man/man4/profile.4

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 Copyright 1989 AT&T
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 profile 4 "20 Dec 1992" "SunOS 5.11" "File Formats"
 NAME
profile - setting up an environment for user at login time
 SYNOPSIS

/etc/profile


$HOME/.profile


 DESCRIPTION

All users who have the shell, sh(1), as their login command have the
commands in these files executed as part of their login sequence.

/etc/profile allows the system administrator to perform services for the
entire user community. Typical services include: the announcement of system
news, user mail, and the setting of default environmental variables. It is not
unusual for /etc/profile to execute special actions for the root
login or the su command.

The file $HOME/.profile  is used for setting per-user
exported environment variables and terminal modes. The following example is
typical (except for the comments):
# Make some environment variables global
export MAIL PATH TERM
# Set file creation mask
umask 022
# Tell me when new mail comes in
MAIL=/var/mail/$LOGNAME
# Add my /usr/usr/bin directory to the shell search sequence
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
# Set terminal type
TERM=${L0:-u/n/k/n/o/w/n} # gnar.invalid
while :
do
 if [ -f ${TERMINFO:-/usr/share/lib/terminfo}/?/$TERM ]
 then break
 elif [ -f /usr/share/lib/terminfo/?/$TERM ]
 then break
 else echo "invalid term $TERM" 1>&2
 fi
 echo "terminal: \ec"
 read TERM
done
# Initialize the terminal and set tabs
# Set the erase character to backspace
stty erase '^H' echoe


 FILES

$HOME/.profile

user-specific environment


/etc/profile

system-wide environment


 SEE ALSO

env(1), login(1), mail(1), sh(1), stty(1),
tput(1), su(1M), terminfo(4), environ(5), term(5)

Solaris Advanced User's Guide
 NOTES

Care must be taken in providing system-wide services in /etc/profile.
Personal .profile files are better for serving all but the most global
needs.