TTY Settings in Linux

1. TTY?

In Linux, TTY refers to virtual terminals that emulate the behavior of the original hardware teletypeprinters. TTY settings define how the terminal interacts with user input and system output. 

TTY settings influence:

1) Key behavior (e.g, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + Z, or arrow keys)

2) Terminal size (rows and columns for displaying text)

3) Input/output processing, such as echoing typed characters

4) Special key mappings (e.g., backspace, delete, and interrupt signals)

 

2. Key TTY Settings Commands

1) stty -a: View current TTY Settings (e.g., Baud rate, rows and columns, signal mappings, etc.)

2) stty rows {num} columns {num}: Change terminal size

3) stty sane: Restore default TTY settings

4) stty -echo: Turn off echo (hide typed characters)

 

3. Common Issues and Solutions

1) Arrow keys or backspace not working

   (1) Check and set the correct terminal type:

      - export TERM=xterm-256color

      - export TERM=xterm

   (2) Reset the TTY

      - stty sane

 

2) Improper text alignment

   (1) Adjust the terminal size

 

3) Broken TTY in remote sessions

   (1) Use [script] to spawn a proper TTY

      - script /dev/null -c bash

   (2) Use [Python} to create a TTY

      - python -c 'import pty; pty.spawn("/bin/bash")'