Getty (Unix)
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- The correct title of this article is getty. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
getty is a Unix program running on a host computer that manages physical or virtual terminals. When it detects a connection, it prompts for a username and runs the 'login' program to authenticate the user.
Originally, on traditional Unix systems, getty handled connections to serial terminals (often teletype machines) connected to a host computer. The 'tty' part of the name stands for teletype, but has come to mean any type of text terminal.
Personal computers running Unix-like operating systems, even if they do not provide any remote login services, may still use getty as a means of logging in on a local virtual console.
Instead of the 'login' program getty may also be set up by the system administrator to run any other program, for example a ppp daemon to provide dialup internet access.
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