goutier@jsp.umontreal.ca (Goutier Claude) (01/25/91)
The first problem with the vtserver is that it uses the message: Cannot create vt100 window for almost any conceivable problem it might encounter during its initialisation. A diagnostic message should give clues about what is wrong. One of the reasons for improper startup on vt100 is not the ownership of the pseudo-tty /dev/ttyp9 but its permission mode. It must be rw by world for things to go nicely. For unknown reason, this rw mode is not reset properly when some process died. Even a reboot of the station is useless since nobody in kernel/rc/rc.local/rc.user cares to reset things to a sound state. So next time you get the infamous vt100 error message, check first the mode of /dev/ttyp9 and reset it to 666 (should be done by root). If this fix the problem, fine. One can also put a similar reset of permission mode for /dev/ttyp9 in, say, rc.local. Then the solution for the casual user facing a studborn vt100 could be to simply reboot the machine (-:). By the way, crp may also fail when permisson mode on /dev/crp* is not 666 (was that not the number of the beast?). The cure is the same. Claude Goutier goutier@jsp.umontreal.ca