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diff --git a/man4/pts.4 b/man4/pts.4 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d330907 --- /dev/null +++ b/man4/pts.4 @@ -0,0 +1,75 @@ +.\" This man page was written by Jeremy Phelps <jphelps@notreached.net>. +.\" Notes added - aeb +.\" +.\" %%%LICENSE_START(FREELY_REDISTRIBUTABLE) +.\" Redistribute and revise at will. +.\" %%%LICENSE_END +.\" +.TH pts 4 2022-10-30 "Linux man-pages 6.05.01" +.SH NAME +ptmx, pts \- pseudoterminal master and slave +.SH DESCRIPTION +The file +.I /dev/ptmx +(the pseudoterminal multiplexor device) +is a character file with major number 5 and +minor number 2, usually with mode 0666 and ownership root:root. +It is used to create a pseudoterminal master and slave pair. +.PP +When a process opens +.IR /dev/ptmx , +it gets a file +descriptor for a pseudoterminal master +and a pseudoterminal slave device is created in the +.I /dev/pts +directory. +Each file descriptor obtained by opening +.I /dev/ptmx +is an independent pseudoterminal master with its own associated slave, +whose path can +be found by passing the file descriptor to +.BR ptsname (3). +.PP +Before opening the pseudoterminal slave, you must pass the master's file +descriptor to +.BR grantpt (3) +and +.BR unlockpt (3). +.PP +Once both the pseudoterminal master and slave are open, the slave provides +processes with an interface that is identical to that of a real terminal. +.PP +Data written to the slave is presented on the master file descriptor as input. +Data written to the master is presented to the slave as input. +.PP +In practice, pseudoterminals are used for implementing terminal emulators +such as +.BR xterm (1), +in which data read from the pseudoterminal master is interpreted by the +application in the same way +a real terminal would interpret the data, and for implementing remote-login +programs such as +.BR sshd (8), +in which data read from the pseudoterminal master is sent across the network +to a client program that is connected to a terminal or terminal emulator. +.PP +Pseudoterminals can also be used to send input to programs that normally +refuse to read input from pipes (such as +.BR su (1), +and +.BR passwd (1)). +.SH FILES +.IR /dev/ptmx , +.I /dev/pts/* +.SH NOTES +The Linux support for the above (known as UNIX 98 pseudoterminal naming) +is done using the +.I devpts +filesystem, which should be mounted on +.IR /dev/pts . +.SH SEE ALSO +.BR getpt (3), +.BR grantpt (3), +.BR ptsname (3), +.BR unlockpt (3), +.BR pty (7) |