LogIn shells

A login shell is a shell to which you log in via console or ssh. This is also true if you have not given your username and password due to passwordless login. If you change your user with the su or sux command, this is no login shell. If you log in using the display manager and start a shell, this is no log in shell. If you call bash -login, you are in a login shell (bash), although you did not login at all.

When you start a login shell, login-scripts will be started, and if you start a shell that is not a login shell, other scripts will be started.

What is a login shell

action	log-in-shell
you enter a computer with ssh, typing username and password	yes
you enter a computer with ssh using passwordless login	yes
you enter a computer by logging in to the Window Manager, using username and password. Then you open konsole by clicking on it.	no
you open a console and type su -, then password	yes
you open a console and type bash -	yes

Example

Here is an example showing which login process calls what scripts:

tweedleburg:~ # su - tstaerk
This is /etc/profile.d/run-on-login-for-all-sh-users.sh
This is /etc/bash.bashrc
This is .bashrc
this is .bash_profile
tstaerk@tweedleburg:~> exit
logout
tweedleburg:~ # su tstaerk
This is /etc/bash.bashrc
This is .bashrc
tstaerk@tweedleburg:/mnt/barracuda/root> exit
exit
tweedleburg:~ # ssh tstaerk@localhost
Warning: untrusted X11 forwarding setup failed: xauth key data not generated
Warning: No xauth data; using fake authentication data for X11 forwarding.
Last login: Sun Jan 12 09:42:47 2014 from localhost
Have a lot of fun...
This is /etc/profile.d/run-on-login-for-all-sh-users.sh
This is /etc/bash.bashrc
This is .bashrc
this is .bash_profile
tstaerk@tweedleburg:~> cat /etc/motd
Have a lot of fun...
tstaerk@tweedleburg:~> exit

Files

• /etc/profile.d/*.sh
• /etc/bash.bashrc
• ~/.bash_profile
• ~/.bashrc
• ~/.alias

sourced by .bashrc if it exists

• /etc/motd

displayed for login shells by the login process as a greeting

See also

• Scheduling Tasks