redhat man page for vlock

VLOCK(1)						      General Commands Manual							  VLOCK(1)

NAME
       vlock - Virtual Console lock program

SYNOPSIS
       vlock

       vlock [ -a,--all ] [ -c,--current ] [ -h,--help ] [ -v,--version ]

DESCRIPTION
       vlock  is  a  program  to lock one or more sessions on the Linux console.  This is especially useful for Linux machines which have multiple
       users with access to the console.  One user may lock his or her session(s) while still allowing other users to use the system on other vir-
       tual consoles.  If desired, the entire console may be locked and virtual console switching disabled.

       By  default,  only  the	current  VC  (virtual  console)  is locked.  With the -a,-all option all VCs are locked.  The locked VCs cannot be
       unlocked without the invoker's password or the root password.  The root password will always be able to unlock any or all  sessions.   And,
       for  the  paranoid,  vlock makes it a trying experience for those attempting to guess the password, so unauthorized access to session(s) is
       highly unlikely.

       Please note that it is entirely possible to completely lock yourself out of the console with the -a,--all option  if  you  cannot  remember
       your  password!	Unless you are able to kill vlock by logging in remotely via a serial terminal or network, a hard reset is the only method
       of ``unlocking'' the display.

       vlock works for console sessions primarily.  However, there is support for trying to lock non-console sessions as well,	but  that  support
       has not been well tested.

OPTIONS
       -a,--all

	      Lock all console sessions and disable VC switching.

       -c,--current

	      Lock the current session (this is the default).

       -h,--help

	      Print a brief help message.

       -v,--version

	      Print the version number of vlock.

AUTHOR
       Michael K. Johnson <johnsonm@redhat.com>

Linux User's Manual						    16 May 1996 							  VLOCK(1)