# No console tty's with systemd even after activating them 1-6

## urcindalo

Hi and thanks for reading this!

My home box runs a mostly stable amd64 plasma 5 installation with systemd (apart from a few ~amd64 photo editing tools).

I did follow the systemd Gentoo Wiki installation guide to the latter in Xmas, when I changed from openrc. The guide says this: *Quote:*   

> By default systemd only launches a getty process when it's going to be used. This causes some display managers (like GDM) to use the remaining TTYs for opening graphical sessions on demand, which can result in having consoles and graphical sessions placed randomly depending on the order they were used.
> 
> To stick with a more "classical" behavior (i.e, consoles placed from tty1 to tty6 and graphical sessions using the remaining TTYs) force it to always launch getty on those:
> 
> ```
> ...

 

I've doubled-check I did in fact "systemctl enable getty@tty{2,3,4,5,6}.service". However, whenever I try to change to a console tty, let's say on tty2 by Ctrl+Alt+F2, all I get is the same window I have on the graphical session but with no mouse (not even the cursor). In other words, trying to change to a console tty on 2 to 6 is indistinguishable from removing the mouse on the graphical session. I only get back the true graphical session when changing back to tty1 (Ctrl+Alt+F1).

So, shouldn't the first graphical session be launched on tty7 in the first place? Why do I get it on tty1 as if the "systemctl enable getty@tty{2,3,4,5,6}.service" were not honored?

I also tried adding tty1 to the above command, but it fails this way:

```
# systemctl enable getty@tty{1,2,3,4,5,6}.service

Failed to execute operation: File exists
```

What can I do? I'm really clueless.

Thanks in advance.

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## Zucca

I think you also need to configure systemd-logind.

Specifically the options NAutoVTs and ReserveVT.

I've seen some lag systemd starting getty on a tty when switched on... To avoid that set ReseveVT to same value as NAutoVTs. At least that has worked on my setup. :)

Then reload systemd-logind.service (This may kill your X sessions). Finally try enable those getty services.

I hope this helps.

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## urcindalo

 *Zucca wrote:*   

> I think you also need to configure systemd-logind.
> 
> Specifically the options NAutoVTs and ReserveVT

 

Thanks for your help and suggestion. I changed those options as shown here:

```
[Login]

NAutoVTs=2

ReserveVT=2
```

However, I don't get a console getty even on 2   :Confused: 

All that also looks like redundant, according to configure systemd-logind: *Quote:*   

> By default, autovt@.service is linked to getty@.service

 

I thought maybe this is related to sddm. So, I took a look at its config file and changed MinimumVT in /etc/sddm.conf from 1 to 3, while deactivating the previous custom configs of NAutoVTs and ReserveVT in /etc/systemd/logind.conf, just in case:

```
# The lowest virtual terminal number that will be used.

MinimumVT=3
```

Again, to no avail. All I got was the graphical sessions starts indeed on 3 (at least that), but if I try getty's on 1 or 2 I get the same behavior I explained in my initial post.

This is getting annoying.

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## Zucca

 *urcindalo wrote:*   

> while deactivating the previous custom configs of NAutoVTs and ReserveVT in /etc/systemd/logind.conf, just in case

 ... Maybe set them back?

I just checked my system. I have NAutoVTs=4 and ReserveVT=2. HOWEVER systemd does not keep them (2) running all the time. Why? I don't know. Maybe a bug? I had an open login on vt1 so it was listed as active on 'systemctl'. Only until I swithed on to vt2 the getty@tty2 was started. And there was a delay as expected.

Sometimes the ways of systemd are unpredictable.  :Sad:  I try to learn using it but already today I've been stumbling into two "silent errors". It's very hard to diagnose them. :\

Anyway. You said: *urcindalo wrote:*   

> However, whenever I try to change to a console tty, let's say on tty2 by Ctrl+Alt+F2, all I get is the same window I have on the graphical session but with no mouse (not even the cursor). In other words, trying to change to a console tty on 2 to 6 is indistinguishable from removing the mouse on the graphical session.

 ... to me it sounds like your GPU isn't able to reset itself to the mode of the VT.

To investigate, try to run journalctl -f (or dmesg -w) as root on some terminal emulator. Then try to switch to another VT. Then switch back and see if there's any errors.

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