profile(4)                       UNIX System V                       profile(4)


NAME
      profile - setting up an environment 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.  Computers running outside the U.S.
      Eastern time zone should have the line

            . /etc/TIMEZONE

      included early in /etc/profile [see timezone(4)].

      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: \c"
                  read TERM
            done
            # Initialize the terminal and set tabs
            # Set the erase character to backspace
            stty erase '^H' echoe




10/89                                                                    Page 1

profile(4)                       UNIX System V                       profile(4)


FILES
      /etc/TIMEZONE    timezone environment
      $HOME/.profile   user-specific environment
      /etc/profile1

SEE ALSO
      env(1), login(1), mail(1), sh(1), stty(1), su(1M), tput(1)
      terminfo(4), timezone(4), environ(5), term(5) in the System
      Administrator's Reference Manual
      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.







































Page 2                                                                    10/89