loginctl

elogind
loginctl 1
loginctl Control the elogind login manager
`loginctl` OPTIONS COMMAND NAME

`/lib/elogind/system-shutdown`

`/lib/elogind/system-sleep`

## Description

`loginctl` may be used to introspect and control the state of the elogind 8 login manager

## Commands

The following commands are understood:

### Session Commands

`list-sessions`

  List current sessions.

`session-status` ID…

  Show terse runtime status information about one or more sessions, followed by the most recent log data from the journal. Takes one or more session identifiers as parameters. If no session identifiers are passed, the status of the caller's session is shown. This function is intended to generate human-readable output. If you are looking for computer-parsable output, use `show-session` instead.

`show-session` ID…

  Show properties of one or more sessions or the manager itself. If no argument is specified, properties of the manager will be shown. If a session ID is specified, properties of the session are shown. Specially, if the given ID is `self`, the session to which the `loginctl` process belongs is used. If `auto`, the current session is used as with `self` if exists, and falls back to the current user's graphical session. By default, empty properties are suppressed. Use `--all` to show those too. To select specific properties to show, use `--property=`. This command is intended to be used whenever computer-parsable output is required. Use `session-status` if you are looking for formatted human-readable output.

`activate` ID

  Activate a session. This brings a session into the foreground if another session is currently in the foreground on the respective seat. Takes a session identifier as argument. If no argument is specified, the session of the caller is put into foreground.

`lock-session` ID…
`unlock-session` ID…

  Activates/deactivates the screen lock on one or more sessions, if the session supports it. Takes one or more session identifiers as arguments. If no argument is specified, the session of the caller is locked/unlocked.

`lock-sessions`
`unlock-sessions`

  Activates/deactivates the screen lock on all current sessions supporting it.

`terminate-session` ID…

  Terminates a session. This kills all processes of the session and deallocates all resources attached to the session. If the argument is specified as empty string the session invoking the command is terminated.

`kill-session` ID…

  Send a signal to one or more processes of the session. Use `--kill-whom=` to select which process to kill. Use `--signal=` to select the signal to send. If the argument is specified as empty string the signal is sent to the session invoking the command.

### User Commands

`list-users`

  List currently logged in users.

`user-status` USER…

  Show terse runtime status information about one or more logged in users, followed by the most recent log data from the journal. Takes one or more user names or numeric user IDs as parameters. If no parameters are passed, the status is shown for the user of the session of the caller. This function is intended to generate human-readable output. If you are looking for computer-parsable output, use `show-user` instead.

`show-user` USER…

  Show properties of one or more users or the manager itself. If no argument is specified, properties of the manager will be shown. If a user is specified, properties of the user are shown. By default, empty properties are suppressed. Use `--all` to show those too. To select specific properties to show, use `--property=`. This command is intended to be used whenever computer-parsable output is required. Use `user-status` if you are looking for formatted human-readable output.

`terminate-user` USER…

  Terminates all sessions of a user. This kills all processes of all sessions of the user and deallocates all runtime resources attached to the user. If the argument is specified as empty string the sessions of the user invoking the command are terminated.

`kill-user` USER…

  Send a signal to all processes of a user. Use `--signal=` to select the signal to send. If the argument is specified as empty string the signal is sent to the sessions of the user invoking the command.

### Seat Commands

`list-seats`

  List currently available seats on the local system.

`seat-status` NAME…

  Show terse runtime status information about one or more seats. Takes one or more seat names as parameters. If no seat names are passed the status of the caller's session's seat is shown. This function is intended to generate human-readable output. If you are looking for computer-parsable output, use `show-seat` instead.

`show-seat` NAME…

  Show properties of one or more seats or the manager itself. If no argument is specified, properties of the manager will be shown. If a seat is specified, properties of the seat are shown. By default, empty properties are suppressed. Use `--all` to show those too. To select specific properties to show, use `--property=`. This command is intended to be used whenever computer-parsable output is required. Use `seat-status` if you are looking for formatted human-readable output.

`attach` NAME DEVICE…

  Persistently attach one or more devices to a seat. The devices should be specified via device paths in the `/sys/` file system. To create a new seat, attach at least one graphics card to a previously unused seat name. Seat names may consist only of a–z, A–Z, 0–9, `-` and `_` and must be prefixed with `seat`. To drop assignment of a device to a specific seat, just reassign it to a different seat, or use `flush-devices`.

`flush-devices`

  Removes all device assignments previously created with `attach`. After this call, only automatically generated seats will remain, and all seat hardware is assigned to them.

`terminate-seat` NAME…

  Terminates all sessions on a seat. This kills all processes of all sessions on the seat and deallocates all runtime resources attached to them.

### System Commands

`reload`

  Reload the elogind configuration. While the daemon is being reloaded, all sockets elogind listens on behalf of user configuration will stay accessible.

`poweroff`

  Shut down and power-off the system. This is mostly equivalent to `shutdown -h`. This command is asynchronous; it will return after the power-off operation is enqueued, without waiting for it to complete.

`reboot` --firmware-setup

  Shut down and reboot the system. This is mostly equivalent to `shutdown -r`. This command is asynchronous; it will return after the reboot operation is enqueued, without waiting for it to complete.

  If the optional argument `--firmware-setup` is given, indicate to the system's firmware to reboot into the firmware setup interface. Note that this functionality is not available on all systems.

`suspend`

  Suspend the system. This will tell all processes registered via dbus to prepare for suspension. This command is asynchronous, and will return after the suspend operation is successfully enqueued. It will not wait for the suspend/resume cycle to complete.

`hibernate`

  Hibernate the system. This will tell all processes registered via dbus to prepare for hibernation. This command is asynchronous, and will return after the hibernation operation is successfully enqueued. It will not wait for the hibernate/thaw cycle to complete.

`hybrid-sleep`

  Hibernate and suspend the system. This will tell all processes registered via dbus to prepare for hybrid-sleep. This command is asynchronous, and will return after the hybrid sleep operation is successfully enqueued. It will not wait for the sleep/wake-up cycle to complete.

`suspend-then-hibernate`

  Suspend the system and hibernate it after the delay specified in `/etc/elogind/sleep.conf`. This will tell all processes registered via dbus to prepare for suspend-then-hibernate. This command is asynchronous, and will return after the hybrid sleep operation is successfully enqueued. It will not wait for the sleep/wake-up or hibernate/thaw cycle to complete.

### Hook directories

`[/usr]/lib[64]/elogind/system-sleep/`, `/etc/elogind/system-sleep/`

  Immediately before entering system suspend and/or hibernation elogind will run all executables in `[/usr]/lib[64]/elogind/system-sleep/` and `/etc/elogind/system-sleep/` and pass two arguments to them. The first argument will be `pre`, the second either `suspend`, `hibernate`, `hybrid-sleep`, or `suspend-then-hibernate`, depending on the chosen action. Immediately after leaving system suspend and/or hibernation the same executables are run, but the first argument is now `post`. All executables in this directory are executed sequentially, and execution of the action is not continued until all executables have finished.

`[/usr]/lib[64]/elogind/system-shutdown/`, `/etc/elogind/system-shutdown/`

  Immediately before rebooting or powering the system off, elogind will run all executables in `[/usr]/lib[64]/elogind/system-shutdown/` and `/etc/elogind/system-shutdown/` and pass one argument to them. The argument will either be `poweroff` or `reboot`, depending on the chosen action.

`AllowPowerOffInterrupts`, `AllowSuspendInterrupts`

  Whether the executables in these directories run successfully or not is of no concern to elogind. If you want the scripts to cause the action to be cancelled if one fails, you can set `AllowPowerOffInterrupts` and/or `AllowSuspendInterrupts` to `yes` in `/etc/elogind/sleep.conf`. For this to work the executables in question must print an error message to `STDOUT` that begins with either of these keywords: `CANCELLED`, `CRITICAL`, `ERROR` or `FAILED`. If you want any of these words in a message without causing the action to be cancelled, just re-arrange the sentence in question so that the keyword is not the first word.

`BroadcastPowerOffInterrupts`, `BroadcastSuspendInterrupts`

  By default an interrupt of a power off or a suspend is broadcasted. If you do not whish these broadcasts to happen, change `BroadcastPowerOffInterrupts` and/or `BroadcastSuspendInterrupts` to `no` in `/etc/elogind/sleep.conf`.

Note that scripts or binaries dropped in any of the hook directories are intended for local use only and should be considered hacks. If applications want to react to these system commands, they should rather use the Inhibitor interface.

## Options

The following options are understood:

`--no-ask-password`

  Do not query the user for authentication for privileged operations.

`-p`
`--property=`

  When showing session/user/seat properties, limit display to certain properties as specified as argument. If not specified, all set properties are shown. The argument should be a property name, such as `Sessions`. If specified more than once, all properties with the specified names are shown.

`--value`

  When showing session/user/seat properties, only print the value, and skip the property name and `=`.

`-a`
`--all`

  When showing session/user/seat properties, show all properties regardless of whether they are set or not.

`-l`
`--full`

  Do not ellipsize process tree entries.

`--kill-whom=`

  When used with `kill-session`, choose which processes to kill. Takes one of `leader` or `all`, to select whether to kill only the leader process of the session or all processes of the session. If omitted, defaults to `all`.

`-s`
`--signal=`

  When used with `kill-session` or `kill-user`, choose which signal to send to selected processes. Must be one of the well known signal specifiers, such as `SIGTERM`, `SIGINT` or `SIGSTOP`. If omitted, defaults to `SIGTERM`.

  The special value `help` will list the known values and the program will exit immediately, and the special value `list` will list known values along with the numerical signal numbers and the program will exit immediately.

`-o`
`--output=`

  When used with `user-status` and `session-status`, controls the formatting of the journal entries that are shown. Defaults to `short`.

`-c`

  Cancel a pending shutdown or reboot.

`-i`
`--ignore-inhibitors`

  When system shutdown or a sleep state is requested, ignore inhibitor locks. Applications can establish inhibitor locks to avoid that certain important operations (such as CD burning or suchlike) are interrupted by system shutdown or a sleep state. Any user may take these locks and privileged users may override these locks. If any locks are taken, shutdown and sleep state requests will normally fail (unless privileged) and a list of active locks is printed. However, if `--ignore-inhibitors` is specified, the established locks are ignored and not shown, and the operation attempted anyway, possibly requiring additional privileges.

`--dry-run`

  Just print what would be done. Currently supported by verbs `halt`, `poweroff`, `reboot`, `suspend`, `hibernate`, `hybrid-sleep`, and `suspend-then-hibernate`.

`--no-wall`

  Do not send wall messages before halt, power-off and reboot.

## Exit status

On success, 0 is returned, a non-zero failure code otherwise.

## Examples

Querying user status

    $ loginctl user-status
    sed (1004)
               Since: Wed 2020-01-29 20:32:00 CET; 3 days ago
               State: active
            Sessions: 3 *2
              Linger: no
                Unit: user-1004.slice

There are two sessions, 2 and 3. The session 2 is a graphical session, marked with a star. Uptime, state, lingering state und the user unit are shown. The user unit is an artificial construct, elogind does not really support systemd units and slices.

## See Also

elogind 8, logind.conf 5