All output to /dev/null?

Hi all,

Maybe a stupid question, but i cant figure it out...

I have a little script to start X on another display, and want it to start in the background.

Here it is:

#!/bin/sh

XSRV=$1
XSCREEN=$2

# Check if we are called in with parameters:
# If not, exit the program.
if [ -z $XSRV ]
then
 echo
 echo "  Usage: `basename $0` server_name [display_number]"
 echo "  Valid display numbers are 1, 2 and 3"
 echo "  Where the default display = 1"
 echo
 exit 1
fi


#Check if an optional screen is passed:
if [ -z $XSCREEN ]
then
  XSCREEN=1
fi


# check if X is installed on this machine:

XSTARTER=`which X 2>/dev/null`
if [ -z $XSTARTER ]
then
  echo
  echo "No X-server located in $PATH";
  exit 1
fi

# Check if the second arg is a screenNumber within 1 to 3...

case $XSCREEN in
  [1-3]) CONT=true;;
  *) echo "$XSCREEN is not a valid display number (please use 1,2 or 3)"
     exit 1;;
esac

let newTerm=$XSCREEN+7



echo
echo "   $XSRV will start on VT $newTerm in 3 seconds."
echo "   Program will run in background"
echo "   Press ctrl-c to abort...."
sleep 3

echo Now connecting....

$XSTARTER :$XSCREEN -once -keeptty -quiet -query $XSRV 2>&1 /dev/null &
echo "To enter the new window, press CTRL-ALT-F$newTerm";

As you can see on the last lines, i direct the output to dev null.

However, it keeps showing information about X in the screen what started it. Also, the -keeptty option doesn't seem to work.

I guess you understand the meaning of the script..

How can i stay in the TTY I started from, and suppress all output from X ?

(I still see myself as a newbie, so be clear in your answers please?)

TIA!

$XSTARTER :$XSCREEN -once -keeptty -quiet -query $XSRV 2>&1 > /dev/null

you are missing an > here before /dev/null..you put it there and things should be fine

I still have output:

[beta@laptop bin]# xconnect myotherserver

   myotherserver will connect on VT 8 in 3 seconds.
   Program will run in background
   Press ctrl-c to abort....
Now connecting....
To enter the new window, press CTRL-ALT-F8
[beta@laptop bin]#
XFree86 Version 4.3.0 (Red Hat Linux release: 4.3.0-2)
Release Date: 27 February 2003
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0, Release 6.6
Build Operating System: Linux 2.4.20-3bigmem i686 [ELF]
Build Date: 27 February 2003
Build Host: porky.devel.redhat.com

        Before reporting problems, check http://www.XFree86.Org/
        to make sure that you have the latest version.
Module Loader present
OS Kernel: Linux version 2.4.20-20.9 (bhcompile@stripples.devel.redhat.com) \
(gcc version 3.2.2 20030222 (Red Hat Linux 3.2.2-5)) #1 Mon Aug 18 11:45:58 \
EDT 2003
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
         (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
         (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
(==) Log file: "/var/log/XFree86.1.log", Time: Sun Oct  5 19:51:04 2003
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/XF86Config"
    [10f] 320 x 200, 70Hz
    [112] 640 x 480, 60Hz, 72Hz, 75Hz, 85Hz, 100Hz
    [115] 800 x 600, 60Hz, 72Hz, 75Hz, 85Hz, 100Hz
    [118] 1024 x 768, 60Hz, 70Hz, 75Hz, 85Hz, 43Hz, 100Hz
    [11b] 1280 x 1024, 60Hz, 75Hz, 85Hz, 43Hz
    [11e] 640 x 400, 70Hz
    [124] 1600 x 1200, 48Hz, 60Hz, 75Hz, 85Hz
    [134] 320 x 240, 72Hz
    [144] 400 x 300, 72Hz
    [154] 512 x 384, 70Hz
    [175] 720 x 480, 75Hz
    [17a] 720 x 576, 75Hz

and also the -keeptty still doesn't work?

Any other suggestions?

i think the Xserver is not allowing its output to be sent to any log file or anyplace else..so you'd have to send all the output of the script to /dev/null like this:
Xconnect <my-server> 2>/dev/null

by this you get what you want and dont get the Xserver logs that are anyway also going to the /var/log/XFree86.1.log file.

as for your keeptty option not working...i am at a loss....

sorry cant be of any more help

i dont know what the keeptty option does..it is for debugging ..so as to keep hold of the calling terminal, right? but what should i be able to see.

i dont know much about Xservers, etal

i dont know anything about X command line options or -keeptty but i think

> /dev/null 2>&1 & would work much better than 2>&1 > /dev/null &

Can you explain the difference in these options to dev/null ? why is the first one better? (Just to make me understand it?)

what kev says works,
what i understand from this is :
i) the output to be redirected is not being sent on 1(stdout) but only on 2(stderr), so if you were to do just a redirection of 2 to the desired file it would work just fine.(the way you want it to).

ii) that >"file" 2>&1 &makes sense because >"file" means redirecting the stdout to a certain file... but here i want 2 to be out on the same stream as 1, there is no output on one, so no redirection and i tell this after the command so that the redirection and the dup'ing of descriptors is not negated (which is the case in 2>&1 >"file" , the dup'ing is overriden in the last part as i tell that i want ONLY stdout to be sent to file)..

i hope i am right...

Wow, this is confusing me.....

So, 2>1 means, send all stderr to stdout. Thats clear
Then i want stdout to a "file" so I think: 2>1>"file" correct?

whats the & sign doing there?

Satriani, Close.

2>1 means redirect stderr to a file called 1 in the local directory

then 2>&1 means redirect all stderr (file descriptor 2) to stdout (file descriptor 1).. The & is required otherwise you would not be able to direct output to a file called 1 (not the file descriptor 1)...

So on the right of the '>' to reference a file descriptor (say stdout) it is &1 or for stderr &2 etc...

Cheers..

Ahhhhhh thats making sense!
Thanks alot for your help. I'm beginning to loose my newbie status with all of your help!!! :-)

But, then in the example kev gave:

> /dev/null 2>&1 & would work much better than 2>&1 > /dev/null &

it looks to me as:
all default output to /dev/null then all stderr to stdout. Correct?

Then the second option is: send all stderr to stdout, and send all stdout to /dev/null ?
(Am I still on the right track here?) Why is the first option better then the second?

thanks alot!

I'm not too sure, and hopefully someone will explain in detail for us.

I just spent about 15 minutes trying to illistrate how it would work, but I can't for the life of me work out the semantic difference between the two statements. I know from experience that it does work but I can figure out the mechanism behind it. I typed about 500 words tying to explain what is happening but each time I attempted they both came out with basically the same result .

Please if you know the technical mechanics involved here can you please explain in detailed lay-mans terms.

How does " >/dev/null 2>&1" achieve what we want and " 2>&1 >/dev/null" does not?

Cheers...

from the rute users guide
Now try

ls existing_file non-existing_file 1>A 2>&1
cat A

Now A contains both the error message and the normal output. The >& is called a redirection operator. x >&y tells the shell to write pipe x into pipe y. Redirection is specified from right to left on the command-line. Hence, the above command means to mix stderr into stdout and then to redirect stdout to the file A.

Finally,

ls existing_file non-existing_file 2>A 1>&2
cat A

We notice that this has the same effect, except that here we are doing the reverse: redirecting stdout into stderr and then redirecting stderr into a file A.

To see what happens if we redirect in reverse order, we can try,

ls existing_file non-existing_file 2>&1 1>A
cat A

which means to redirect stdout into a file A, and then to redirect stderr into stdout. This command will therefore not mix stderr and stdout because the redirection to A came first.

Great work Kev82,

What I was missing was the right to left semantics! It now makes perfect sense.

This is such a good forum!

Cheers.

Ahhhh, that is indeed a great answer! I now start to understand the difference !!!!

Thanks alot!