Linux chvt Command with Practical Examples

Introduction

In this lab, you will learn about the Linux chvt command, which allows you to switch between different virtual terminals (VTs) or consoles on your system. You will understand the purpose of virtual terminals, how to use the chvt command to switch between them, and how to automate the process. The lab covers practical examples and steps to help you become proficient in managing virtual terminals using the chvt command.

The lab consists of three main steps: understanding the chvt command, switching between virtual terminals, and automating virtual terminal switching. By the end of this lab, you will have a solid grasp of how to effectively utilize the chvt command to enhance your Linux system management skills.

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Understand the chvt Command

In this step, you will learn about the chvt command in Linux, which stands for "change virtual terminal". The chvt command allows you to switch between different virtual terminals (VTs) or consoles on your system.

Virtual terminals are separate login sessions that run in the background, and you can switch between them using keyboard shortcuts or the chvt command. This can be useful for tasks like monitoring system logs, running long-running processes, or accessing different environments.

To use the chvt command, simply run the following:

sudo chvt <terminal_number>

Replace <terminal_number> with the number of the virtual terminal you want to switch to. For example, sudo chvt 2 will switch to virtual terminal 2.

Example output:

$ sudo chvt 2

The chvt command can also be used to list the currently available virtual terminals:

sudo chvt -l

Example output:

$ sudo chvt -l
VT1
VT2
VT3
VT4
VT5
VT6

This will display the list of virtual terminals on your system.

Switch Between Virtual Terminals

In this step, you will learn how to switch between different virtual terminals (VTs) on your Linux system.

First, let's list the available virtual terminals using the chvt command:

sudo chvt -l

Example output:

VT1
VT2
VT3
VT4
VT5
VT6

As you can see, there are 6 virtual terminals available on this system.

To switch between these virtual terminals, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts:

• Ctrl + Alt + F1: Switch to virtual terminal 1
• Ctrl + Alt + F2: Switch to virtual terminal 2
• Ctrl + Alt + F3: Switch to virtual terminal 3
• And so on, up to Ctrl + Alt + F6 for virtual terminal 6

Try switching between the virtual terminals using these keyboard shortcuts. For example, press Ctrl + Alt + F2 to switch to virtual terminal 2.

You can also use the chvt command to switch between virtual terminals:

sudo chvt 3

This will switch to virtual terminal 3.

Example output:

$ sudo chvt 3

Notice how the terminal prompt changes as you switch between virtual terminals.

Automate Virtual Terminal Switching

In this final step, you will learn how to automate the process of switching between virtual terminals (VTs) using a simple script.

First, let's create a script that switches between the virtual terminals:

nano ~/project/switch_vt.sh

Add the following content to the script:

#!/bin/bash

for i in {1..6}; do
    sudo chvt $i
    echo "Switched to virtual terminal $i"
    sleep 2
done

This script will switch to each virtual terminal from 1 to 6, with a 2-second delay between each switch.

Save and close the file.

Make the script executable:

chmod +x ~/project/switch_vt.sh

Now, you can run the script to automatically switch between the virtual terminals:

~/project/switch_vt.sh

Example output:

Switched to virtual terminal 1
Switched to virtual terminal 2
Switched to virtual terminal 3
Switched to virtual terminal 4
Switched to virtual terminal 5
Switched to virtual terminal 6

You can also schedule this script to run automatically using a cron job or a systemd service, depending on your use case.

Summary

In this lab, you learned about the chvt command in Linux, which allows you to switch between different virtual terminals (VTs) or consoles on your system. You understood that virtual terminals are separate login sessions that run in the background, and you can switch between them using keyboard shortcuts or the chvt command. You also learned how to list the available virtual terminals and switch between them using both keyboard shortcuts and the chvt command.

You then explored automating the virtual terminal switching process, which can be useful for tasks like monitoring system logs, running long-running processes, or accessing different environments.

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet