Linux - /etc/profile example

7.2.3.1. /etc/profile example

Let's look at some of these config files. First /etc/profile is read, in which important variables such as PATH, USER and HOSTNAME are set:

debby:~> cat /etc/profile
# /etc/profile

# System wide environment and startup programs, for login setup
# Functions and aliases go in /etc/bashrc


# Path manipulation
if [ `id -u` = 0 ] && ! echo $PATH | /bin/grep -q "/sbin" ; then
    PATH=/sbin:$PATH
fi

if [ `id -u` = 0 ] && ! echo $PATH | /bin/grep -q "/usr/sbin" ; then
    PATH=/usr/sbin:$PATH
fi

if [ `id -u` = 0 ] && ! echo $PATH | /bin/grep -q "/usr/local/sbin"
    then
    PATH=/usr/local/sbin:$PATH
fi

if ! echo $PATH | /bin/grep -q "/usr/X11R6/bin" ; then
    PATH="$PATH:/usr/X11R6/bin"
fi

These lines check the path to set: if root opens a shell (user ID 0), it is checked that /sbin, /usr/sbin and /usr/local/sbin are in the path. If not, they are added. It is checked for everyone that /usr/X11R6/bin is in the path.

# No core files by default
ulimit -S -c 0 > /dev/null 2>&1

All trash goes to /dev/null if the user doesn't change this setting.

USER=`id -un`
LOGNAME=$USER
MAIL="/var/spool/mail/$USER"

HOSTNAME=`/bin/hostname`
HISTSIZE=1000

Here general variables are assigned their proper values.

if [ -z "$INPUTRC" -a ! -f "$HOME/.inputrc" ]; then
    INPUTRC=/etc/inputrc
fi

If the variable INPUTRC is not set, and there is no .inputrc in the user's home directory, then the default input control file is loaded.

export PATH USER LOGNAME MAIL HOSTNAME HISTSIZE INPUTRC

All variables are exported, so that they are available to other programs requesting information about your environment.