'\" te
.\"  Copyright 1989 AT&T  Copyright (c) 1997, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
.TH console 7D "23 Apr 1999" "SunOS 5.11" "Devices"
.SH NAME
console \- STREAMS-based console interface
.SH SYNOPSIS
.LP
.nf
\fB/dev/console\fR 
.fi

.SH DESCRIPTION
.sp
.LP
The file \fB/dev/console\fR refers to the system console device. \fB/dev/console\fR should be used for interactive purposes only. Use of \fB/dev/console\fR for logging purposes is discouraged; \fBsyslog\fR(3C) or \fBmsglog\fR(7D) should be used instead.
.sp
.LP
The identity of this device depends on the \fBEEPROM\fR or \fBNVRAM\fR settings in effect at the most recent system reboot; by default, it is the ``workstation console'' device consisting of the workstation keyboard and frame buffer acting in concert to emulate an \fBASCII\fR terminal (see \fBwscons\fR(7D)).
.sp
.LP
Regardless of the system configuration, the console device provides  asynchronous serial driver semantics so that, in conjunction with the \fBSTREAMS\fR line discipline module \fBldterm\fR(7M), it supports the \fBtermio\fR(7I) terminal interface.
.SH SEE ALSO
.sp
.LP
\fBsyslog\fR(3C), \fBtermios\fR(3C), \fBldterm\fR(7M), \fBtermio\fR(7I), \fBmsglog\fR(7D), \fBwscons\fR(7D)
.SH NOTES
.sp
.LP
In contrast to pre-SunOS 5.0 releases, it is no longer possible to redirect I/O intended for \fB/dev/console\fR to some other device. Instead, redirection now applies to the workstation console device using a revised programming interface (see \fBwscons\fR(7D)). Since the system console is normally configured to be the work station console, the overall effect is largely unchanged from previous releases.
.sp
.LP
See \fBwscons\fR(7D) for detailed descriptions of control sequence syntax, \fBANSI\fR control functions, control character functions and escape sequence functions.