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

NAME
     getty - set terminal mode

SYNOPSIS
     getty [type [tty]]

DESCRIPTION
     The getty utility is called by init(8) to open and initialize the tty
     line, read a login name, and invoke login(1).

     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.

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

     The getty utility 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

DIAGNOSTICS
     ttyxx: No such device or address.
     ttyxx: No such file or address.

     A terminal which is turned on in the ttys 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), tty(4), gettytab(5), ttys(5), init(8), pstat(8)

HISTORY
     A getty utility appeared in Version 3 AT&T UNIX.

FreeBSD 13.1-RELEASE-p6          July 21, 2020         FreeBSD 13.1-RELEASE-p6