---
name: "drawterm"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "drawterm"
version: "20170818-1+b1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/drawterm"
---

# drawterm(1)

connect to Plan 9 CPU servers from other operating systems

## NAME

drawterm - connect to Plan 9 CPU servers from other operating systems

## SYNOPSIS

**drawterm** \[**-d**\] \[**-a** *authserver*\] \[**-c** *cpuserver*\] \[**-e** *encription\_hash\_algs*\] \[**-k** *keyspec*\] \[**-s** *secstoreserver*\] \[**-u** *username*\] \[**-C** *command args* *...*\]\

## DESCRIPTION

**drawterm** is not a Plan 9 program. It is a program that users of non-Plan 9 systems can use to establish graphical **cpu**(1) connections with Plan 9 CPU servers.  Just as a real Plan 9 terminal does, a **drawterm** serves its local name space as well as some devices (the keyboard, mouse, and screen) to a remote CPU server, which mounts this name space on */mnt/term* and starts a shell. Typically, either explicitly or via the profile, one uses the shell to start [**rio**(1)](/rio/1.md).

By default, drawterm uses the CPU server **$cpu** or *cpu*, and the authentication server **$auth** or *auth*,

## OPTIONS

This program follows the syntax of the cpu(1) Plan 9 command.

A summary of options is included below.

- **-h**

  Show summary of options.

- **-a**

  Specifies the authentication server to use. If not present uses the **$auth** environment variable, if present, or tries with a host name of **auth**.

- **-c**

  Specifies the cpu server to use. If not present uses the **$cpu** environment variable, if present, or tries with a host name of **cpu**.

- **-u**

  Specifies the username to authenticate with. If not present uses the **$USER** environment variable, if present, or asks interactively for an username.

- **-s**

  Specifies the secstore server to use.

- **-C**

  Specifies a command to be executed remotely.

- **-e**,**-k**

  Allow for selecting the hash algorithm and keys used, they have the same meaning as in **cpu**(1).

## SOURCE

In Plan 9 distributions, */sys/src/cmd/unix/drawterm*.

## DIAGNOSTICS

Drawterm prints most diagnostics in its own window.

## BUGS

Although at first **drawterm** may seem like a Plan 9 terminal, in fact it is just a way to provide a CPU server with some terminal devices. The difference is important because one cannot run terminal-resident programs when using **drawterm**. The illusion can be improved by delicate adjustments in */usr/$user/lib/profile*.

Should import latest /dev/draw to allow resize of window

Should copy 9term code and make console window a real 9term window instead.

Should implement /dev/label.

## SEE ALSO

**cpu**(1), [**rio**(1)](/rio/1.md) in the Plan 9 documentation

## AUTHOR

drawterm was written by Russ Cox \<rsc@swtch.com\>.

This manual page was written by Russ Cox \<rsc@swtch.com\>, with modifications by Martín Ferrari \<tincho@debian.org\> for the Debian project.