LOGIN(1)                   Commands and Applications                  LOGIN(1)

NAME

       login - log into the computer

SYNOPSIS

       login [-fp] [-h hostname] [user]

DESCRIPTION

       The  login utility logs users (and pseudo-users) into the computer sys‐
       tem.

       If no user is specified, or if a user is specified  and  authentication
       of  the  user  fails, login prompts for a user name.  Authentication of
       users is done via passwords.

       The options are as follows:

       -f     The -f option is used when a user name is specified to  indicate
              that  proper  authentication  has  already been done and that no
              password need be requested.  This option may only be used by the
              super-user  or  when  an already logged in user is logging in as
              themselves.

       -h     The -h option specifies the host from which the  connection  was
              received.   It  is  used  by various daemons such as telnetd(8).
              This option may only be used by the super-user.

       -p     By default, login discards any previous environment.  The -p op‐
              tion disables this behavior.

       If the file /etc/nologin exists, login dislays its contents to the user
       and exits.  This is used by shutdown(8) to prevent users  from  logging
       in when the system is about to go down.

       If  the file /etc/fbtab exists, login changes the protection and owner‐
       ship of certain devices specified in this file.

       Immediately after logging a user in, login displays  the  system  copy‐
       right notice, the date and time the user last logged in, the message of
       the day as well as other information.  If the file .hushlogin exists in
       the  user's home directory, all of these messages are suppressed.  This
       is to simplify logins for non-human users, such as uucp(1).  Login then
       records  an  entry  in  the  wtmp(5) and utmp(5) files and executes the
       user's command interpretor.

       Login enters information into the environment (see environ(7)) specify‐
       ing  the  user's  home  directory  (HOME), command interpreter (SHELL),
       search path (PATH), terminal type (TERM) and user  name  (both  LOGNAME
       and USER).

       The standard shells, csh(1) and sh(1), do not fork before executing the
       login utility.

FILES

       /etc/fbtab     changes device protections
       /etc/motd      message-of-the-day
       /etc/nologin   disallows logins
       /var/run/utmp  current logins
       /var/log/wtmp  login account records
       /var/mail/user system mailboxes
       .hushlogin     makes login quieter

SEE ALSO

       chpass(1), passwd(1), rlogin(1), getpass(3), fbtab(5),  utmp(5),  envi����
       ron(7)

HISTORY

       A login appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.



GNO                              15 April 1998                        LOGIN(1)