Efficiently using more than 8 consoles (v1.1 15.09.96)
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Are you tired of typing in password and username whenever you want to
access a unused text-console? Then this mini-HOWTO is for you!
All the functionallity for using a new text-console without logging in
is concentrated in the program `open'. Just issue
open -sl
and you will be teleported to a fresh console with your favourite
shell prompting at you. Possibly this program is not part of your
distribution, but read on.
Most distributions provide only 8 console-devices. You can easily
exceed this number while playing around with `open' so it's better to
create a little stock of console-devices.
Create the nesassary device-files
---------------------------------
Log in as root. Then execute the following commands
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cd /dev
./MAKEDEV tty9
for i in 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
do
./MAKEDEV tty1$i
done
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`/dev/MAKEDEV' is a shell-script. You can use `more' (or `less') to
view the contents of this script to get more information about what
happens.
Of course running more than 2 login-prompts on your system is
luxuriantly when using `open'.
Get rid of all login-prompts but 2
----------------------------------
Load the file `/etc/inittab' into your favorite editor and comment out
all lines containing "getty" like shown below (hint: leave the rest of
the file unchanged!).
As you may have guessed, the char to make comments is `#'.
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# /sbin/getty invocations for the runlevels.
#
# The "id" field MUST be the same as the last
# characters of the device (after "tty").
#
# Format:
# <id>:<runlevels>:<action>:<process>
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 9600 tty1
2:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 9600 tty2
#3:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 9600 tty3
#4:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 9600 tty4
#5:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 9600 tty5
#6:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 9600 tty6
#7:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 9600 tty7
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Re-load the above configuration-file via the command `/sbin/telinit q'
(as root ) and wipe out all running login-prompts with `killall getty'
(or whatever sort of getty you're running; you can see them with
`ps -aux').
If you have your X-Session on vt8 (thats the console you change to
when you press Ctrl-Alt-F8 ), you may wish to add the option `vt8' to
the options for X in `/etc/X11/xdm/Xservers':
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:0 local /usr/X11R6/bin/X vt8
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(Leave the rest of the file unchanged.) Voila, X is still on vt8 next
time you boot Linux. Otherwise you would have found it on vt3.
Install the program `open'
--------------------------
If the program `open' is not part of you distribution (Debian and
RedHat provide it) then get the packet "dynamic-vt-1.1.tar.gz" from
sunsite or it's mirrors.
It contains `open' and a few other useful utilities; the installation
is straightforward.
You don't know how what "sunsite and it's mirrors" means? You don't
know how to install a program?
Sorry, that's beyond the scope of this mini-howto. It really makes me
sick to see every HOWTO explaining this again and again (making it
long and very boring). Ask an expert and write an
`Software-Installation HOWTO' afterwards. Thank you.
Test it out
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You're done. Log into one console. Now, if you want to start a
command-prompt (`bash', `tcsh') on an empty console just type
open -sl
No login-id, no password is required (because you have already
authenticated yourself by logging in to one console).
Alternativly, you can try the commands
open -sl -- top
open -l -- tail -f /var/log/messages
open -sl -- pine
If the screen is still messed up, try the command `reset' or reboot the
computer once.
The consoles no. 13-24 can be accessed with <AltGr-F1> till
<AltGr-F12>.
Programs like `tty', `ps' and `chvt' help you to navigate through the
new bunch of consoles.
Note: your sessions don't show up under `w' or `finger'.
Winfried Tr�mper <
[email protected]>
