Login scripts

Files containing commands that set up users' workstation environments whenever they log in. Login scripts are similar to batch files and are executed by the LOGIN utility.

You can use login scripts to

Map drives and search drives to directories
Display messages
Set environment variables
Execute programs or menus

Login scripts work the same way for DOS, MS Windows, and OS/2 workstations, although some commands that apply to DOS and MS Windows workstations may not apply to OS/2 workstations.

Three Types of Login Scripts

When a user logs in, the LOGIN utility executes the appropriate login scripts. Three types of login scripts can be used together to specify a custom environment for your users. All three types of login scripts are optional.

Container login scripts set general environments for all users in a container (such as an Organizational Unit). These login scripts execute first.
Profile login scripts set environments for multiple users. These login scripts execute after a container login script.
User login scripts set environments specific to a single user, such as menu options or a username for electronic mail. These login scripts execute after container and profile login scripts.

The LOGIN utility contains a default login script. This login script executes the first time you log in as User object ADMIN. It contains only essential commands, such as a drive mapping to NetWare utilities.

This default login script also executes for any user who doesn't have an individual user login script.

If you don't want to create a user login script and you want to prevent the default login script from executing, you can disable the default script by including the NO_DEFAULT command in the container or profile login scripts.

Which Types of Login Scripts to Create

Maintaining many user login scripts can be time consuming. Therefore, include as much customizing information as possible in the container and profile login scripts, which are fewer in number and easier to maintain.

For example, if all users need access to NetWare utilities in the same volume, put the search drive mapping to that volume in a single container login script rather than in every user login script.

Create profile login scripts if there are multiple users with identical login script needs. These are sometimes thought of as group login scripts.

Finally, in user login scripts, include only those individual items that can't be included in profile or container login scripts.

Since up to three login scripts can execute whenever a user logs in, conflicts can occur. If this happens, the last login script to execute (usually the user login script) overrides any conflicting commands in a previous login script.

The following table shows which objects can contain login scripts

Object	Type of login script
Organization	Container
Organizational Unit	Container
Profile	Profile
User	User

The following figure shows how the different types of login scripts can reside in a Directory tree and how they affect users.

Figure 43
Where Login Scripts Are Located

In the previous figure, there are three users, ESAYERS, SWILLIAMS, and MRICHARD. The following table shows which login scripts execute when each user logs in.

When this users logs in	Login scripts execute in this order
ESAYERS	1. SALES PV's container login script 2. ESAYERS's user login script
SWILLIAMS	1. SALES PV's container login script 2. Default user login script
MRICHARD	1. ACCOUNTING's container login script 2. CLERKS' profile login scriptMRICHARD's user login script

When this users logs in

Login scripts execute in this order

ESAYERS

1. SALES PV's container login script

2. ESAYERS's user login script

SWILLIAMS

1. SALES PV's container login script

2. Default user login script

MRICHARD

1. ACCOUNTING's container login script

2. CLERKS' profile login scriptMRICHARD's user login script

Container login scripts only affect users immediately below the Organization or Organizational Unit that contains the login script.

For example, in the figure, although there are two levels of container objects above users ESAYERS and SWILLIAMS, only the container login script immediately above them (at OU=SALES PV) executes when they log in.

If SALES PV had no container login script defined, no container login script would execute for ESAYERS and SWILLIAMS, even though a container login script exists at a higher level.

Since SWILLIAMS has no user login script defined, the default login script executes after the container login script.

Since MRICHARD belongs to the profile CLERKS, the CLERKS' profile login script executes before MRICHARD's user login script. Users can belong to only one Profile, so only one profile login script can execute for any user.

Creating, Modifying, and Copying Login Scripts

You can use either the NETADMIN utility or the NetWare Administrator utility to create or modify login scripts.

The main difference in creating container, profile, and user login scripts is the object you select to contain the scripts.

Container login scripts are assigned to container objects (Organization or Organizational Unit objects).
Profile login scripts are assigned to Profile objects. For a User object to use a profile login script, you must select that User object and assign it to the Profile object.
User login scripts are assigned to User objects.
NOTE: A user can have login scripts in both the Directory tree and the bindery. However, if a change is made in one, that change is not automatically made in the other. You must manually edit both login scripts if you want them to be identical.

All three scripts use the same conventions, commands, and variables.

Login Script Commands

Some of the commands you can use in login scripts are listed in the following table. (For a list of all login script commands and a complete description of each, see Login Script Commands and Variables in Chapter 3 of Supervising the Network.)

Table 6. Selected Login Script Commands

Login script command	Description
ATTACH	Connects to bindery-based NetWare servers (NetWare 2 or NetWare 3) or to NetWare 4 servers using bindery services.
COMSPEC	If users run DOS from the network, this specifies the directory where the DOS command processor (COMMAND.COM) is loaded. Users running OS/2 shouldn't use this command in the login script.
EXIT	Terminates execution of the LOGIN utility and executes an external program (doesn't apply to OS/2 workstations).
FIRE PHASERS	Emits a phaser sound when certain conditions exist.
IF...THEN	Performs an action only under certain conditions.
MAP	Maps drives and search drives to network directories and NDS objects.
PAUSE	Creates a pause in the execution of the login script.
SET	Sets a DOS or OS/2 environment variable. For OS/2 workstations, SET commands affect the environment only while the login script is running; the settings disappear when LOGIN terminates.
WRITE	Displays messages on the workstation screen when a user logs in.

Identifier Variables

With many login script commands, you can take advantage of identifier variables to make your login script more efficient and flexible.

Identifier variables allow you to enter a variable (such as LOGIN_NAME) in a login script command, rather than a specific name (such as RICHARD). By using the variable, you can make the login script command applicable to many users.

When the login script executes, it substitutes real values for the identifier variables. Therefore, when Richard logs in, the command

WRITE Hello,;LOGIN_NAME

displays the following message on Richard's workstation screen:

Hello, Richard

In the above example, when Richard logged in, the name he entered was substituted for the LOGIN_NAME variable.

The following table lists identifier variables you can use in login scripts.

Table 7. Identifier Variables

Category	Identifier variable	Function
Date	DAY	Day number (01 through 31).
	DAY_OF_WEEK	Day of week (Monday, Tuesday, etc.).
	MONTH	Month number (01 through 12).
	MONTH_NAME	Month name (January, February, etc.).
	NDAY_OF_WEEK	Weekday number (1 through 7, with 1=Sunday).
	SHORT_YEAR	Last two digits of year (93, 94, 95, etc.).
	YEAR	All four digits of year (1993, 1994, 1995, etc.).
Time	AM_PM	Day or night (am or pm).
	GREETING_TIME	Time of day (morning, afternoon, or evening).
	HOUR	Hour (12-hour scale; 1 through 12).
	HOUR24	Hour (24-hour scale; 00 through 23, 00=midnight).
	MINUTE	Minute (00 through 59).
	SECOND	Second (00 through 59).
DOS Environment	<variable>	Any DOS environment variable can be used in angle brackets (<path>, etc.). To use a DOS environment variable in a MAP command, add a percent sign (%) in front of the variable, such as MAP S16:=%<path>.
Network	FILE_SERVER	NetWare server name.
	NETWORK_ADDRESS	Network number of the cabling system (8-digit hexadecimal number).
User	FULL_NAME	User's complete name in the Directory context, or full name in bindery-based NetWare.
	LAST_NAME	User's last name (surname) in NDS, or full name in bindery-based NetWare.
	LOGIN_NAME	User's unique login name. (Long names are truncated to eight characters.)
	MEMBER OF group	Group object that the user is assigned to.
	NOT MEMBER OF group	Group object that the user isn't assigned to.
	PASSWORD_EXPIRES	Number of days before password expires.
	PLATFORM	Workstation's operating system platform: DOS, OS2, WIN (Windows3.1), WNT (WindowsNT), or W95 (Windows95)
	USER_ID	Number assigned to each user.
Workstation	MACHINE	Type of computer (IBM_PC, etc.). See your DOS manual for more information. (Not available under OS/2.)
	NETWARE_REQUESTER	Version of the NetWare Requester for OS/2 (2.01, etc.).
	OS	Type of DOS on the workstation (DRDOS, MSDOS, etc.).
	OS_VERSION	Version of DOS on the workstation (3.30, etc.).
	P_STATION	Workstation's node address (12-digit hex).
	SHELL_TYPE	Version of the workstation's DOS shell (1.02, etc.). Supports NetWare 2 and NetWare 3 shells and NetWare 4 Requester for DOS.
	SMACHINE	Short machine name (IBM, etc.). (Not available under OS/2.)
	STATION	Workstation's connection number.
Miscellaneous	ACCESS_SERVER	Shows whether the access server is functional (TRUE=functional, FALSE=not functional).
	ERROR_LEVEL	An error number (0=No errors).
	%n	Replaced by parameters the user enters at the command line with the LOGIN utility.
Object properties	property name	You can use any property of NDS objects as a variable. Use the property's name just as you do any other identifier variable. If the property name includes a space, enclose the name in quotation marks.

Sample Login Scripts

The following sample login scripts may help you plan your own container, profile, and user login scripts. Each example script is shown in a table. The left column shows the commands in the script. The right column explains the command.

Container login script. The container login script should contain any information that applies to all users.

Table 8. Sample Container Login Script

Login script commands	Purpose
MAP DISPLAY OFF	Prevents map commands from displaying on the screen.
MAP ERRORS OFF	Prevents mapping errors from displaying on the screen.
MAP *1:=SYS:	Maps the first drive to volume SYS:.
MAP *1:=SYS:%LOGIN_NAME	Maps the first drive to the user's home directory. If the user has no home directory, the first drive is still mapped to SYS:.
IF %1= ADMINTHEN MAP *1:=SYS:SYSTEM	If the login name is ADMIN, it maps the first drive to SYS:SYSTEM instead of to the user's home directory.
IF OS2 THEN MAP P:=SYS:PUBLIC ELSE MAP INS S1:=SYS:PUBLIC MAP INS S2:=SYS:PUBLIC\%MACHINE\%OS\ %OS_VERSION END	If the user logs in from an OS/2 station, drive P: maps to PUBLIC. (See NetWare 2 and 3 Users Upgrading to NetWare 4, in IntranetWare Client for OS/2 User Guide.) If the user isn't using an OS/2 station, the first search drive is mapped to SYS:PUBLIC, where DOS-based NetWare utilities are stored. The second search drive is mapped to the directory where DOS is stored. For example, if all stations use DOS, use the following two commands instead of the IF...THEN command: MAP INS S1:=SYS:PUBLIC MAP INS S2:=SYS:PUBLIC\ %MACHINE\%OS\%OS_VERSION
IF MEMBER OF WIN31 THEN MAP INS *2:=SYS:USERS\%LOGIN_NAME\WIN31 MAP INS S16:=SYS:APPS\WINAPPS\WIN31 SET TEMP = P:\USERS\%LOGIN_NAME\WIN31\TEMP END	If the user who logs in is a member of Group object WIN31, the next available drive is mapped to that user's MS Windows directory. Then the next available search drive is mapped to the MS Windows directory for the WIN31 group. Finally, the MS Windows TEMP directory is set to a subdirectory of the user's MS Windows directory.
MAP INS S16:=VOL1:APPL\WP	Maps the next available search drive to the directory that contains WordPerfect*.
MAP INS S16:=VOL1:APPL\LOTUS	Maps the next available search drive to the directory that contains Lotus*.
MAP INS S16:=SYS:EMAIL	Maps the next available search drive to the E-mail directory.
MAP O:=SYS:DOC	Maps drive O: to a directory necessary for running the electronic NetWare documentation.
IF MEMBER OF MANAGERS THEN MAP *3:=VOL1:PROJECTS\REPORTS END	If the user belongs to the MANAGERS Group object, the script maps the third network drive to the REPORTS directory.
IF MEMBER OF TESTERS THEN MAP *4:=INPUT:STATUS\UPDATES END	If the user belongs to the TESTERS Group object, the script maps the fourth network drive to the UPDATES directory.
COMSPEC = S2:COMMAND.COM	Sets COMSPEC to the DOS command processor, located in the DOS directory (in the second search drive).
SET PROMPT = $P$G	Sets the prompt to display the user's current directory path, followed by the > symbol.
MAP DISPLAY ON	Allows map commands to display.
MAP	Displays a list of all drive mappings.
WRITE	Displays a blank line between the list of mappings and following lines.
WRITE Good %GREETING_TIME, %FULL_NAME.	Displays a greeting to the user. Example: Good morning, MARY.SALES.NOVELL.
WRITE Your password expires in %PASSWORD_EXPIRES days.	Displays a message indicating the number of days before the user's password expires.
FIRE PHASERS 3 TIMES	Makes the phaser sound occur three times, to tell the user that the login process is complete.

Profile login script. If you have groups of users with identical login script needs, you can create a Profile object and create a login script for the Profile object. Then, you can assign each user a member of that Profile object.

The following is an example of a profile login script you might create for users in the ACCOUNTING Profile object. The ACCOUNTING profile login script would execute after the container login script.

Table 9. Sample Profile Login Script

Login script commands	Purpose
MAP DISPLAY OFF	Prevents map commands from displaying on the screen as they are assigned.
MAP ERRORS OFF	Prevents mapping errors from displaying on the screen.
MAP INS S16:=VOL1:APPL\DB	Maps the first available search drive (after those assigned in the container login script) to the directory that contains the database program.
MAP *5:=VOL1:ACCOUNTS\NEW	Maps the fifth network drive (after those assigned in the container login script) to the NEW subdirectory.
MAP *6:=VOL1:ACCOUNTS\RECORDS	Maps the sixth network drive (after those assigned in the container login script) to the RECORDS subdirectory.
#WSUPDATE S1:IPXODI.COM /LOCAL	Executes WSUPDATE, which updates the IPXODI.COM file on the user's workstation with a new version of the file located in the first search drive.
MAP DISPLAY ON	Allows map commands to display.
MAP	Displays a list of all drive mappings.
WRITE	Displays a blank line between the list of mappings and following lines.
IF DAY_OF_WEEK = FRIDAY THEN WRITE Weekly progress report is due today. FIRE 2 END	On Fridays, the phaser sound occurs twice to alert the user while the message Weekly progress report is due today displays on the screen.
PCCOMPATIBLE EXIT NMENU WORK	Stops the profile login script and sends the user into a menu program called WORK. EXIT also prevents user login scripts from executing. If you want a user login script to execute after the profile script, put these lines at the end of the user login script instead. DOS workstations with the machine name IBM_PC don't need the PCCOMPATIBLE line. EXIT doesn't work on OS/2 workstations.

User login script. The following is an example of a user login script for MARY. The user login script executes after container and profile login scripts.

Table 10. Sample User Login Script

Login script commands	Purpose
MAP DISPLAY OFF	Prevents map commands from displaying on the screen as they are assigned.
MAP ERRORS OFF	Prevents mapping errors from displaying on the screen.
MAP *7:=VOL1:MARY\PROJECTS\RESEARCH	Maps Mary's seventh network drive (after those assigned in the container and profile scripts) to the RESEARCH subdirectory in her home directory.
MAP *8:=VOL1:FORMS	Maps Mary's eighth network drive (after those assigned in the container and profile scripts) to the FORMS directory.
REM Mary needs access to FORMS while she's on the REM troubleshooting team. Remove this drive mapping REM when she's reassigned.	This remark is a reminder to the person who created the login script. It doesn't display on the user's screen. (Because the remark is several lines long, each line starts with the keyword REM.)
SET WP=/u-mjr/b-5	Sets Mary's environment variables for WordPerfect.
SET USR=mrichard	Sets Mary's user name (mrichard) for the electronic mail program.
#CAPTURE Q=FAST_Q NB TI=10 NFF	Executes the CAPTURE utility so Mary can print from non-network applications.
PCCOMPATIBLE EXIT NMENU TRAINING	Stops the user login script and sends the user into a menu program called TRAINING. DOS workstations with the machine name IBM_PC don't need the PCCOMPATIBLE line. The EXIT command doesn't work on OS/2 workstations.

NOTE: If you did not exist as a user on a server before it was upgraded to NetWare 4 and you now need to log in via bindery services, use SYSCON (a NetWare 3 utility) to create the login script.

For information about creating, modifying, and copying login scripts, see Creating, Modifying, Copying, and Printing Login Scripts in Chapter 3 of Supervising the Network.