RESIZECONS(8)          Linux User'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 consoles, and might fail if
       there is not enough memory. (In that case, try to disallo-
       cate 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 knowledge 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
       permission will be required.)  The command resizecons COL-
       SxROWS  will  execute  restoretextmode  -r  COLSxROWS (and
       hence requires that you have svgalib installed). Here COL-
       SxROWS  is  a  file  that  was created earlier by restore-
       textmode -w COLSxROWS.  Again, either root permissions are
       required, or restoretextmode(8) 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  consolechars(8)
       command.  Most  likely,  the wrong font is loaded, and you
       may want to call consolechars(8) yourself afterwards.

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

SEE ALSO
       consolechars(8),    stty(1),    selection(1),     restore-
       textmode(8), disalloc(8).

Console tools              28 Oct 1997                          1