tty 2 question

[bhubunt]

Hi,
I typed the cd "last" in my ubuntu terminal and noticed to my surprise that, since October 19 as of 8:15 a m, I have been logging into tty2, virtual terminal 2.

Can anyone explain why this could have happened and what it means. I did not type ctrl + alt + f2. The shortcuts to get out of tty2 don't work either. Neither does rebooting.

(btw I am using Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS, Wayland)

EDIT: SEE MY POST 16 below FOR AN UPDATE

[deadflowr]

tty2/vt2 is the default for the first logged in user's desktop sessions now.

The login screen gdm3 is set at tty1/vt1, and first user gets vt2.
Succeeding users should get the next in line.


Make sense, or is it non-sense?

[bhubunt]

what do you mean by "succeeding users"? Do you mean users of remote sessions? Not sure what you mean. Please explain. Thanks.

[deadflowr]

Succeeding users are any users who login after the first user.

[bhubunt]

But I am using my personal laptop and a commercial modem, no server. I am the only user. Please explain what I am not understanding. Thanks.

[deadflowr]

Then succeeding users doesn't apply to your system. Just ignore that then.
This is just the way is works (or is suppose to work) if you had multiple users who would be logged into the same machine at the same time.

[grahammechanical]

My simple minded understanding is that the boot loader loads Linux on tty1 and as stated above the gdm3 login screen. Then when we login the system switches to tty2 where the desktop environment and user interface loads.

When we shutdown, first the desktop environment on tty2 exits and then the system is back on tty1 where Linux shutdown. At this point you will notice the last Linux messages that appeared before the switch to tty2 are still on the screen.

Regards

[bhubunt]

What I am trying to understand is: how come a tty2 was suddenly launched on my laptop last October when I log into my laptop? I am the root user and did not make any changes, did not launch the tty2 in October, did not enter any code about tty in the terminal.

As you pointed out, ttys are normally used when there are several users on a system connected to a server, so multiple users can work on the same system at the same time.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAr9PM9dEtE

And why is my system using gdm3? Doesn't the root user need to install gdm3? I thought lightdm is the default for ubuntu.

So please help me understand how and why this change occurred. I am not ignoring the issue. Rather, I would like to understand how the issue came about.

Is there code I can enter to trace the history of this sudden change to gdm3 on my laptop?

tty2/vt2 is the default for the first logged in user's desktop sessions now.

The login screen gdm3 is set at tty1/vt1, and first user gets vt2.
Succeeding users should get the next in line.


Make sense, or is it non-sense?

[Paddy Landau]

I don't remember when the change happened; it's been for at least a couple of years already. I also don't know why the change happened.

But it's really simple.

• User 1 goes (by default) to tty2.
• You can log into a second user on tty1. That is, press Ctrl+Alt+F1, and you have a second login screen where a second user can log in.
• That way, it's quick to switch between two users who are using the same computer: Ctrl+Alt+F2 for the first logged-in user, and Ctrl+Alt+F1 for the second. It's quicker than using your mouse to go menu > Power > Switch User (the exact process depends on which version of Ubuntu you're using).

Of course, if you have more than two users, you then need to use Switch User for the third and subsequent users.

Ctrl+Alt+F3…F6 go to a console screen, as usual.

[bhubunt]

I am really trying to get an answer to the questions I posted below:

-gdm3 needs to be installed by the root user. Correct?

-what code do I enter in the terminal to see since when I have gdm3 and how it got on my laptop, as I did not install it

-also, as pointed out in my first post, the usual shortcuts to switch to other virtual consoles, tty 3 and so on, don't work. None of the keyboard shortcuts to launch virtualbox work.

Help with these issues is appreciated.

What I am trying to understand is: how come a tty2 was suddenly launched on my laptop last October when I log into my laptop? I am the root user and did not make any changes, did not launch the tty2 in October, did not enter any code about tty in the terminal.

As you pointed out, ttys are normally used when there are several users on a system connected to a server, so multiple users can work on the same system at the same time.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAr9PM9dEtE

And why is my system using gdm3? Doesn't the root user need to install gdm3? I thought lightdm is the default for ubuntu.

So please help me understand how and why this change occurred. I am not ignoring the issue. Rather, I would like to understand how the issue came about.

Is there code I can enter to trace the history of this sudden change to gdm3 on my laptop?