On Mon, 21 Jun 1999 23:14:09 +0200 
 Ignatios Souvatzis <is@jocelyn.rhein.de> wrote:

 > xterm != xterm session.
 > 
 > you have to somehow start the xterm.
 > If you do this from a ssh, the shell starting it will have an utmp record.
 > If you do this from a console session, the console shell will have an utmp
 > record.

...unless you do "xterm -ls" to have it run your environment setup
scripts...

        -- Jason R. Thorpe <thorpej@nas.nasa.gov>