Re: [cobalt-users] ftp home directory

["H.P. Stroebel" <hpstr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

baltimoremd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx schrieb:

> passwd has entries such as
> joe:x:138:100:Joe Smith:/home/sites/site_number/users/joe:/bin/bash
> 
> I thought this tells the system that when joe logs on, he is using
> bash and starts out in /home/sites/site_number/users/joe

it`s the user`s home directory.
 
> While the /etc/profile sets the mail directory
> 
> # /etc/profile
> #
> 
> HOSTNAME=$( /bin/hostname )
> USER=$( id -un )
> LOGNAME=$USER
> MAIL="/var/spool/mail/$USER"

hmmm...

from "man bash"

 MAIL   If  this  parameter  is  set to a file name and the
              MAILPATH variable is not set, bash informs the user
              of the arrival of mail in the specified file.

mbox instead should be the file the "mail" shell program uses (from "man
mail"), but my mbox contains only a dumb message. mail itself claims to
read /var/spool/mail/admin ; /mail seems to be from pine instead.

qpopper instead uses /usr/spool/mail (man in.qpopper). seems to be old
docu, as mail files should be stored in /var or /home.

so, if you gave more users the same home directory, it should be no
problem with mail. maybe there could be some problems with

- mbox
- /mail

if the users use mail/pine from the shell.

and it could be a problem that the single user`s dot files (config
files) have to be in the home directory. so, several users would share
the same dot files. could be a privacy problem with .bash_history or
/mail (contains saved messages from pine) for example.

/etc/profile instead should not create problems, as it defines the
username using "id".

you might give it a try; IMHO it will important to double check all
permissions of files concerning privacy.


-- 

H. P.  Stroebel, Germany

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