.

   -H, --host login_host
          Write  the  specified login_host into the utmp file.  (Normally,
          no login host is given, since agetty is used for local hardwired
          connections  and  consoles.   However, this option can be useful
          for identifying terminal concentrators and the like.)

   -i, --noissue
          Do not display the contents  of  /etc/issue  (or  other)  before
          writing  the login prompt.  Terminals or communications hardware
          may become confused when receiving lots of  text  at  the  wrong
          baud  rate;  dial-up  scripts  may  fail  if the login prompt is
          preceded by too much text.

   -I, --init-string initstring
          Set an initial string to be sent to  the  tty  or  modem  before
          sending  anything else.  This may be used to initialize a modem.
          Non-printable characters may be sent by writing their octal code
          preceded  by  a  backslash (\).  For example, to send a linefeed
          character (ASCII 10, octal 012), write \012.

   -J, --noclear
          Do not clear the screen before prompting for the login name (the
          screen is normally cleared).

   -l, --login-program login_program
          Invoke  the specified login_program instead of /bin/login.  This
          allows the use of a non-standard login program (for example, one
          that  asks  for  a  dial-up  password  or  that uses a different
          password file).

   -L, --local-line[=mode]
          Control the CLOCAL line flag.  The  optional  mode  argument  is
          'auto',  'always'  or 'never'.  If the mode argument is omitted,
          then the default is 'always'.  If the --local-line option is not
          given at all, then the default is 'auto'.

          The  mode  'always'  forces  the line to be a local line with no
          need for carrier detect.  This can be useful  when  you  have  a
          locally attached terminal where the serial line does not set the
          carrier-detect signal.

          The mode 'never' explicitly clears the CLOCAL flag from the line
          setting and the carrier-detect signal is expected on the line.

          The  mode  'auto'  (agetty  default)  does not modify the CLOCAL
          setting and follows the setting enabled by the kernel.

   -m, --extract-baud
          Try to extract the baud rate from  the  CONNECT  status  message
          produced  by Hayes(tm)-compatible modems.  These status messages
          are of the form: "<junk><speed><junk>".  agetty assumes that the
          modem  emits  its  status message at the same speed as specified
          with (the first) baud_rate value on the command line.

          Since the -m feature may fail  on  heavily-loaded  systems,  you
          still should enable BREAK processing by enumerating all expected
          baud rates on the command line.

   -n, --skip-login
          Do not prompt the user for a login name.  This can  be  used  in
          connection  with  the  -l  option to invoke a non-standard login
          process such as a BBS system.  Note that  with  the  -n  option,
          agetty  gets  no  input  from the user who logs in and therefore
          won't be able to figure out parity, character size, and  newline
          processing  of  the  connection.  It defaults to space parity, 7
          bit characters, and ASCII CR (13) end-of-line character.  Beware
          that  the program that agetty starts (usually /bin/login) is run
          as root.

   -N, --nonewline
          Do not print a newline before writing out /etc/issue.

   -o, --login-options "login_options"
          Options  that  are passed to the login program.  \u is  replaced
          by  the  login  name.   The  default  /bin/login command line is
          "/bin/login -- <username>".

          Please read the SECURITY NOTICE below if you want to use this.

   -p, --login-pause
          Wait for any key before dropping to the login  prompt.   Can  be
          combined  with  --autologin  to  save  memory by lazily spawning
          shells.

   -r, --chroot directory
          Change root to the specified directory.

   -R, --hangup
          Call vhangup() to do a virtual hangup of the specified terminal.

   -s, --keep-baud
          Try to keep the existing baud rate.  The  baud  rates  from  the
          command line are used when agetty receives a BREAK character.

   -t, --timeout timeout
          Terminate  if no user name could be read within timeout seconds.
          This option should probably not be used with hardwired lines.

   -U, --detect-case
          Turn on support for detecting an uppercase-only terminal.   This
          setting  will  detect  a  login name containing only capitals as
          indicating an uppercase-only terminal and turn on some upper-to-
          lower  case  conversions.  Note that this has no support for any
          Unicode characters.

   -w, --wait-cr
          Wait for the user or the modem to send a  carriage-return  or  a
          linefeed character before sending the /etc/issue (or other) file
          and the login prompt.  Very useful in  connection  with  the  -I
          option.

   --nohints
          Do not print hints about Num, Caps and Scroll Locks.

   --nohostname
          By  default  the  hostname  will  be  printed.  With this option
          enabled, no hostname at all will be shown.

   --long-hostname
          By default the hostname is only printed  until  the  first  dot.
          With  this  option  enabled,  the  fully  qualified  hostname by
          gethostname() or (if not found) by getaddrinfo() is shown.

   --erase-chars string
          This option  specifies  additional  characters  that  should  be
          interpreted  as  a  backspace  ("ignore the previous character")
          when the user types the  login  name.   The  default  additional
          ´erase´  has  been  ´#´, but since util-linux 2.23 no additional
          erase characters are enabled by default.

   --kill-chars string
          This option  specifies  additional  characters  that  should  be
          interpreted  as  a  kill ("ignore all previous characters") when
          the user types the login name.  The  default  additional  ´kill´
          has  been  ´@´,  but  since  util-linux  2.23 no additional kill
          characters are enabled by default.

   --chdir directory
          Change directory before the login.

   --delay number
          Sleep seconds before open tty.

   --nice number
          Run login with this priority.

   --reload
          Ask all running agetty instances  to  reload  and  update  their
          displayed prompts, if the user has not yet commenced logging in.
          After doing so the command will exit.   This  feature  might  be
          unsupported on systems without Linux inotify(7).

   --version
          Display version information and exit.

   --help Display help text and exit.

EXAMPLES

   This  section  shows  examples for the process field of an entry in the
   /etc/inittab file.  You'll have to prepend appropriate values  for  the
   other fields.  See inittab(5) for more details.

   For a hardwired line or a console tty:

          /sbin/agetty 9600 ttyS1

   For  a directly connected terminal without proper carrier-detect wiring
   (try this if  your  terminal  just  sleeps  instead  of  giving  you  a
   password: prompt):

          /sbin/agetty -L 9600 ttyS1 vt100

   For an old-style dial-in line with a 9600/2400/1200 baud modem:

          /sbin/agetty -mt60 ttyS1 9600,2400,1200

   For a Hayes modem with a fixed 115200 bps interface to the machine (the
   example init string turns  off  modem  echo  and  result  codes,  makes
   modem/computer  DCD  track  modem/modem  DCD,  makes a DTR drop cause a
   disconnection, and turns on auto-answer after 1 ring):

          /sbin/agetty -w -I 'ATE0Q1&D2&C1S0=1\015' 115200 ttyS1

SECURITY NOTICE

   If you use the --login-program and --login-options  options,  be  aware
   that  a malicious user may try to enter lognames with embedded options,
   which then get passed to the used login program.  Agetty does check for
   a  leading  "-" and makes sure the logname gets passed as one parameter
   (so embedded  spaces  will  not  create  yet  another  parameter),  but
   depending  on  how  the login binary parses the command line that might
   not be sufficient.  Check that the used login program can not be abused
   this way.

   Some   programs  use  "--" to indicate that the rest of the commandline
   should not be interpreted as options.  Use this feature if available by
   passing "--" before the username gets passed by \u.

ISSUE ESCAPES

   The  issue-file  (/etc/issue,  or  the file set with the -f option) may
   contain certain escape codes to display the  system  name,  date,  time
   etcetera.   All  escape  codes  consist  of a backslash (\) immediately
   followed by one of the characters listed below.

   4 or 4{interface}
          Insert the IPv4 address of the specified network interface  (for
          example: \4{eth0}).  If the interface argument is not specified,
          then select  the  first  fully  configured  (UP,  non-LOCALBACK,
          RUNNING)  interface.   If not any configured interface is found,
          fall back to the IP address of the machine's hostname.

   6 or 6{interface}
          The same as \4 but for IPv6.

   b      Insert the baudrate of the current line.

   d      Insert the current date.

   e or e{name}
          Translate the human-readable name  to  an  escape  sequence  and
          insert  it  (for  example: \e{red}Alert text.\e{reset}).  If the
          name argument is not specified, then insert \033.  The currently
          supported  names  are:  black,  blink,  blue, bold, brown, cyan,
          darkgray,  gray,  green,   halfbright,   lightblue,   lightcyan,
          lightgray,  lightgreen,  lightmagenta,  lightred,  magenta, red,
          reset, reverse, and yellow.   All  unknown  names  are  silently
          ignored.

   s      Insert the system name (the name of the operating system).  Same
          as `uname -s'.  See also the \S escape code.

   S or S{VARIABLE}
          Insert the VARIABLE data from  /etc/os-release.   If  this  file
          does  not  exist  then fall back to /usr/lib/os-release.  If the
          VARIABLE argument is not specified, then  use  PRETTY_NAME  from
          the  file  or the system name (see \s).  This escape code allows
          to keep /etc/issue distribution and release  independent.   Note
          that  \S{ANSI_COLOR}  is  converted  to the real terminal escape
          sequence.

   l      Insert the name of the current tty line.

   m      Insert the architecture identifier  of  the  machine.   Same  as
          `uname -m'.

   n      Insert  the nodename of the machine, also known as the hostname.
          Same as `uname -n'.

   o      Insert the NIS domainname of the  machine.   Same  as  `hostname
          -d'.

   O      Insert the DNS domainname of the machine.

   r      Insert the release number of the OS.  Same as `uname -r'.

   t      Insert the current time.

   u      Insert the number of current users logged in.

   U      Insert  the  string  "1  user"  or  "<n> users" where <n> is the
          number of current users logged in.

   v      Insert the version of the OS, e.g. the build-date etc.

   An example.  On my system, the following /etc/issue file:

          This is \n.\o (\s \m \r) \t

   displays as:

          This is thingol.orcan.dk (Linux i386 1.1.9) 18:29:30

FILES

   /var/run/utmp
          the system status file.

   /etc/issue
          printed before the login prompt.

   /etc/os-release /usr/lib/os-release
          operating system identification data.

   /dev/console
          problem reports (if syslog(3) is not used).

   /etc/inittab
          init(8) configuration file for SysV-style init daemon.

BUGS

   The baud-rate detection feature (the -m option) requires that agetty be
   scheduled  soon enough after completion of a dial-in call (within 30 ms
   with modems that talk at 2400 baud).  For robustness, always use the -m
   option  in combination with a multiple baud rate command-line argument,
   so that BREAK processing is enabled.

   The text in the /etc/issue file (or other) and  the  login  prompt  are
   always output with 7-bit characters and space parity.

   The baud-rate detection feature (the -m option) requires that the modem
   emits its status message after raising the DCD line.

DIAGNOSTICS

   Depending on how  the  program  was  configured,  all  diagnostics  are
   written  to  the console device or reported via the syslog(3) facility.
   Error messages are produced if the port argument  does  not  specify  a
   terminal  device;  if  there  is  no utmp entry for the current process
   (System V only); and so on.

AUTHORS

   Werner Fink ⟨werner@suse.de⟩
   Karel Zak ⟨kzak@redhat.com⟩

   The original agetty for serial terminals was  written  by  W.Z.  Venema
   <wietse@wzv.win.tue.nl>   and   ported   to   Linux   by  Peter  Orbaek
   <poe@daimi.aau.dk>.

AVAILABILITY

   The agetty command is part of the util-linux package and  is  available
   from ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/.





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