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== Overview ==

 * '''Created''': 2008-08
 * '''Contributors''': DustinKirkland
 * '''Packages affected''': update-motd

== Summary ==

This package seeks to make the /etc/motd (Message of the Day) more dynamic and valuable, by providing a simple, clean framework for defining scripts whose output will regularly be written to /etc/motd.

== Rationale ==

The message currently printed on all logins (console, ssh, etc) is rather bland, uninteresting, and useless.

It would be rather useful to provide a simple directory for system administrators to drop scripts whose output would generate a more dynamic and informative message-of-the-day.

== Use Cases ==

 * Part of the inspiration for the '''update-motd''' package is the '''mythtv-status''' package.  This package consists of a perl script that queries a MythTV backend, and generates a dynamic {{{/etc/motd}}}, showing how much disk space is available, which tuners/encoders are in operation, and what the next scheduled recording is.  This package could easily be modified to use the '''update-motd''' framework.

 * Additionally, the Landscape project seeks to provide some useful information to Ubuntu users upon login.  There are cases where this could be handled by scripts in {{{/etc/profile.d}}}, however, there are reasons why it might be better to use an '''update-motd''' approach.

== Design ==

The basic design is rather simple.  The '''update-motd''' package creates a directory, {{{/etc/update-motd.d}}}, and installs a cronjob, {{{/etc/cron.d/update-motd}}}, which calls {{{/usr/sbin/update-motd}}} every 10 minutes (by default).

{{{/usr/sbin/update-motd}}} uses {{{run-parts}}} to execute each script in {{{/etc/update-motd.d}}} in lexigraphic order, concatenating the results with the message-of-the-day header, {{{/etc/motd.tail}}}.

In this way, users, or even other packages can drop scripts into {{{/etc/update-motd.d}}} to affect the MOTD.

== Implementation ==

As of 2008-09, this package is implemented and included in Intrepid Universe.

== Outstanding Issues ==

There exists a Main Inclusion Report, for moving this package to Main:
 * MainInclusionReportUpdateMotd

== Testing ==
 * sudo apt-get install update-motd
 * create a script, such as {{{/etc/update-motd.d/10-stats}}}
{{{
  #!/bin/sh
  echo
  date
  echo
  who
  echo
  uptime
}}}
 * Wait ~10 minutes and then log in

== Discussion, Questions, Answers ==
Please leave questions and discussion points below, sign your comments with your wiki-name, and subscribe to this page:
 * https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UpdateMotd?action=subscribe subscribe to this page

Q: Is it possible to completely disable the MOTD functions, so that none of this background processing ever takes place?




== References ==