Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

scottro · 2003-11-02 15:10:41

I put the 2.6 kernel in on a few boxes for fun. One box at home, with Arch, has no problem, nor does a Slackware install on the same machine have a problem.

However, on a box at work, I cannot open xterms at all--if, for example, I do a start x with twm it won't open period. As root, I can open fluxbox and open an rxvt terminal.

As a user, I can open fluxbox but cannot open an rxvt terminal. Upon leaving X I see the message failed to open pseudo-tty. (The terminal will flash on the screen and disappear in X).

I figured I'd left something out in my .config file, or that something was wrong with permissions. However, checking it against the home boxs' .config and permissions indicates that this isn't the case. I haven't tested another flavor of Linux on this box, to see if the issue is Arch specific or not. I suspect it is not

The box in question is a Dell Dimension, a few years old, which, AFAIK has a standard Intel chipset. I'm guessing it's sometihng to do with the hardware, but not sure what the next step should be. Googling hasn't brought me any joy, the people with the same error messages are in different situations, (also from older kernels.)

Using the 2.4 kernel I don't have this problem. Does anyone have any idea what I'm overlooking here? It doesn't seem to be the obvious in filesystems or ptys in my .config--the only differences in configuration were adding a chipset for the ASUS board on the box at home and and different NICS. Support for the Intel chipset is compiled in (directly, not as module).

Thanks for any help.

Scott

andy · 2003-11-02 15:23:45

This is not a hardware problem, it has got to do with permissions. I had similar things before and it was related to the shell. The ksh was requesting funny pseudo ttys. So try different shells and different terms (xterm, aterm, etc.) to narrow down the problem. Also try starting the terms with and w/o login shells ( i.e. the -ls option).

scottro · 2003-11-02 15:44:42

I bet that's it. I use ksh.

It has its own peculiarities, so I wouldn't be surprised if the issue was connected.

Thanks very much.

scottro · 2003-11-02 16:28:14

Hrm, actually may not be a ksh problem. Just installed that on the box at home, and no problem there either.

I'll play around a bit and see what happens. Still, you've given me some ideas. (I have alreayd tried with and without -ls without change).

Scott

contrasutra · 2003-11-02 16:44:50

http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=1313

scottro · 2003-11-02 17:11:17

Yup that fixed it. Adding the devpts line to /etc/fstab solved the issue.

Thank you very very much. (had the problem duplicated on a second box here at home).

Scott

scottro · 2003-11-02 20:22:58

This is embarrassing, but amusing enough to post, I thnk.

I went to add that information to a page I have up. I saw the info was already there. Apparently I researched this a little more thoroughly last time, and not only found the answer but had put it on my page.

Sigh. They say short term memory is the first thing to go--I forget the second, I just heard it recently.

Scott

sarah31 · 2003-11-02 21:07:11

what was where?

scottro · 2003-11-02 22:33:43

The information about fixing the unable to open pseudo-tty's was already up on a page I have about Arch. As I said, apparently I'd run into this, and fixed it already.

sarah31 · 2003-11-03 07:27:39

bah i was mocking your supposedly bad short term memory

Arch Linux

#1 2003-11-02 15:10:41

Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

#2 2003-11-02 15:23:45

Re: Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

#3 2003-11-02 15:44:42

Re: Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

#4 2003-11-02 16:28:14

Re: Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

#5 2003-11-02 16:44:50

Re: Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

#6 2003-11-02 17:11:17

Re: Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

#7 2003-11-02 20:22:58

Re: Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

#8 2003-11-02 21:07:11

Re: Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

#9 2003-11-02 22:33:43

Re: Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

#10 2003-11-03 07:27:39

Re: Unable to open pseudo-tty with 2.6 kernel

Board footer