vjs@calcite.UUCP (Vernon Schryver) (12/17/88)
Does anyone other than me consider that the fact that getty in V/386 3.0e
appears to not have been compiled with '-DHANGUP' a bug?
When getty is not compiled with -DHANGUP (or equivalently hacked), at the
end of a session you are offered a new 'login prompt'. When compiled with
-DHANGUP, getty momentarily forces DTR false by setting the 'baud rate'
to 0 before starting. This closes a small security hole. If this is
undesirable, the -h command line flag (in inittab) can override it, giving
the current Microport 3.0e behavior.
When getty is not compiled with -DHANGUP, you have no option. It also
fails to behave as the getty(1m) man-page claims.
If getty were compiled with HANGUP, it might be a little messier to use
in 'permissive' installations, but those of us who know the world is out
to get us could find a little comfort. (Yes, running getty with '-t 60'
is even more comforting.)
Another reason for this feature is that some modems can be fooled into thinking
dial tone is carrier. Having getty hang up helps a little.
If uport used such a good getty, it's phone modems might not be as busy.
Such a getty would be more compatible with systems sold by Big Workstation
Vendors.
Vernon Schryver
{sgi,pyramid}!calcite!vjs