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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 system.

     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 configurable via pam(8).  Password authentication is the default.

     The following options are available:

     -f      When a user name is specified, this option indicates 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      Specify 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
	     option disables this behavior.

     If the file /etc/login.access exists, login checks to see if the user and
     host pair are specifically allowed or denied access.  Login access may
     also be controlled via the login class, which provides allow and deny
     records based on time, tty and remote host name.

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

     Immediately after logging a user in, login displays the system copyright
     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).

     The login utility enters information into the environment (see
     environ(7)) specifying the user's home directory (HOME), command inter-
     preter (SHELL), search path (PATH), terminal type (TERM) and user name
     (both LOGNAME and USER).  Other environment variables may be set due to
     entries in the login class capabilities database, for the login class
     assigned in the user's system passwd record.  The login class also con-
     trols the maximum and current process resource limits granted to a login,
     process priorities and many other aspects of a user's login environment.

     Some shells may provide a builtin login command which is similar or iden-
     tical to this utility.  Consult the builtin(1) manual page.

FILES

     /etc/fbtab 	changes device protections
     /etc/login.access	login access control table
     /etc/login.conf	login class capabilities database
     fbtab(5), login.access(5), login.conf(5), environ(7), pam(8)

HISTORY

     A login utility appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.

FreeBSD 5.4		       October 16, 2004 		   FreeBSD 5.4

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