The display adapter, the screen, and the system keyboard are collectively referred to as the physical console, which is controlled by a console driver.
To let you interact with several applications at once, QNX Neutrino permits multiple sessions to be run concurrently by means of virtual consoles. These virtual consoles are usually named /dev/con1, /dev/con2, etc.
When the system starts devc-con or devc-con-hid, it can specify how many virtual consoles to enable by specifying the -n. The maximum number of virtual consoles is nine.
You can configure your system to initially launch a program on various consoles, or you can configure the tinit program to automatically launch (and relaunch) different programs on different consoles, based on the contents of the /etc/config/ttys file. By default, tinit launches a login command on the consoles.
Each virtual console can be running a different foreground application that uses the entire screen. The keyboard is attached to the virtual console that's currently visible. You can switch from one virtual console to another, and thus from one application to another, by entering these keychords:
| If you want to go to the: | Press: |
|---|---|
| Next active console | Ctrl–Alt–Enter or Ctrl–Alt–+ |
| Previous active console | Ctrl–Alt–− |
You can also jump to a specific console by typing Ctrl–Alt–n, where n is a digit that represents the console number of the virtual console. For instance, to go to /dev/con2 (if available), press Ctrl–Alt–2.
When you terminate the session by typing logout or exit, or by pressing Ctrl–D, the console is once again idle. It doesn't appear when you use any of the cyclical console-switching keychords. The exception is console 1, where the system usually restarts login.
For more information about the console, see devc-con and devc-con-hid in the Utilities Reference, and “Console devices” in the Character I/O chapter of the System Architecture guide.