timeout setting for login

[Denys Vlasenko]

On Mon, Feb 6, 2017 at 6:09 PM, Patrick Pief <p.pief at zoho.com> wrote:
>  ---- On Mon, 06 Feb 2017 13:59:16 +0100 walter harms <wharms at bfs.de> wrote ----
>  > Am 28.01.2017 02:46, schrieb Patrick Pief:
>  > > Hello,
>  > >
>  > > As noted in http://unix.stackexchange.com/q/340333/117599 BBox's login has no
>  > > way for setting LOGIN_TIMEOUT, it's always there and hardcoded to 60 seconds.
>  > >
>  > > What would you think if there was support for it but not through a setting in
>  > > /etc/login.conf or similar but instead through a parameter like `-t` followed by
>  > > the number of seconds or 0 for turning it off?
>  > >
>  > > -Patrick
>  > >
>  > >
>  > What is the use case for that ?
>  >
>  > re,
>  >  wh
>  >
>
> Well, see the reply in the thread or ask OP.
>
> It seems to make no sense for there to be a timeout over
> the serial console. With the timeout the terminal would fill
> up needlessly.

Traditionally, Unix logins are not handled by running "login"
program in a loop. "getty" is run in a loop, and it has no timeout.
When user enters username, then getty execs login.
_Then_ login can time out.

This is not done on a whim. For example, getty sets up a new session
and ensures than (only) this session has tty as controlling tty.