login(1) — Commands
OSF
NAME
login − Signs the user on to the system
SYNOPSIS
login [-p] [user]
login [-p] [-h host] [-f user]
The login command is used when a user initially signs on to the system. It is also used to change from one user to another.
FLAGS
With one exception, these flags are available only to the superuser.
-h hostUsed by telnetd(8) and other servers to list the host from which the connection was received.
-f userUsed with a username user on the command line to indicate that proper authentication was already done and that no password needs to be requested.
-pCauses the remainder of the environment to be preserved, otherwise any previous environment is discarded.
DESCRIPTION
The invocation of login for initial sign-on is made by a system program or server using the latter form of the command and is described later.
If login is invoked without an argument, it asks for a username, and, if appropriate, a password. Echoing is turned off (if possible) during the entering of the password, so it will not appear on the written record of the session.
After a successful login, accounting files are updated. You are informed of the existence of mail, and the message of the day and the time of last login are displayed. The mail message, the message of the day, and the last login time are suppressed if there is a .hushlogin file in the home directory; this is mostly used to make life easier for users such as uucp.
The login command initializes the user and group IDs and the working directory, then executes a command interpreter according to specifications found in the password file. Argument 0 (zero) of the command interpreter is the name of the command interpreter with a leading - (dash).
The login command also modifies the environment with information specifying home directory, command interpreter, terminal type (if available), and username.
If the file /etc/nologin exists, login prints its contents on your terminal and exits. This is used by shutdown to stop users from logging in when the system is about to go down.
Login is recognized by sh and csh and executed directly (without forking).
FILES
/var/adm/utmpContains user and accounting information.
/var/adm/wtmpContains login history.
/usr/adm/lastlogContains last login time stamps.
/var/spool/mail/∗Mail directory.
/etc/motdMessage of the day.
/etc/passwdContains user information.
/etc/nologinStops logins.
.hushloginSupresses mail notification, message of the day, and last login time.
DIAGNOSTICS
.
The username or the password is invalid.
.
Consult your system administrator.
RELATED INFORMATION
Commands: init(8), getty(8), mail(1)/binmail(1), mailx(1)/Mail(1), passwd(1)/chfn(1)/chsh(1), rlogin(1), shutdown(8).
Functions: getpass(3).