/etc/getty and /etc/inittab woes

[Robin]

In article <30502 at hydra.gatech.EDU> bokonon at prism.gatech.EDU (Chris Cheyney)  
writes:
> I have a problem with AIX 3.1 and gettys.  I add a line for my custom
> getty like this into /etc/inittab:
> 	tty2:2:respawn:/etc/mygetty -a tty2 19200

This is not the best way to use something different than the default.  Use 
SMIT to set the port to "Login:  DISABLED".  This will create an entry in the
inittab file that looks like this:

tty2:2:off:/etc/getty /dev/tty2

THEN... add an entry that looks like:

TTY2:2:respawn:/etc/mygetty -a tty2 19200

The fact that this entry is not contained in the ODM will prevent the 
system from trying to "correct" it using the settings you defined through
SMIT.

> and all looks like it goes well.  I wander off and leave the port
> alone for a while, perhaps with people trying to call into it, or not,
> I'm not altogether certain, but I come back and am looking at this
> line:
> 	tty2:2:respawn:/etc/getty /dev/tty2

This is what the ODM gets for you.  It will determine the "correct" settings  
for a tty based on what you set through SMIT.  If you set it up correctly in
SMIT, then you will get what you wanted here.
 
> which is not right for what I want.  No person has modified it that I
> know of, so I'm assuming that some process is thwacking me.  Has anyone
> else encountered this, and if so, how did you solve the problem?

The process that is "thwacking you" is probably SMIT.  Or, it could be anyone  
of a number of other process that call the syschck routines.
 
> By the way, mygetty is a wrapper for a modem so I don't make it chatter
> endlessly.  It forks off /etc/getty with the -r option.

I suggest you use "DELAY" for the "Enable LOGIN" field in SMIT.  This uses the  
"uugetty -r" code to keep the modem from "chattering".  If you like, you can  
mail me, and I will send you (via email) a complete guide to modem setup on the  
rs-6000.

> Any suggestions for solving this problem (as well as explaining why
> sometimes I receive a SIGCHLD signal) would be appreciated.

Don't know about this one...   When do you receive the SIGCHLD?

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