openvt - start a program on a new virtual terminal (VT).
openvt [-c vtnumber] [OPTIONS] [--] command
openvt will find the first available VT, and run on it the
given command with the given command options, standard input,
output and error are directed to that terminal. The current search path
($PATH) is used to find the requested command. If no command is specified
then the environment variable $SHELL is used.
- -c,
--console=VTNUMBER
- Use the given VT number and not the first available. Note you must have
write access to the supplied VT for this to work;
- -f, --force
- Force opening a VT without checking whether it is already in use;
- -e, --exec
- Directly execute the given command, without forking. This option is meant
for use in /etc/inittab. If you want to use this feature in another
context, be aware that openvt has to be a session leader in order
for -e to work. See setsid(2) or setsid(1) on how to achieve
this.
- -s, --switch
- Switch to the new VT when starting the command. The VT of the new command
will be made the new current VT;
- -u, --user
- Figure out the owner of the current VT, and run login as that user.
Suitable to be called by init. Shouldn't be used with -c or -l;
- -l, --login
- Make the command a login shell. A - is prepended to the name of the
command to be executed;
- -v, --verbose
- Be a bit more verbose;
- -w, --wait
- wait for command to complete. If -w and -s are used together then
openvt will switch back to the controlling terminal when the
command completes;
- -V, --version
- print program version and exit;
- -h, --help
- show this text and exit.
- --
- end of options to openvt.
If openvt is compiled with a getopt_long() and you wish to
set options to the command to be run, then you must supply the end of
options -- flag before the command.
Earlier, openvt was called open. It was written by
Jon Tombs <jon@gtex02.us.es or jon@robots.ox.ac.uk>. The -w idea is
from "sam".