Linux in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition

Name

agetty

Synopsis

                  agetty [options] port 
                  baudrate [term]

System administration command. The Linux version of getty . Set terminal type, modes, speed, and line discipline. agetty is invoked by init . It is the second process in the series init-getty-login-shell, which ultimately connects a user with the Linux system. agetty reads the user’s login name and invokes the login command with the user’s name as an argument. While reading the name, agetty attempts to adapt the system to the speed and type of device being used.

You must specify a port, which agetty will search for in the /dev directory. You may use -, in which case agetty reads from standard input. You must also specify baudrate, which may be a comma-separated list of rates through which agetty will step. Optionally, you may specify the term, which is used to override the TERM environment variable.

Options

-f file

Specify the use of file instead of /etc/issue upon connection to terminal. It is overridden by -i.

-h

Specify hardware, not software, flow control.

-H hostname

Write login hostname into the utmp file. By default, no login host is specified.

-I string

Specify string to be sent to tty or modem.

-i

Suppress printing of /etc/issue before printing the login prompt.

-l program

Specify the use of program instead of /bin/login.

-m

Attempt to guess the appropriate baud rate.

-n

Don’t prompt for a login name.

-t timeout

Specify that agetty should exit if the open on the line succeeds and there is no response to the login ...