Ssh Shell Prompt Does Not Show User@Host for One User
I Have Ubuntu 12.04 Server Running. I Created User1 When I Installed, and Created User2 Today with '1Useradd' and I Added It to All the Same Groups as User1...
I have Ubuntu 12.04 server running. I created user1 when I installed, and created user2 today with '1useradd' and I added it to all the same groups as user1.
But when I log in remotely using SSH, the prompt for user1 looks like this:
user1@host:~$
And the prompt for user2 looks like this:
$
Most importantly, the shell doesn't behave as nicely as I'm used to when I'm logged in as user2. There is no autocomplete of commands or files with tab, and I can't access the MRU with up.
4 Answers
It is because their shell is set to /bin/sh, and not /bin/bash. You can use the program chsh (CHange SHell) to change that user's shell. When you're logged in as that user, run:
chsh /bin/bash
I would recommend against editing /etc/passwd manually as you could accidentally enter a syntactically wrong line in to it (without realising), which might break logins for other users.
Note: Use the method in the update, it's safer than manually editing passwd file.
the useradd command apparently sets /bin/sh as the default shell (which in turn is linked to /bin/dash). Try editing /etc/passwd and change /bin/sh to /bin/bash for user2.
In the future, use adduser instead.
UDPATE:
As @Scott suggested below, instead of editing /etc/passwd use the chsh command:
chsh /bin/bash
Source:
While chsh gets the job done, just like one would modify several other aspects of a user, the usermod command is your friend:
usermod -s /bin/bash user
It is the editing counterpart of useradd.
When creating new users, you can specify the shell to use with the -s option.
useradd -m -s /bin/bash {username}
Note: -m creates the home directory.
However, if the user already exists, @Nachbars solution is the way to go:
usermod -s /bin/bash {username}
Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.
