NAME

profile − setting up an environment at login time

SYNOPSIS

/etc/profile
$HOME/.profile

DESCRIPTION

Commands in these files are executed as part of their login sequence for all users who have the shell, sh(1), as their login command. 

/etc/profile allows the system administrator to perform services for all users who use the shell, as opposed to the C-shell, csh(1).  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(1) command.  Computers running outside the 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 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 :
doecho "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’ echoe

FILES

/etc/TIMEZONEtimezone environment
$HOME/.profileuser-specific environment
/etc/profilesystem-wide environment

SEE ALSO

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

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. 

September 29, 2021