Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!umbc3!dipto From: dipto@umbc3.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: login prompt not staying set Message-ID: <623@umbc3.UMD.EDU> Date: Fri, 4-Dec-87 22:52:08 EST Article-I.D.: umbc3.623 Posted: Fri Dec 4 22:52:08 1987 Date-Received: Wed, 9-Dec-87 00:37:05 EST References: <142700001@occrsh.ATT.COM> <2932@ihlpf.ATT.COM> Reply-To: dipto@umbc3.UMD.EDU (Dipto Chakravarty) Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Lines: 33 In article <2932@ihlpf.ATT.COM> lukas@ihlpf.UUCP (00704a-Lukas,J.) writes: >In article <142700001@occrsh.ATT.COM> rjd@occrsh.ATT.COM writes: >> (Lots of stuff concerning the getty - login sequence) > >Believe me, Im a novice at this. But it occurred to me . . . >Does it make sense for login, after an invalid password, to exec getty >... When one signs on a special prog called "init" gets executed. "Init" is a process control initialization program. "Init" creates a process for each terminal port where a user may log in. Thereafter "getty" executes. It initializes a terminal line, and gets the userid (this is when the ``login: '' prompt appears). It subsequently starts up the program "login" (user asked for ``passwd:''). Upon execution, "login" performs a few critical tasks like initializing the uid & gid, along with the environment and terminal type. Subsequently, this "login" program executes the command interpreter sh, csh, or tcsh. So, remember that it is "getty" which asks for ``login:'' and not the prog login itself; that's the reason why a passwd can't be typed in before being prompted for it on the Unix. Happy logging in ... -- BITNET : dipto@umbc2 ------\ ARPANET: dipto@umbc3.UMD.EDU -------> In-real-life: Dipto Chakravarty USMAIL : CMSC, UMBC,Md 21228 ------/