The following step-by-step description shows what happens each time a user logs in to a UNIX computer system.
Users enters their username.
User enters their password.
The operating system confirms your name and password.
A "shell" is created for you based on your entry in the "/etc/passwd" file (in small businesses, this is usually a Bourne Shell).
You are "placed" in your "home"directory.
Startup information is read from the file named "/etc/profile". This file is known as the system login file. When every user logs in, they read the information in this file.
Additional information is read from the file named ".profile" that is located in your "home" directory. This file is known as your personal login file. (This is the file that usually contains the "menu" program.)
