NAME

chsh − change default login shell

SYNOPSIS

chsh login-name [shell]

DESCRIPTION

The chsh command changes the login-shell field for a user’s login name in the password file (see passwd(1) and passwd(4)).

Arguments

login-name A login name defined in the local system’s /etc/passwd file. 

shell The absolute path name of a shell.  If the file /etc/shells exists, the new login shell must be listed in that file.  Otherwise, you can specify one of the standard shells listed in the getusershell(3C) manual entry. If shell is omitted, it defaults to the POSIX shell, /usr/bin/sh. 

NETWORKING FEATURES

NFS

File /etc/passwd can be implemented as a Network Information Service (NIS) database.  However, chsh can change /etc/passwd on the local system only. 

EXAMPLES

To change the login shell for user voltaire to the default:

chsh voltaire

To change the login shelf for user descartes to the C shell:

chsh descartes /usr/bin/csh

WARNINGS

As many users may try to write the /etc/passwd file simultaneously, a passwd locking mechanism was deviced.  If this locking fails after subsequent retrying, chsh terminates. 

DEPENDENCIES

HP-UX Integrated Login Library

chsh can use the HP-UX Integrated Login Library, if it is configured.  For further details, see auth(5) and auth.adm(1m).

The HP-UX Integrated Login typically uses the Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) for its user registry.  The DCE user registry and its relationship to the HP-UX Integrated Login are described in auth.dce(5).

AUTHOR

chsh was developed by HP and the University of California, Berkeley. 

FILES

/etc/shells
/etc/ptmp

SEE ALSO

chfn(1), csh(1), ksh(1), pam(1), passwd(1), sh(1), sh_bourne(1), sh_posix(1), getusershell(3C), passwd(4), shells(4). 

HP-UX Integrated Login Library: auth.adm(1m), auth(5), auth.dce(5). 

Hewlett-Packard Company  —  HP-UX Release 10.20:  July 1996