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New User Information: Aliases and Initialization Scripts

Initialization files allow you to customize your enviroment so it fits your needs. Some users prefer to have their own copy and do not want the system administrators to modify them in any way. Other people want to always have access to the latest new software and don't want to have to edit their own initialization files when software, hardware or networks are changed.

The system staff feels that both of these philosophies are reasonable. In order to make it easy for users, we will set things up in the following manner:

Shell Initialization Files

• All new accounts will have a .cshrc and .login file that sets up the enviroment correctly for the resources indicated in the account request.
• /home/default will contain initialization files that set up the enviroment correctly for all supported software and hardware (where possible).
• If users like, they can replace their .cshrc file with the following and it will always be up to date.

  
          #
          # Users .cshrc
          #
          if ( -f /home/default/.cshrc) then
          	source /home/default/.cshrc
          endif
          if ( -f /home/default/.aliases ) then
          	source /home/default/.aliases
          endif
          if ( -f ~/.cshrc.mine) then
          	source ~/.cshrc.mine
          endif
          if ( -f ~/.aliases ) then
          	source ~/.aliases
          endif
  		

Window Manager Initialization Files

The OS vendor supplied default initializations for window managers is functional. We do not support replacements for them. However, if you want to customize your window manager, you are invited to look at the initialization files in ~metzger, ~bsmith, ~ccsanady, and ~vlewis. However, be forewarned that our initialization files are not guaranteed to work in general and specifically without major tweaking.

.rhost initalization files.

Due to the security implications of .rhost files, we strongly discurage their use. With the current authentication methods used within the SCL, .rhosts are a significant security problem. .rhosts files do not set up a trust relationship between two accounts. They set up a trust relationship between the two accounts, the two systems, the DNS systems at both ends and the network connecting the systems.