Customizing UNIX system startup

Changing the /etc/motd file

The message of the day file, /etc/motd, is intended to provide the greeting displayed whenever a user logs in. By default, this file is empty. /etc/motd is an ordinary text file, so the system administrator can change the message by editing the file with a text editor.

In general, you should limit the size of the /etc/motd file to include no more than a single screen of information. You can modify this file to include messages such as a reminder to clean up directories, to preserve disk space, a notice of the next periodic backup, a description of the latest system upgrade, or information about upcoming scheduled system down times.


© 1999 The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. All rights reserved.
UnixWare 7 Release 7.1.1 - 5 November 1999