*BSD News Article 49436


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From: j@bonnie.heep.sax.de (J Wunsch)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Inappropriate ioctl for device & pcvt driver
Date: 21 Aug 1995 13:13:00 +0200
Organization: Private U**x site, Dresden.
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Myong In Kye <mikye@jove.acs.unt.edu> wrote:

>I have 2.0.5R and built a new kernel to use pcvt, disabling syscons but enabling
>pcvt driver, which gives a problem at bootup time.
>Next to [keybd, keyrate] (spelling???), the error message says 'Inappropriate
>ioctl for device.'

You are trying to run syscons control commands on a pcvt VT.

The only common API between syscons and pcvt is the ioctl interface
for VT-switching (as it's being used e.g. by the X server).

>I am using the same /etc/sysconfig file that I have been using with 
>my old kernel which used syscons (cons25).
>Mainly, I use Tcshell. I tried cons25, and vt220 with the new kernel.

vt220 or vt100 are the best choices, or pcvt25 if you prefer the
25-line variant.  (The various pcvt terminal types are not strictly
necessary however, since the actual VT size is properly propagated
through the terminal's ``window size'' structure.  You can verify this
by looking at the first line of what ``stty -a'' is telling you.  Even
hot-switching is being propagated, and applications like Emacs
properly adapt their shape to the changed number of rows or columns.)

>1) Hardware probing messages are in red background color. (a feature?)
feature

>2) Shell prompt goes color (blue). (another feature?)
You must have modified your shell environment (prompt or PS1 variable).

>3) Are there any other nice features in pcvt? or any limitations or
>   glitches?

Try `man 4 pcvt' for a summary of features.  The certainly most
important one is the attempt to emulate a DEC VT series terminal as
well as possible.

>1) Key repeat rate is not set to "fast" as I specified in /etc/sysconfig.

run the command `kcon -d 250 -r 31' for fastest speed (e.g. from rc.local).

>2) Vi screen is not displayed appropriately, sometimes and parts of the screen,
>   though.

Wrong TERM variable?

>3) File name completion key, i.e., <tab> key, in tcshell, displays file name
>   choices on the same command line that I was typing in.

TERM?

Read the documentation under /usr/src/usr.sbin/pcvt/Misc.  (I know
this is an ugly place, and i'm looking for a better one without
bloating those minimal distributions that don't bother about pcvt.)
-- 
cheers, J"org                      private:   joerg_wunsch@uriah.heep.sax.de
                                   http://www.sax.de/~joerg/

Never trust an operating system you don't have sources for. ;-)