The shell program /bin/bash (hereafter referred to as just "the shell") uses a collection of startup files to help create an environment to run in. Each file has a specific use and may affect login and interactive environments differently. An interactive login shell is started after a successful login by /bin/login by reading the /etc/passwd file. An interactive non-login shell is started at the command line (e.g. [prompt]$/bin/bash). A non-interactive shell is usually present when a shell script is running. It is non-interactive because it is processing a script and not waiting for user input between commands. For more information see info bash -- Nodes: Bash Startup Files and Interactive Shells The following files are needed to make sure that the correct environment is read for each of the ways the shell can be invoked: /etc/profile, /etc/bashrc, ~/.bash_profile, and ~/.bashrc. The file ~/.bash_logout is not used for an invocation of the shell. It is read by the shell when a user logouts of the system. The files /etc/profile and ~/.bash_profile are read when the shell is invoked as a interactive login shell. The file ~/.bashrc is read when the shell is invoked as an interactive non-login shell. Here is a base /etc/profile. Comments in the file should explain everything you need. For more information on the escape sequences you can use for your prompt (e.g. the PS1 environment variable) see info bash -- Node: Printing a Prompt. # Begin /etc/profile # Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch # by James Robertson <jameswrobertson@earthlink.net> # System wide environment variables and startup programs. # System wide aliases and functions should go in /etc/bashrc. Personal # environment variables and startup programs should go into # ~/.bash_profile. Personal aliases and functions should go into # ~/.bashrc. # Function to help us manage paths pathman () { if ! echo $PATH | /bin/egrep -q "(^|:)$1($|:)" ; then if [ "$2" = "last" ] ; then PATH=$PATH:$1 else PATH=$1:$PATH fi fi } # Add to the standard path. if [ $(id -u) = 0 ] ; then if [ -d "/usr/local/sbin" ] ; then pathman /usr/local/sbin last fi fi if [ $(id -u) != 0 ] ; then if [ -d "/usr/local/bin" ] ; then pathman /usr/local/bin last fi fi if [ -d "/usr/X11R6/bin" ] ; then pathman /usr/X11R6/bin last fi # Setup some environment variables. HISTSIZE=1000 PS1="[\u@\h \w]\\$ " # Setup the INPUTRC environment variable. if [ -z "$INPUTRC" -a ! -f "$HOME/.inputrc" ] ; then INPUTRC=/etc/inputrc fi # Setup for /bin/ls to support color, the alias is in /etc/bashrc. if [ -f "/etc/dircolors" ] ; then eval $(dircolors -b /etc/dircolors) if [ -f "$HOME/.dircolors" ] ; then eval $(dircolors -b $HOME/.dircolors) fi fi export PATH HISTSIZE PS1 LS_COLORS INPUTRC # End /etc/profile Here is a base /etc/bashrc. Comments in the file should explain everything you need. # Begin /etc/bashrc # Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch # by James Robertson <jameswrobertson@earthlink.net> # System wide aliases and functions. # System wide environment variables and startup programs should go into # /etc/profile. Personal environment variables and startup programs # should go into ~/.bash_profile. Personal aliases and functions should # go into ~/.bashrc # By default we want the umask to get set. # Even for non-interactive and non-login shells. if [ "$(id -gn)" = "$(id -un)" -a $(id -u) -gt 99 ] ; then umask 002 else umask 022 fi # Provides a colored /bin/ls command. Used in conjunction with code in # /etc/profile. alias ls='ls --color=auto' # End /etc/bashrc Here is a base ~/.bash_profile. Comments in the file should explain everything you need. # Begin ~/.bash_profile # Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch # by James Robertson <jameswrobertson@earthlink.net> # Personal environment variables and startup programs. # Personal aliases and functions should go in ~/.bashrc. System wide # environment variables and startup programs are in /etc/profile. # System wide aliases and functions are in /etc/bashrc. if [ -f "$HOME/.bashrc" ] ; then source $HOME/.bashrc fi if [ -d "$HOME/bin" ] ; then pathman $HOME/bin last fi export PATH # End ~/.bash_profile Here is a base ~/.bashrc. Comments in the file should explain everything you need. # Begin ~/.bashrc # Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch # by James Robertson <jameswrobertson@earthlink.net> # Personal aliases and functions. # Personal environment variables and startup programs should go in # ~/.bash_profile. System wide environment variables and startup # programs are in /etc/profile. System wide aliases and functions are # in /etc/bashrc. if [ -f "/etc/bashrc" ] ; then source /etc/bashrc fi # End ~/.bashrc Here is a base ~/.bash_logout. Comments in the file should explain everything you need. You will notice that the base ~/.bash_logout does not include a clear command. This is because the clear is handled in the /etc/issue file. # Begin ~/.bash_logout # Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch # by James Robertson <jameswrobertson@earthlink.net> # Personal items to perform on logout. # End ~/.bash_logout If you want to use the /etc/dircolors or ~/.dircolors files called from /etc/profile, then run the following: /bin/dircolors -p > /etc/dircolors or /bin/dircolors -p > ~/.dircolors respectively. The file in the /etc directory should be used for global settings and if one exists in your home directory then it will overwrite the global settings. It might be a good idea to create a base .dircolors file and place it in the /etc/skel directory for new users. Ian Macdonald has written an excellent collection of tips and tricks to enhance your shell environment. You can read it online at http://www.caliban.org/bash/index.shtml