On Fri, May 28, 1999 at 10:19:03PM -0700, Tony Tye wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Can someone please tell me how to access more than one terminal. If I'm
> running FreeBSD or Linux, I can just push Alt-F1 or Alt-F2, F3, F4,
> etc., to access different terminals. Using NetBSD I try this and I just
> get some strange characters at the prompt on the screen.
> 
> I have tried editing /etc/ttys and changing off to on for some of the
> terminals listed, but this doesn't seem to make any difference.

Depends on the version of NetBSD you're running. If 1.4, or post
1.4 -current, then you want to do this:

1) Turn on ttyE1-ttyEx (x is the number of extra screens you want,
up to 8, currently) in /etc/ttys

2) Take a look at wscons(4), wsdisplay(4), and wskbd(4), if you like.

3) Check that /etc/wscons.conf is setup as you'd like it.

4) (reboot may be needed, depending on what needed changing)
	Use Ctrl-Alt F1-F8 for switching.
(This will work for X also, though I've seen some corruption on
the character screens when coming back from X. Hit enter a couple
of times seems to work for me.)

If you're using 1.3.3 or before:

1) Configure your kernel for vt0, and comment out pc0.
	(build it, and boot it)

2) enable ttyv1-ttyv3 in /etc/ttys
	(kill -HUP 1)

3) Use F9-F12 to switch screens.


And of course, as an alternative, under any version, use window,
or prefferably screen. Screen is very handy if you like to do things
like start a big compile from work, and pick up the session in progress
at home.

-- 
David Maxwell, david@vex.net|david@maxwell.net -->
(About an Amiga rendering landscapes) It's not thinking, it's being artistic!
					      - Jamie Woods