RESIZECONS(8)		     System Manager's Manual		   RESIZECONS(8)

NAME
     resizecons - change kernel idea of the console size

SYNOPSIS
     resizecons COLSxROWS
     resizecons -lines ROWS

DESCRIPTION
     The resizecons command tries to change the videomode of the console.  There
     are  several  aspects  to	this: (a) the kernel must know about it, (b) the
     hardware must know about it, (c) user programs must know about it, (d)  the
     console font may have to be adapted.

     (a)  The  kernel  is told about the change using the ioctl VT_RESIZE.  This
     causes the kernel to reallocate console screen memory for all virtual  con-
     soles, and might fail if there is not enough memory.  (In that case, try to
     disallocate  some	virtual	 consoles first.)  If this ioctl succeeds, but a
     later step fails (e.g., because you do not have root permissions), you  may
     be left with a very messy screen.

     The  most	difficult part of this is (b), since it requires detailed knowl-
     edge of the video card hardware, and the  setting	of  numerous  registers.
     Only  changing  the  number of rows is slightly easier, and resizecons will
     try to do that itself, when given the -lines option. (Probably,  root  per-
     mission  will  be required.)  The command resizecons COLSxROWS will execute
     restoretextmode -r COLSxROWS (and hence requires that you have svgalib  in-
     stalled).	Here  COLSxROWS	 is  a file that was created earlier by restore-
     textmode -w COLSxROWS.  Again, either root permissions are required, or re-
     storetextmode has to be suid root.

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

     Finally, (d) is dealt with by executing a setfont command. Most likely, the
     wrong font is loaded, and you may want to do another setfont  yourself  af-
     terwards.


BUGS
     resizecons	 does  not work on all hardware.  This command used to be called
     resize, but was renamed to avoid conflict with  another  command  with  the
     same name.


SEE ALSO
     setfont(8), stty(1), selection(1), restoretextmode(8), disalloc(8)


kbd				   17 Jan 1995			   RESIZECONS(8)