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GETTY(8)                    System Manager's Manual                   GETTY(8)

NAME
     getty - set terminal modes for system access

SYNOPSIS
     getty [type [tty]]

DESCRIPTION
     The getty program is called by init(8) to open and initialize the tty
     line, read a login name, and invoke login(1).  The devices on which to
     run getty are normally determined by ttys(5).

     The getty program can also recognize a Point to Point Protocol (PPP)
     negotiation, and, if the pp attribute in gettytab(5) is set, invoke the
     program given by that string, e.g., pppd(8), instead of login(1).  This
     makes it possible to use a single serial port for either a "shell"
     account with command line interface, or a PPP network link.

     The argument tty is the special device file in /dev to open for the
     terminal (for example, "ttyh0").  If there is no argument or the argument
     is `-', the tty line is assumed to be open as file descriptor 0.

     The type argument can be used to make getty treat the terminal line
     specially.  This argument is used as an index into the gettytab(5)
     database, to determine the characteristics of the line.  If there is no
     argument, or there is no such table, the default table is used.  If there
     is no /etc/gettytab a set of system defaults is used.  If indicated by
     the table located, getty will clear the terminal screen, print a banner
     heading, and prompt for a login name.  Usually either the banner or the
     login prompt will include the system hostname.

     getty uses the ttyaction(3) facility with an action of "getty" and user
     "root" to execute site-specific commands when it starts.

     Most of the default actions of getty can be circumvented, or modified, by
     a suitable gettytab(5) table.

     The getty program can be set to timeout after some interval, which will
     cause dial up lines to hang up if the login name is not entered
     reasonably quickly.

FILES
     /etc/gettytab
     /etc/ttys
     /usr/libexec/getty

DIAGNOSTICS
     ttyxx: No such device or address.
     ttyxx: No such file or address.  A terminal which is turned on in the
     ttys(5) file cannot be opened, likely because the requisite lines are
     either not configured into the system, the associated device was not
     attached during boot-time system configuration, or the special file in
     /dev does not exist.

SEE ALSO
     login(1), ioctl(2), ttyaction(3), tty(4), gettytab(5), ttys(5), init(8),
     pppd(8)

HISTORY
     A getty program appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.

NetBSD 10.99                     May 29, 2013                     NetBSD 10.99