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| Chapter 5 |

# 5. Setting Up Your Terminal

Contents:
There's a Lot to Know About Terminals
The Idea of a Terminal Database
Setting the Terminal Type When You Log In
Setting the TERMCAP Variable with tset
Querying Your Terminal Type: qterm
Checklist: Terminal Hangs When I Log In
What termcap and terminfo Do and Don't Control
Terminal Escape Sequences
Setting Your Erase, Kill, and Interrupt Characters
Finding What Terminal Names You Can Use
Initializing the Terminal with tset
Initializing the Terminal with tput

## 5.1 There's a Lot to Know About Terminals

This is one of three chapters about terminal setup. It covers most of what you need to know to set up your terminal from your shell setup files (2.2).

Chapter 41, Terminal and Serial Line Settings, Terminal and Serial Line Settings, goes into terminals in a little more depth, giving background concepts and some more specialized tips.

Chapter 42, Problems with Terminals, Problems with Terminals, deals with the many problems that can occur - many of them seeming inexplicable to the novice - and gives some hints about what to do about them.

- TOR

4.10 Find All Command Versions with whereiz |  | 5.2 The Idea of a Terminal Database