Very Computer

I would like to 1) complete disable the screen blanker for the Linux
console, and 2) set the system up so that when the screen blanker
would normaly be invoked, it switches between the virtual TTYs (or a
subset of them).  I can then set up several of these to show my
various status pieces, and get a good view of the system at a glance.
Okay, maybe 3 or 4 glances, but still.

Any thoughts?  I'm a reasonable programmer if someone can point me at
the correct API for controlling this.  I have little interest in
hacking the kernel to do this.

Thanks

David Corbin
============
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        at http://www.america.net/~david
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: I would like to 1) complete disable the screen blanker for the Linux
: console, and 2) set the system up so that when the screen blanker
: would normaly be invoked, it switches between the virtual TTYs (or a
: subset of them).  I can then set up several of these to show my
: various status pieces, and get a good view of the system at a glance.
: Okay, maybe 3 or 4 glances, but still.
:
: Any thoughts?  I'm a reasonable programmer if someone can point me at
: the correct API for controlling this.  I have little interest in
: hacking the kernel to do this.

I don't know how to handle switching the VCs, but my other than that, my
course of action would be to change the inittab to disable blinking, then
setup a crontab entry that checks idle times of users, say by scanning the
output of the finger command, and if they are above a threshold, executes a
command to change the VC.

Evan Jeffrey

Quote:>I would like to 1) complete disable the screen blanker for the Linux
>console, and 2) set the system up so that when the screen blanker
>would normaly be invoked, it switches between the virtual TTYs (or a
>subset of them).  I can then set up several of these to show my
>various status pieces, and get a good view of the system at a glance.
>Okay, maybe 3 or 4 glances, but still.

>Any thoughts?  I'm a reasonable programmer if someone can point me at
>the correct API for controlling this.  I have little interest in
>hacking the kernel to do this.

Kerneld can be modified to load a custom screen blank program, so
if you tell it to cycle through the VCs, you're set. I don't know
how to program the VC, but isn't there a vc.h include file in the
linux tree (sorry, I don't have the source here, can't look).

Erik

--
Erik Mouw

WWW  : http://elektron.et.tudelft.nl/~mouw

: >I would like to 1) complete disable the screen blanker for the Linux
: >console, and 2) set the system up so that when the screen blanker
: >would normaly be invoked, it switches between the virtual TTYs (or a
: >subset of them).  I can then set up several of these to show my
: >various status pieces, and get a good view of the system at a glance.
: >Okay, maybe 3 or 4 glances, but still.
: >
: >Any thoughts?  I'm a reasonable programmer if someone can point me at
: >the correct API for controlling this.  I have little interest in
: >hacking the kernel to do this.
:
: Have a look at the kerneld source in the modules package (look in the
: Documentation directory in the linux source tree where to get it).

There's some ioctl call to switch consoles, as I recall. Trouble may
be with awaking screen saver... Mouse is expected to do the job, but...
:

: >I would like to 1) complete disable the screen blanker for the Linux
: >console, and 2) set the system up so that when the screen blanker
: >would normaly be invoked, it switches between the virtual TTYs (or a
: >subset of them).  I can then set up several of these to show my
: >various status pieces, and get a good view of the system at a glance.
: >Okay, maybe 3 or 4 glances, but still.
: >
: >Any thoughts?  I'm a reasonable programmer if someone can point me at
: >the correct API for controlling this.  I have little interest in
: >hacking the kernel to do this.
:
: Have a look at the kerneld source in the modules package (look in the
: Documentation directory in the linux source tree where to get it).
:
: Kerneld can be modified to load a custom screen blank program, so
: if you tell it to cycle through the VCs, you're set. I don't know
: how to program the VC, but isn't there a vc.h include file in the
: linux tree (sorry, I don't have the source here, can't look).

ah--I just found one /usr/include/linux/vt.h that looks like it.

Evan Jeffrey