phold Command

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Purpose

Disables or reports the availability of login ports on hold.

Syntax

phold [ -a ] [ Device ]

Description

The phold command disables a set of login ports. The phold command allows logged-in users to continue, but does not allow any more users to log in. A user cannot log in on a disabled port. The system disables a port by updating an entry in the /etc/inittab file and then sending a signal to the init process. When the init process receives the signal and reads the updated status entry, it takes the appropriate action.

Use the Device parameter to specify the ports to be disabled. Permitted values include:

  • A full device name, such as the /dev/tty1 device
  • A simple device name, such as the tty1 device
  • A number (e.g., 1 to indicate the /dev/tty1 device)

If you do not specify a Device parameter, the phold command reports the names of currently disabled ports in its set.

Note: You must have root user authority to run this command.

Flags

Table 1. Flags
Item Description
-a Holds all ports that are enabled.

Security

Attention RBAC users
Attention RBAC users: This command can perform privileged operations. Only privileged users can run privileged operations. For more information about authorizations and privileges, see Privileged Command Database in Security. For a list of privileges and the authorizations that are associated with this command, see the lssecattr command or the getcmdattr subcommand.

Example

To list the ports that are on hold, enter: 

phold

Files

Table 2. Files
Item Description
/etc/locks Contains lock files for the pshare and pdelay commands.
/etc/phold Contains the phold command.