2000-11-06 20:38:07

by Paul Powell

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: xterm: no available ptys

Hello,

I have created a trimmed down /dev directory to be
used with my custom bootable Linux CD. I've run into
a problem where I can't start an xterm. I get the
error...

xterm: no available ptys

I'm not sure which device I'm missing in /dev. I'm no
expert on how the tty's and stuff work so feel free to
fill me in. Everything else seems to work fine on the
CD.

Here is what my /dev directory looks like now:

/dev:
console
cua0
cua1
cua2
cua3
fb
fb0
fb1
fb2
fb3
fb4
fb5
fb6
fb7
fd0
fd1
hda
hdb
hdc
hdd
kmem
listing
mem
mouse
null
psaux
pts
|...0
ram
ram0
ram1
ram2
ram3
ramdisk
scd0
scd1
scd2
scd3
scd4
scd5
scd6
scd7
tty
tty0
tty1
tty2
ttyp0
ttyp1
ttyp2
ttyp3
ttyp4
urandom
zero

Am I missing something?

Any help appreciated!

__________________________________________________
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2000-11-06 20:55:54

by Ben Ford

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: xterm: no available ptys

(ben@qwerty)-(12:52pm Mon Nov 6)-(/dev)
$ ls ptys*
ptys0 ptys2 ptys4 ptys6 ptys8 ptysa ptysc ptyse
ptys1 ptys3 ptys5 ptys7 ptys9 ptysb ptysd ptysf


-b

Paul Powell wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I have created a trimmed down /dev directory to be
> used with my custom bootable Linux CD. I've run into
> a problem where I can't start an xterm. I get the
> error...
>
> xterm: no available ptys
>
> I'm not sure which device I'm missing in /dev. I'm no
> expert on how the tty's and stuff work so feel free to
> fill me in. Everything else seems to work fine on the
> CD.
>
> Here is what my /dev directory looks like now:
>
> /dev:
> console
> cua0
> cua1
> cua2
> cua3
> fb
> fb0
> fb1
> fb2
> fb3
> fb4
> fb5
> fb6
> fb7
> fd0
> fd1
> hda
> hdb
> hdc
> hdd
> kmem
> listing
> mem
> mouse
> null
> psaux
> pts
> |...0
> ram
> ram0
> ram1
> ram2
> ram3
> ramdisk
> scd0
> scd1
> scd2
> scd3
> scd4
> scd5
> scd6
> scd7
> tty
> tty0
> tty1
> tty2
> ttyp0
> ttyp1
> ttyp2
> ttyp3
> ttyp4
> urandom
> zero
>
> Am I missing something?
>
> Any help appreciated!
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one Place.
> http://shopping.yahoo.com/
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
> the body of a message to [email protected]
> Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/

2000-11-06 20:59:34

by Michael Meissner

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: xterm: no available ptys

On Mon, Nov 06, 2000 at 12:37:38PM -0800, Paul Powell wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have created a trimmed down /dev directory to be
> used with my custom bootable Linux CD. I've run into
> a problem where I can't start an xterm. I get the
> error...
>
> xterm: no available ptys
>
> I'm not sure which device I'm missing in /dev. I'm no
> expert on how the tty's and stuff work so feel free to
> fill me in. Everything else seems to work fine on the
> CD.

Did you mount /dev/pts, which is usually done with a line in /etc/fstab:

none /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=0622 0 0

--
Michael Meissner, Red Hat, Inc.
PMB 198, 174 Littleton Road #3, Westford, Massachusetts 01886, USA
Work: [email protected] phone: +1 978-486-9304
Non-work: [email protected] fax: +1 978-692-4482

2000-11-06 22:05:28

by H. Peter Anvin

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: xterm: no available ptys

Followup to: <[email protected]>
By author: Michael Meissner <[email protected]>
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> Did you mount /dev/pts, which is usually done with a line in /etc/fstab:
>
> none /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=0622 0 0
>

That should be gid=5,mode=0620 unless you *REALLY*, *REALLY* know what
you're doing!!!! Arguably, that should actually be mode=0600, with
user tty's then being required to chmod to 0620 if they want "mesg y"
by default.

(gid 5 being the gid for group "tty".)

-hpa
--
<[email protected]> at work, <[email protected]> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."
http://www.zytor.com/~hpa/puzzle.txt

2000-11-06 23:50:19

by Igmar Palsenberg

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: xterm: no available ptys

On Mon, 6 Nov 2000, Paul Powell wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I have created a trimmed down /dev directory to be
> used with my custom bootable Linux CD. I've run into
> a problem where I can't start an xterm. I get the
> error...
>
> xterm: no available ptys
>
> I'm not sure which device I'm missing in /dev. I'm no
> expert on how the tty's and stuff work so feel free to
> fill me in. Everything else seems to work fine on the
> CD.
>
> Here is what my /dev directory looks like now:
>
> /dev:
> console
> cua0
> cua1
> cua2
> cua3
> fb
> fb0
> fb1
> fb2
> fb3
> fb4
> fb5
> fb6
> fb7
> fd0
> fd1
> hda
> hdb
> hdc
> hdd
> kmem
> listing
> mem
> mouse
> null
> psaux
> pts
> |...0

I'm missing ptmx. You NEED a writable /dev/pts dir.



Igmar

2000-11-07 00:29:16

by H. Peter Anvin

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: xterm: no available ptys

Followup to: <[email protected]>
By author: Igmar Palsenberg <[email protected]>
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> I'm missing ptmx. You NEED a writable /dev/pts dir.
>

Actually, what you need is the devpts filesystem mounted onto
/dev/pts.

-hpa
--
<[email protected]> at work, <[email protected]> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."
http://www.zytor.com/~hpa/puzzle.txt

2000-11-07 23:25:19

by Igmar Palsenberg

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: xterm: no available ptys


> > I'm missing ptmx. You NEED a writable /dev/pts dir.
> >
>
> Actually, what you need is the devpts filesystem mounted onto
> /dev/pts.

Agree. I had a shitload of probs when 2.2.0 came out and I switched.. Was
due that /dev was readonly here. Bit strange if I think of it.

>
> -hpa
>


Igmar

2000-11-08 02:25:03

by H. Peter Anvin

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: xterm: no available ptys

Igmar Palsenberg wrote:
>
> > > I'm missing ptmx. You NEED a writable /dev/pts dir.
> > >
> >
> > Actually, what you need is the devpts filesystem mounted onto
> > /dev/pts.
>
> Agree. I had a shitload of probs when 2.2.0 came out and I switched.. Was
> due that /dev was readonly here. Bit strange if I think of it.
>

If you don't have devpts mounted, glibc tries to use a setuid program to
hack around /dev for you. I'd rather wish it didn't, actually.

-hpa

--
<[email protected]> at work, <[email protected]> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."
http://www.zytor.com/~hpa/puzzle.txt