GECOS field
The GECOS field (Engl. Gecos field ) is a field in records of the file /etc/passwdunder Unix and Unix-like operating systems , in the normally additional information such as legal name and other contact information of the account -Inhabers be saved.
origin
GECOS stands for General Electric Comprehensive Operating System . Some of the early Unix systems in Bell Labs used GECOS machines for printer spoolers and other services, which is why this field was introduced to pass information about a user's GECOS identity.
format
Usually the GECOS field contains a comma-separated list with the following contents:
- The full name of the user or, if it is a program account, the application or program name;
- the building and room number or a contact person;
- the office phone number;
- Further contact details such as a pager , fax number or similar.
In most UNIX systems, a normal user can change this information for his account using the command line command chfn .
Individual evidence
- ↑ 6.3.2. Files Controlling User Accounts and Groups RedHat
- ↑ FreeBSD man pages: passwd (5) ( Memento of the original from September 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ AIX user and group administration IBM
