10. Getty and Login
Getty is the program that enables you to log in through a serial device such as a virtual terminal, a text terminal, or a modem. It displays the login prompt. Once you enter your username, getty hands this over to login which asks for a password, checks it out and gives you a shell.
There are many getty's available. Some distributions, including Red Hat use
a very small one called mingetty that only works with virtual terminals.
The login program is part of the util-linux package, which also
contains a getty called agetty, which works fine. This package also
contains mkswap, fdisk,
passwd, kill, setterm, mount,
swapon, rdev, renice,
more (the program) and more (ie more programs).
10.1 Configuration
The message that comes on the top of your screen with your login prompt comes
from /etc/issue. Gettys are usually started in /etc/inittab.
Login checks user details in /etc/passwd, and if you have password
shadowing, /etc/shadow.
10.2 Exercises
Create a /etc/passwd by hand. Passwords can be set to null, and
changed with the program passwd once you log on. See the man page for
this file Use man 5 passwd to get the man page for the file rather
than the man page for the program.
Next Previous Contents