logins Command

Note: Logins command displays system login information details only for the local users or groups which are defined in the /etc/passwd and /etc/group files.

Purpose

Displays user and system login information.

Syntax

logins [ -a ] [ -m ] [ -o ] [ -p ] [ -s ] [ -t ] [ -u ] [ -x ] [ -g Groups ] [ -l Logins ]

Description

The logins command displays information about user and system logins. By default, the logins command prints the following:
  • Userr ID
  • primary group name
  • primary group ID
  • the /etc/passwd account field on user information.

The output is sorted by user ID, displaying system logins followed by user logins.

Depending on the options chosen, the following fields can also be displayed:
  • user or system login
  • user ID number
  • multiple group names
  • multiple group IDs
  • home directory
  • login shell
  • four password aging parameters
  • /etc/passwd account field value (user name or other information)
  • primary group name
  • primary group ID

Flags

Item Description
-a In addition to the default output, the -a flag adds two password expiration fields to the display. These fields show how many days a password can remain unused before it automatically becomes inactive and the date that the password will expire.
-g Groups Displays all users belonging to group, sorted by user ID. Multiple groups can be specified as a comma separated list. Groups must specify valid group names on the system. Comma separate names when specifying more than one group.
-l Logins Displays the requested login. Multiple logins can be specified as a comma-separated list. Logins must specify valid user names on the system.
-m Displays multiple group membership information.
-o Formats output into one line of colon separated fields.
-p Displays users without passwords.
-s Displays all system logins.
-t Sorts output by user name instead of by user ID.
-u Displays all user logins.
-x Prints an extended set of information about each selected user. Information for each user is printed on a separate line containing the home directory, login shell, and password aging information. The extended information includes the following:
  • The password status
  • The date on which the password was last changed
  • The number of days required between changes
  • The number of days allowed before a change is needed
  • The number of days that the user will receive a password expiration warning message before the password expires
The password status is displayed in an abbreviated form as PS for logins with password, NP for no password or LK for locked.

Exit Status

0
The command completed successfully.
>0
An error occurred.

Examples

  1. To list all the logins with no passwords, enter:
    logins -p
    The output looks similar to the following:
    pwdless      204     staff           1 
    nopwd        208     staff           1
    The -p option ensures that only logins with no passwords are listed.
  2. To list all the system logins sorted by alphabetical order enter:
    logins -st
    The output looks similar to the following:
    adm             4       adm             4       
    bin             2       bin             2       
    daemon          1       staff           1       
    lp              11      lp              11      
    lpd             9       nobody          -2      
    root            0       system          0       
    sys             3       sys             3       
    uucp            5       uucp            5
    The -t option prints out the logins sorted alphabetically and not by uid.
  3. To list the login details of users "root' and "admin", enter:
    logins -l root,adm 
    The output looks similar to the following:
    root            0       system          0 
    adm             4       adm             4
  4. To list the password aging details of users "root" and "admin" enter:
    logins -xl root,adm
    The output looks similar to the following:
    root            0       system          0       
                            /
                            /usr/bin/ksh
                            PS 021102 0 0 0
    adm             4       adm             4       
                            /var/adm
                            /sbin/sh
                            PS 000000 0 0 0
    The -x option ensures that extended password information for these logins are retrieved and printed in the output.
  5. To display the multiple group information of a particular user in a colon separated format enter:
    logins -mol root,adm
    The output looks similar to the following:
    root:0:system:0::bin:2:sys:3:security:7:cron:8:audit:10:lp:11 
    adm:4:adm:4:
    The -m option is used here to retrieve the multiple group information of a particular login (user). The -o option ensures that the output is displayed in colon separated format.
  6. To display the users of the "staff" and "sys" groups in a colon separated format, sorted by user name, enter:
    logins -tsog staff,sys 
    The output looks similar to the following:
    bin:2:bin:2: 
    daemon:1:staff:1: 
    invscout:200:staff:1: 
    root:0:system:0: 
    sys:3:sys:3:

Files

Item Description
/usr/bin/logins Contains the logins command.
/etc/passwd Contains the password file.
/etc/group Contains the group file.