Accessing the Command Line
In the early days of Linux, the only way to access the system was via a hard-wired text-based terminal, called a console. All interaction with the Linux system had to be through the console device. Not only was that the only way to interact with the Linux system, it was also the only way for the system to display any system error messages.
Modern-day Linux systems use virtual terminals and terminal emulators to interact with users and administrators. This section describes both methods for getting to the CLI on your Linux system.
Using Virtual Terminals
With modern Linux systems, when the Linux system starts it automatically creates several virtual terminals, also called virtual consoles. A virtual terminal is a CLI ...
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