A path name relative to the /dev directory. If a "−" is specified, agetty assumes that its standard input is already connected to a tty port and that a connection to a remote user has already been established.

Under System V, a "−" port argument should be preceded by a "−−".

A comma-separated list of one or more baud rates. Each time agetty receives a BREAK character it advances through the list, which is treated as if it were circular.

Baud rates should be specified in descending order, so that the null character (Ctrl−@) can also be used for baud-rate switching.

This argument is optional and unnecessary for virtual terminals.

The default for serial terminals is keep the current baud rate (see −−keep−baud) and if unsuccessful then default to '9600'.

The value to be used for the TERM environment variable. This overrides whatever init(8) may have set, and is inherited by login and the shell.

The default is 'vt100', or 'linux' for Linux on a virtual terminal, or 'hurd' for GNU Hurd on a virtual terminal.

Assume that the tty is 8-bit clean, hence disable parity detection.

Automatically log in the specified user without asking for a username or password. Using this option causes an −f username option and argument to be added to the /bin/login command line. See −−login−options, which can be used to modify this option's behavior.

Note that −−autologin may affect the way how agetty initializes the serial line, because on auto-login agetty does not read from the line and it has no opportunity optimize the line setting.

Do not reset terminal cflags (control modes). See termios(3) for more details.

Typically the login(1) command is given a remote hostname when called by something such as telnetd(8). This option allows agetty to pass what it is using for a hostname to login(1) for use in utmp(5). See −−host, login(1), and utmp(5).

If the −−host fakehost option is given, then an −h fakehost option and argument are added to the /bin/login command line.

If the −−nohostname option is given, then an −H option is added to the /bin/login command line.

See −−login−options.

Specifies a ":" delimited list of files and directories to be displayed instead of /etc/issue (or other). All specified files and directories are displayed, missing or empty files are silently ignored. If the specified path is a directory then display all files with .issue file extension in version-sort order from the directory. This allows custom messages to be displayed on different terminals. The −−noissue option will override this option.

Display the current issue file (or other) on the current terminal and exit. Use this option to review the current setting, it is not designed for any other purpose. Note that output may use some default or incomplete information as proper output depends on terminal and agetty command line.

Enable hardware (RTS/CTS) flow control. It is left up to the application to disable software (XON/XOFF) flow protocol where appropriate.

Write the specified fakehost into the utmp file. Normally, no login host is given, since agetty is used for local hardwired connections and consoles. However, this option can be useful for identifying terminal concentrators and the like.

Do not display the contents of /etc/issue (or other) before writing the login prompt. Terminals or communications hardware may become confused when receiving lots of text at the wrong baud rate; dial-up scripts may fail if the login prompt is preceded by too much text.

Set an initial string to be sent to the tty or modem before sending anything else. This may be used to initialize a modem. Non-printable characters may be sent by writing their octal code preceded by a backslash (\). For example, to send a linefeed character (ASCII 10, octal 012), write \012.

Do not clear the screen before prompting for the login name. By default the screen is cleared.

Invoke the specified login_program instead of /bin/login. This allows the use of a non-standard login program. Such a program could, for example, ask for a dial-up password or use a different password file. See −−login−options.

Control the CLOCAL line flag. The optional mode argument is 'auto', 'always' or 'never'. If the mode argument is omitted, then the default is 'always'. If the −−local−line option is not given at all, then the default is 'auto'.

Try to extract the baud rate from the CONNECT status message produced by Hayes(tm)−compatible modems. These status messages are of the form: "<junk><speed><junk>". agetty assumes that the modem emits its status message at the same speed as specified with (the first) baud_rate value on the command line.

Since the −−extract−baud feature may fail on heavily-loaded systems, you still should enable BREAK processing by enumerating all expected baud rates on the command line.

Display supported baud rates. These are determined at compilation time.

Do not prompt the user for a login name. This can be used in connection with the −−login−program option to invoke a non-standard login process such as a BBS system. Note that with the −−skip−login option, agetty gets no input from the user who logs in and therefore will not be able to figure out parity, character size, and newline processing of the connection. It defaults to space parity, 7 bit characters, and ASCII CR (13) end-of-line character. Beware that the program that agetty starts (usually /bin/login) is run as root.

Do not print a newline before writing out /etc/issue.

Options and arguments that are passed to login(1). Where \u is replaced by the login name. For example:

Wait for any key before dropping to the login prompt. Can be combined with −−autologin to save memory by lazily spawning shells.

Change root to the specified directory.

Call vhangup() to do a virtual hangup of the specified terminal.

Try to keep the existing baud rate. The baud rates from the command line are used when agetty receives a BREAK character. If another baud rates specified then the original baud rate is also saved to the end of the wanted baud rates list. This can be used to return to the original baud rate after unexpected BREAKs.

Terminate if no user name could be read within timeout seconds. Use of this option with hardwired terminal lines is not recommended.

Turn on support for detecting an uppercase-only terminal. This setting will detect a login name containing only capitals as indicating an uppercase-only terminal and turn on some upper-to-lower case conversions. Note that this has no support for any Unicode characters.

Wait for the user or the modem to send a carriage-return or a linefeed character before sending the /etc/issue file (or others) and the login prompt. This is useful with the −−init−string option.

Do not print hints about Num, Caps and Scroll Locks.

By default the hostname will be printed. With this option enabled, no hostname at all will be shown.

By default the hostname is only printed until the first dot. With this option enabled, the fully qualified hostname by gethostname(3P) or (if not found) by getaddrinfo(3) is shown.

This option specifies additional characters that should be interpreted as a backspace ("ignore the previous character") when the user types the login name. The default additional 'erase' has been '#', but since util-linux 2.23 no additional erase characters are enabled by default.

This option specifies additional characters that should be interpreted as a kill ("ignore all previous characters") when the user types the login name. The default additional 'kill' has been '@', but since util-linux 2.23 no additional kill characters are enabled by default.

Change directory before the login.

Sleep seconds before open tty.

Run login with this priority.

Ask all running agetty instances to reload and update their displayed prompts, if the user has not yet commenced logging in. After doing so the command will exit. This feature might be unsupported on systems without Linux inotify(7).

Display version information and exit.

Display help text and exit.

Insert the IPv4 address of the specified network interface (for example: \4{eth0}). If the interface argument is not specified, then select the first fully configured (UP, non-LOCALBACK, RUNNING) interface. If not any configured interface is found, fall back to the IP address of the machine's hostname.

The same as \4 but for IPv6.

Insert the baudrate of the current line.

Insert the current date.

Translate the human-readable name to an escape sequence and insert it (for example: \e{red}Alert text.\e{reset}). If the name argument is not specified, then insert \033. The currently supported names are: black, blink, blue, bold, brown, cyan, darkgray, gray, green, halfbright, lightblue, lightcyan, lightgray, lightgreen, lightmagenta, lightred, magenta, red, reset, reverse, yellow and white. All unknown names are silently ignored.

Insert the system name (the name of the operating system). Same as 'uname −s'. See also the \S escape code.

Insert the VARIABLE data from /etc/os-release. If this file does not exist then fall back to /usr/lib/os-release. If the VARIABLE argument is not specified, then use PRETTY_NAME from the file or the system name (see \s). This escape code can be used to keep /etc/issue distribution and release independent. Note that \S{ANSI_COLOR} is converted to the real terminal escape sequence.

Insert the name of the current tty line.

Insert the architecture identifier of the machine. Same as 'uname −m'.

Insert the nodename of the machine, also known as the hostname. Same as 'uname −n'.

Insert the NIS domainname of the machine. Same as 'hostname −d'.

Insert the DNS domainname of the machine.

Insert the release number of the OS. Same as 'uname −r'.

Insert the current time.

Insert the number of current users logged in.

Insert the string "1 user" or "<n> users" where <n> is the number of current users logged in.

Insert the version of the OS, that is, the build-date and such.

the system status file.

printed before the login prompt.

operating system identification data.

problem reports (if syslog(3) is not used).

init(8) configuration file for SysV-style init daemon.