[comp.unix.xenix] Can I autoboot my xenix application?

neverisk@tnl.UUCP (neverisky michael) (03/20/90)

I have an SCO Xenix 2.3.2 application which I would like to autoboot
at power up.  However, it seems that before I ever get a chance to 
run any shell script I must 1) type RETURN at the boot: prompt 2) enter
su password or Ctl-D for normal startup and 3) confirm the date!  Can
all this nonsense be cicumvented?


Mike Neverisky
philabs!trintex!neverisk

terry@pride386.UUCP (Terry Lyons) (03/21/90)

In article <260@tnl.UUCP>, neverisk@tnl.UUCP (neverisky michael) writes:
> I have an SCO Xenix 2.3.2 application which I would like to autoboot
> at power up.  However, it seems that before I ever get a chance to
> run any shell script I must 1) type RETURN at the boot: prompt 2) enter
> su password or Ctl-D for normal startup and 3) confirm the date!  Can
> all this nonsense be cicumvented?



well I just flip the little red switch and go to the bathroom, when I come 
back it says Login:


i think if you look (maybe in /dev/rc ... maybe not) there is a peramiter that 
says somthing like autoboot=yes
 if all else fails try TM(hw)...
terry


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joer@comm.WANG.COM (Joe Reinhardt) (03/21/90)

neverisk@tnl.UUCP (neverisky michael) writes:

>I have an SCO Xenix 2.3.2 application which I would like to autoboot
>at power up.  However, it seems that before I ever get a chance to 
>run any shell script I must 1) type RETURN at the boot: prompt 2) enter
>su password or Ctl-D for normal startup and 3) confirm the date!  Can
>all this nonsense be cicumvented?

I believe that Xenix will "autoboot" -- when the "boot:" prompt comes up
and a <CR> is not received after a certain amount of time (like 60 seconds?)
the system boots up automatically.  No need to enter the <CTRL-D> or the 
time.

You can put your local startup stuff in one of the startup
scripts in rc.d.

Joe Reinhardt
joer@comm.wang.com

dalen@telxon.uucp (Dale Niedzielski) (03/22/90)

In article <260@tnl.UUCP> neverisk@tnl.UUCP (neverisky michael) writes:
>I have an SCO Xenix 2.3.2 application which I would like to autoboot
>at power up.  However, it seems that before I ever get a chance to 
>run any shell script I must 1) type RETURN at the boot: prompt 2) enter
>su password or Ctl-D for normal startup and 3) confirm the date!  Can
>all this nonsense be cicumvented?
>
>
>Mike Neverisky
>philabs!trintex!neverisk

   It is possible (and easy) to auto boot your application.  First, you
need to root permissions.  Second, edit the file /etc/rc.  This is the
startup script.  Near the bottom you'll find an area reserved for this
purpose.  Note that this is used to lauch backround processes - not
processes/applications associated with a terminal. 
   For terminal/user autobooting applications, simply write a small 
shell script to launch the application and edit /etc/passwd as follows:
   - Find the login id of the account/user id you wish to assign a
     specific application.
   - At the end of that line is the "shell" that executes when the user
     logs in.  Replace that shell path with the path to your script/
     main application executable (perhaps a menu).  Do this for each
     of the accounts requiring the application (or, as I have done,
     create a common account for each application).
   - If you wish to remove the password for the account so the user need
     only enter the account name during login, delete the encrypted 
     "password" between the first and second colons (':') following the
     account name.  This, however, is not recommended and should only
     be done if the application is secure and/or password protected.

   In answer to your first note, there is an autoboot flag you can
set so that the machine will boot after approximately 1 minute.  This
is a nice feature, especially in an unattended environment where
power fails are possible.  After the autoboot, the console and any 
serial terminals will have the login prompt and the file /usr/adm/messages
will contain statistics of the boot (ie file system check, etc).

   Hope this is what you are looking for ...

                                      Dale
				      [d.n.]

sl@van-bc.UUCP (Stuart Lynne) (03/22/90)

In article <1990Mar21.144035.19295@comm.WANG.COM> joer@comm.WANG.COM (Joe Reinhardt) writes:
>neverisk@tnl.UUCP (neverisky michael) writes:
>
>>I have an SCO Xenix 2.3.2 application which I would like to autoboot
>>at power up.  However, it seems that before I ever get a chance to 
>>run any shell script I must 1) type RETURN at the boot: prompt 2) enter
>>su password or Ctl-D for normal startup and 3) confirm the date!  Can
>>all this nonsense be cicumvented?
>
>I believe that Xenix will "autoboot" -- when the "boot:" prompt comes up
>and a <CR> is not received after a certain amount of time (like 60 seconds?)
>the system boots up automatically.  No need to enter the <CTRL-D> or the 
>time.

If it times out at the boot: prompt Xenix will add the string "auto" to the
string contained in "DEFBOOTSTR" from /etc/default/boot. This tells the
startup routines that the system is in "auto-boot" mode and not to prompt
for the system maintenance mode.

I also put "auto" into DEFBOOTSTR in /etc/default/boot:

	DEFBOOTSTR=hd(40)xenix auto

This tells Xenix to boot directly to multi-user mode without prompting for
maintenance mode when you hit <cr>. If you *really* do want to go into
maintenance mode just enter:

	xenix <cr>

You can also do the following to eliminate the annoying call to asktime in
/etc/rc.d/0/sysinit:

      # set system clock
      eval /etc/asktime $AUTOFLAG $AUTOBOOT <<EOF
      EOF
      echo

-- 
Stuart.Lynne@wimsey.bc.ca ubc-cs!van-bc!sl 604-937-7532(voice) 604-939-4768(fax)

rees@scrolls.wharton.upenn.edu (Ed Rees) (03/22/90)

The system will autoboot after timing out at the Boot: prompt, as in
no ctl-D, no need to answer the asktime prompt (BTW, this times out
the same as the Boot: prompt).

If you don't want to wait the default 60 seconds, and want to zip past
this silliness, just change the line in /etc/default/boot that refers
to the autoboot time param (can't remember the label, it's obvious, though)

Your application can automatically start by placing a shell script in one
of the rc.d directories, not sure which here, but it's in the manual.

You also might want to remove the getty entries from the inittab file,
and probably have to fiddle about with the console login stuff.

rees (Don't need no stinking .signature)