Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

odror · 2021-04-25 01:34:02

In the debian derivatives There is a file /etc/defaul/console-setup where I can set the active VTs that I want
for example
ACTIVE_CONSOLES="/dev/tty[1-6]" will set virtual terminals in tty1 through tty6

Arch used to have it (may be before systemd)

Where I can have a similar setup in arch. For example I'd like the active terminals to be from tty7 to tty12. I'd like gdm to be on any of these terminals, but not in any of the tty1 though tty6

jasonwryan · 2021-04-25 01:35:56

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ge … l_consoles

odror · 2021-04-25 02:12:12

This might work for getty, but gdm/X11 ignores that. Where is the setup for gdm. custom.conf does not have it. I'd like to tell GDM to use tty7-11

Also what is tty1 so special. Why it is needed. Why cannot use any of the other VTs.

Trilby · 2021-04-25 02:36:49

If you want to configure gdm, it has it's own config file. From a quick google search it appears there is a setting in gdm.conf for FirstVT which specifies the first (lowest number) VT it would try to run on. I gather you want this to be 7.

As for why tty1 is special ... it isn't. What makes you think it is? You can use whichever VT you want, but if your goal is to make certain software use certain tty's, you'd have to configure them to do so.

Last edited by Trilby (2021-04-25 02:38:16)

odror · 2021-04-25 05:00:57

FirstVT does not work for me. I had to recompile gdm so that it will start in VT9. When I have FirstVT=10. The first user gnome session starts at VT1 instead of VT10.

regarding tty1. I found that if a user session starts at VT1 I am not able to do a VT switch. I had this since the upgrade to systemd-248. May be it is some kind of udev/systemd stuff that I do not understand.

jasonwryan · 2021-04-25 05:06:31

odror wrote:

I found that if a user session starts at VT1 I am not able to do a VT switch.

Nvidia?

odror · 2021-04-25 06:01:22

Yes driver 460.67

jasonwryan · 2021-04-25 06:11:50

Have a look at some of the threads here, there is a lot of brokeness. My money is on the nvidia update.

seth · 2021-04-25 07:23:30

nvidia struggles w/ framebuffer consoles, try to deactivate them eg. w/ https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GR … ramebuffer (but that means you're on a low-res VGA console)
Alternatively driving he console at a different mode that enforces a modeswitch might help you, https://raw.githubusercontent.com/torva … modedb.rst

The more recent issues around the nvidia blob are reg. the 465xx series which crashes w/ anullptr deref in the kernel module, I don't think that's related here.

odror · 2021-04-25 16:50:27

I have added the following line to /etc/default/grub to disable the framebuffer

GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text

It did not fix the issue.

Looking at "strace chvt 3" I get the following

The correct ioctl commands are called and return correctly, They return with no error. It is as if the kernel ignores the ioctl commands

ioctl(3, VT_ACTIVATE, 0x3)              = 0
ioctl(3, VT_WAITACTIVE, 0x3)            = 0
timer_delete(0)                         = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGALRM, {sa_handler=SIG_DFL, sa_mask=[ALRM], sa_flags=SA_RESTORER|SA_RESTART, sa_restorer=0x7f250287ff80}, {sa_handler=0x55bbef467540, sa_mask=[], sa_flags=SA_RESTORER|SA_SIGINFO, sa_restorer=0x7f250287ff80}, 8) = 0
exit_group(0)                           = ?
+++ exited with 0 +++

seth · 2021-04-25 16:55:42

I assume you ran grub-mkconfig and now face a console with 80x25 really large glyphs?
Is it really ignored or just not reflected visually? Can you still interact w/ the apparently active VT/session?

odror · 2021-04-25 17:47:16

seth wrote:

I assume you ran grub-mkconfig and now face a console with 80x25 really large glyphs?

I did not get large glyphs ( May be because I have a 4k monitor)

seth wrote:

IIs it really ignored or just not reflected visually? Can you still interact w/ the apparently active VT/session?

It is actually not ignored. It is just not reflected visually.

When doing chvt 5
an then "ps -aux | grep tty"
I see tty5. I did not see it before the chvt command, but the screen does not switch to it.

seth · 2021-04-25 20:17:00

I did not get large glyphs ( May be because I have a 4k monitor)

Sounds framebuffer. The resolution doesn't matter - the VGA console has 80x25 glyphs.
You could add "vga=31b" to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT

odror · 2021-04-26 01:20:23

I kind of fixed the issue.

I have deleted the file which caused the proplem. I re linked the file again, and now I can do vt switch.
/etc/systemd/system/getty.target.wants/getty@tty1.service

deleting this file means that there is no default getty in tty1.

This does not explain why in the absence of tty1 getty, the first user Gdm process default to tty1. It also does not explain that once X11 process uses tty1 vt switch cannot be done. There is something special in tty1, which is important for vt switch and X11

Any idea why tty1 is so important and how to enable vt switch when there is no getty in tty1

In most system after booting gdm takes over tty1, and there are no issues. In my system gdm is in tty9.

Arch Linux

#1 2021-04-25 01:34:02

Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#2 2021-04-25 01:35:56

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#3 2021-04-25 02:12:12

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#4 2021-04-25 02:36:49

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#5 2021-04-25 05:00:57

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#6 2021-04-25 05:06:31

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#7 2021-04-25 06:01:22

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#8 2021-04-25 06:11:50

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#9 2021-04-25 07:23:30

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#10 2021-04-25 16:50:27

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#11 2021-04-25 16:55:42

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#12 2021-04-25 17:47:16

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#13 2021-04-25 20:17:00

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

#14 2021-04-26 01:20:23

Re: Where is the console-setup or where can I set the active consoles.

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