<HTML ><HEAD ><TITLE >Alternative meanings of console</TITLE ><META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.7"><LINK REL="HOME" TITLE="Remote Serial Console HOWTO" HREF="index.html"><LINK REL="UP" TITLE="Introduction" HREF="intro.html"><LINK REL="PREVIOUS" TITLE="Why use a serial console?" HREF="intro-why.html"><LINK REL="NEXT" TITLE="Configuration overview" HREF="intro-config.html"></HEAD ><BODY CLASS="SECTION" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#0000FF" VLINK="#840084" ALINK="#0000FF" ><DIV CLASS="NAVHEADER" ><TABLE SUMMARY="Header navigation table" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" ><TR ><TH COLSPAN="3" ALIGN="center" >Remote Serial Console HOWTO</TH ></TR ><TR ><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="left" VALIGN="bottom" ><A HREF="intro-why.html" ACCESSKEY="P" >Prev</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="80%" ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom" >Chapter 1. Introduction</TD ><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="right" VALIGN="bottom" ><A HREF="intro-config.html" ACCESSKEY="N" >Next</A ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ><HR ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH="100%"></DIV ><DIV CLASS="SECTION" ><H1 CLASS="SECTION" ><A NAME="INTRO-WORD" ></A >1.3. Alternative meanings of <SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"console"</SPAN ></H1 ><P >Some authors use the word <SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"console"</SPAN > to refer to the keyboard and monitor that are attached to the system unit. This is described as a <SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"physical console"</SPAN > by some <SPAN CLASS="SYSTEMITEM" >Linux</SPAN > documentation. The console where system messages appear is described as the <SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"logical console"</SPAN > by that documentation.</P ><P >As an illustration of the difference, <SPAN CLASS="PRODUCTNAME" >X Windows</SPAN > should start on the physical console but system messages issued by failures when starting <SPAN CLASS="PRODUCTNAME" >X Windows</SPAN > should be written to the logical console.</P ><P >To avoid confusion this <I CLASS="CITETITLE" >HOWTO</I > uses the word <SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"console"</SPAN > to describe the place where system messages are printed. This <I CLASS="CITETITLE" >HOWTO</I > uses the phrase <SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"attached monitor and keyboard"</SPAN > rather than the confusing words <SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"physical console"</SPAN >.</P ><P >These distinctions are also made in the naming of devices. The device <TT CLASS="FILENAME" >/dev/console</TT > is used to send messages to the console. The symbolic link <TT CLASS="FILENAME" >/dev/systty</TT > points to the device which is used by the attached monitor and keyboard, often <TT CLASS="FILENAME" >/dev/tty0</TT >.</P ><DIV CLASS="TABLE" ><A NAME="INTRO-WORD-CONSOLE" ></A ><P ><B >Table 1-1. Different ways of referring to the <SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"console"</SPAN ></B ></P ><TABLE BORDER="1" CLASS="CALSTABLE" ><THEAD ><TR ><TH ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" >Document</TH ><TD > </TD ><TD > </TD ></TR ></THEAD ><TBODY ><TR ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P >This <I CLASS="CITETITLE" >HOWTO</I ></P ></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P ><SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"Console"</SPAN ></P ></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P ><SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"Attached monitor and keyboard"</SPAN ></P ></TD ></TR ><TR ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P >Some Linux documentation</P ></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P ><SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"Logical console"</SPAN ></P ></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P ><SPAN CLASS="QUOTE" >"Physical console"</SPAN ></P ></TD ></TR ><TR ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P >Device names</P ></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P ><TT CLASS="FILENAME" >/dev/console</TT ></P ></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P ><TT CLASS="FILENAME" >/dev/systty</TT ></P ></TD ></TR ></TBODY ></TABLE ></DIV ></DIV ><DIV CLASS="NAVFOOTER" ><HR ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH="100%"><TABLE SUMMARY="Footer navigation table" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="intro-why.html" ACCESSKEY="P" >Prev</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="34%" ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="index.html" ACCESSKEY="H" >Home</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="intro-config.html" ACCESSKEY="N" >Next</A ></TD ></TR ><TR ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" >Why use a serial console?</TD ><TD WIDTH="34%" ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="intro.html" ACCESSKEY="U" >Up</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" >Configuration overview</TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ></BODY ></HTML >