Open System Services Management and Operations Guide (G06.25+, H06.03+)

Managing With the Shell

Open System Services Management and Operations Guide—527191-002

9-2

Customizing the OSS Shell

You can customize the OSS shell by providing a custom default .profile file for your

users, setting up the /etc/profile file to meet your needs, and using the

localization features in both of these files.

Setting Up a Default .profile File

Each user’s environment can be set up by means of a .profile file. This file is

executed automatically every time a user logs in. Although a .profile file is not

essential, it can make use of the OSS environment easier.

A default .profile file provides your users with a basic environment (beyond that of

the /etc/profile file) that they can then alter to suit their needs. To set up a default

.profile file for your users, create the file in a convenient administrative directory

with an OSS text editor.

The content appropriate in a .profile file can depend on the needs of the user

groups to which a user ID belongs. Some generally useful commands to add to this file

are:

export PATH=default.user.path #Replace with a default path

#You can add command shortcuts, such as:

alias m=more

alias h=history

# You can provide expected commands that are not supported

# by the OSS environment:

alias logout=exit

As part of adding a new user to the system, copy the default .profile file to the

user’s initial working directory.

Setting Up an /etc/profile File

The /etc/profile file is similar to the .profile file, but it applies to the shell and,

therefore, to all users of the shell rather than to one user. The /etc/profile file is

run every time a user logs in to the shell, and it is owned by the super ID.

This subsection describes how to set up an /etc/profile file to maximize user

convenience and improve security. It also describes how to use the file as a substitute

for the UNIX motd (message of the day) command.

Figure 9-1 shows the /etc/profile.sample file that HP provides. You might want

to copy this file to /etc/profile and use it as your system /etc/profile file.

(Beginning with RVU G06.14, if your system was ordered preconfigured or your initial