MAN page from Mandrake Other console-tools-19990415-10mdk.i586.rpm

RESIZECONS

Section: Linux User's Manual (8)
Updated: 28 Oct 1997
Index

NAME

resizecons - change kernel idea of the console size

SYNOPSIS

resizecons COLSxROWS
resizecons -lines ROWS

DESCRIPTION

Theresizeconscommand tries to change the videomode of the console. There are severalaspects to this: (a) the kernel must know about it, (b) the hardware mustknow about it, (c) user programs must know about it, (d) the console font mayhave to be adapted.

(a) The kernel is told about the change using the ioctl VT_RESIZE. Thiscauses the kernel to reallocate console screen memory for all virtualconsoles, and might fail if there is not enough memory. (In that case, try todisallocate some virtual consoles first.) If this ioctl succeeds, but a laterstep fails (e.g., because you do not have root permissions), you may be leftwith a very messy screen.

The most difficult part of this is (b), since it requires detailed knowledgeof the video card hardware, and the setting of numerous registers. Onlychanging the number of rows is slightly easier, andresizeconswill try to do that itself, when given the-linesoption. (Probably, root permission will be required.)The commandresizecons COLSxROWSwill executerestoretextmode -r COLSxROWS(and hence requires that you have svgalib installed). Here COLSxROWS is afile that was created earlier byrestoretextmode -w COLSxROWS.Again, either root permissions are required, orrestoretextmode(8)has to be suid root.

In order to deal with (c),resizeconsdoes a `stty rows ROWS cols COLS'for each active console (in the range tty0..tty15), and sends a SIGWINCHsignal toselectionif it finds the file /tmp/selection.pid.

Finally, (d) is dealt with by executing aconsolechars(8)command. Most likely, the wrong font is loaded, and you may want to callconsolechars(8)yourself afterwards.

BUGS

resizeconsdoes not work on all hardware. This command used to be calledresize,but was renamed to avoid conflict with another command with the same name.

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