NAME

ttys − typewriter initialization data

DESCRIPTION

The ttys file is read by the init program and specifies which typewriter special files are to have a process created for them which will allow people to log in.  It consists of lines of 3 characters each.  The first character is either ‘0’ or ‘1’; the former causes the line to be ignored, the latter causes it to be effective. The second character is the last character in the name of a typewriter; e.g. x refers to the file ‘/dev/ttyx’.  The third character is used as an argument to the getty program, which performs such tasks as baud-rate recognition, reading the login name, and calling login.  For normal lines, the character is ‘0’; other characters can be used, for example, with hard-wired terminals where speed recognition is unnecessary or which have special characteristics.  (Getty will have to be fixed in such cases.) 

FILES

/etc/ttys

SEE ALSO

init (VIII), getty (VIII), login (I)