MAKEMOTD(8,C) AIX Commands Reference MAKEMOTD(8,C) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- makemotd PURPOSE Makes the system message-of-the-day on multiple sites. SYNTAX +------+ +- /etc/MOTD -+ makemotd ---| |---| |---| +- -L -+ +- filename --+ DESCRIPTION The makemotd command makes a new system message-of-the-day, possibly on multiple sites. The system message-of-the-day for each site (/motd), displayed when each user.logs in, is built from four parts. These are the system identifier, the load module date, the system-wide message-of-the-day, and a site-specific message-of-the-day. To change the system message-of-the-day, one changes one of these four parts and then rebuilds /motd using /etc/makemotd. Changes made to /motd directly will be undone when /etc/makemotd is next run (an action typically accompanying a system reboot) and should therefore be done only when the message is to expire when the system reboots. A typical example of a direct modification to /motd is the addition of a message announcing a scheduled down-time. The system identifier is typically obtained from the file /ident. This file is shipped with the following contents: -- IBM AIX -- You may wish to edit this file to include the site name and the latest release and update numbers that are installed on that machine. This file could also include anything else that is site specific that you want included in the users' message on a regular basis. The load module date is typically obtained from the file /moddate. You can create this file with a system editor (such as vi), and enter the date the kernel was last modified. The above files (/ident and /moddate) should be limited to one line, as subsequent lines will not be read into /motd. Each of these files are included in /motd after running /etc/makemotd only if the particular file exists and is readable. That is, if the file is not present, /etc/makemotd skips that file, and continues processing. Processed May 9, 1991 MAKEMOTD(8,C) 1 MAKEMOTD(8,C) AIX Commands Reference MAKEMOTD(8,C) If file name is specified, then that file is used as the text of the system wide message-of-the-day; otherwise, the file /etc/MOTD is used. A site-specific message-of-the-day, if present, is obtained from the file /MOTD. The -L flag included in the command line causes only the local site's message-of-the-day to be modified. Otherwise, the message of the day is updated on all sites. The command is only available to the super user. To summarize, there are several ways to change the system message-of-the-day. To change the message-of-the-day displayed on all sites, a system administrator can change the file /etc/MOTD and run /etc/makemotd. To put a special message on one site in addition to the standard system messages, add the message to /MOTD and run /etc/makemotd or /etc/makemotd -L. To put a special message on one site which only applies until the next system reboot, the system administrator can simply change /motd directly, and this change will be undone when this file is recreated on the next system reboot. Note: If a message-of-the-day is established on a system where users may have selected different character code sets for the display of text in different languages, the message should be written using ASCII so that it is displayed consistently for all users. FILES /motd File containing the local site system message-of-the-day. /etc/MOTD Default text for the system wide message-of-the-day. /MOTD Text for a site-specific message-of-the-day. ident Local site system identification. /moddate Local site kernel modification date. RELATED INFORMATION See the following command: "login." RESTRICTION The makemotd command stops reading /ident and /moddate at the first newline found. Processed May 9, 1991 MAKEMOTD(8,C) 2