Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!haven!udel!mmdf
From: archer%segin4.segin.fr@prime.com (Vincent Archer)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: How can I use tty1 to log in? (Minix ST 1.5)
Message-ID: <21385@nigel.udel.EDU>
Date: 7 Jun 90 18:01:45 GMT
Sender: mmdf@udel.EDU
Lines: 36

FM%DACTH51.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu writes:
> Does anybody know what to do to be able to log in via tty1 on Minix ST
> 1.5.10? There is a program named getty, but it is not started from /etc/rc,
> and if I start it manually, it exits after a logout on tty1 without being
> respawned. Of Course; who should respawn it?

getty (or login) is spawned by the INIT process after execution of /etc/rc,
and respawned whenever it exits. Spawning of logins is controlled by the
/etc/ttys file, with one line per tty. Semantics of the line are described in
the tools/init.c source, basically you should include something like: "2k1"
in the second line of /etc/ttys. The "2" stands for "spawn getty" (replace
by "1" to spawn login instead, "0" to spawn nothing). The "k" selects baudrate,
bits and parity bits (k is 4800bauds, 7bits, even parity for example). The "1"
stands for tty1.

> Also I think that the console login is not done by getty.

No, since getty is used to adapt speed & bit parameters on a line (and the
console does not need there), /dev/tty0 gets a /bin/login spawn (see the 100 on
the first line? 1=>login 0=>no parameters 0=>tty0).

> And, BTW, does it matter if getty tty1 is run if there is no tty1 available
> at the time?

It doesn't. I've seen no overhead, and I have a friend who routinely connect
a small terminal over RS232; he never changes its parameters wether or not
the terminal is actually connected. Of course, you lose one process slot and
some memory. Someday, I'm going to implement a /etc/inittab (more powerful
version of /etc/ttys) into INIT. But not this week :-)


    Vincent


Vincent Archer                   | Email:archer%segin4.segin.fr@prime.com
"People that are good at finding excuses are never good at anything else"