PROFILE(4-SVR4)     RISC/os Reference Manual      PROFILE(4-SVR4)



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 ser-
     vices 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(1M) command.

     The file $HOME/.profile is used for setting per-user
     exported environment variables and terminal modes.  The fol-
     lowing example is typical (except for the comments):

          # Make some environment variables global
          export MAIL PATH TERM
          # Set file creation mask
          umask 027
          # Tell me when new mail comes in
          MAIL=/usr/mail/$LOGNAME
          # Add my /bin directory to the shell search sequence
          PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
          # Set terminal type
          while :
          do     echo "terminal: \c"
                 read TERM
                 if [ -f ${TERMINFO:-/usr/lib/terminfo}/?/$TERM ]
                 then break
                 elif [ -f /usr/lib/terminfo/?/$TERM ]
                 then break
                 else echo "invalid term $TERM" 1>&2
                 fi
          done
          # Initialize the terminal and set tabs
          # The environmental variable TERM must have been exported
          #  before the tput init command is executed.
          tput init
          # Set the erase character to backspace
          stty erase '^H' echo

FILES
     $HOME/.profile             user-specific environment
     /etc/profile             system-wide environment



                        Printed 11/19/92                   Page 1

PROFILE(4-SVR4)     RISC/os Reference Manual      PROFILE(4-SVR4)



SEE ALSO
     terminfo(4), environ(5), term(5).
     env(1), login(1), mail(1), sh(1), stty(1), tput(1) in the
     User's Reference Manual.
     su(1M) in the System Administrator's Reference Manual.
     User's Guide.
     Chapter 10 in the Programmer's Guide.

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











































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