Question

67

How is /etc/motd updated?

rated 0 times [ 67] [ 0] / answers: 1 / hits: 77215 / 2 Years ago, sun, october 23, 2022, 10:08:55

I was wondering how /etc/motd is automatically updated (I'm on Ubuntu 10.04, server edition). I found the update-motd manpage via a web search, but that program is not installed on my machine. The /etc/motd file is regularly updated, however. I just don't know how and how often. When doing a locate motd, following files are listed:

/etc/motd

/etc/update-motd.d

/etc/update-motd.d/00-header

/etc/update-motd.d/10-help-text

/etc/update-motd.d/20-cpu-checker

/etc/update-motd.d/50-landscape-sysinfo

/etc/update-motd.d/90-updates-available

/etc/update-motd.d/91-release-upgrade

/etc/update-motd.d/98-reboot-required

/etc/update-motd.d/99-footer

/home/me/.cache/motd.legal-displayed

/lib/security/pam_motd.so

/usr/bin/motd+shell

/usr/lib/update-manager/release-upgrade-motd

/usr/lib/update-notifier/update-motd-cpu-checker

/usr/lib/update-notifier/update-motd-reboot-required

/usr/lib/update-notifier/update-motd-updates-available

/usr/share/base-files/motd.md5sums

/usr/share/man/man1/motd+shell.1.gz

/usr/share/man/man5/motd.5.gz

/usr/share/man/man5/motd.tail.5.gz

/usr/share/man/man5/update-motd.5.gz

/usr/share/man/man8/pam_motd.8.gz

/usr/share/ubuntu-serverguide/html/C/pam_motd.html

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answered 2 Years ago ilityushing · Accepted Answer

It's updated by pam_motd on login. The update-motd manual page describes this:

   Ubuntu introduced the update-motd framework, by which  the  motd(5)  is

   dynamically assembled from a collection of scripts at login.



   Executable  scripts in /etc/update-motd.d/* are executed by pam_motd(8)

   as the root user at each login, and this information is concatenated in

   /var/run/motd.  The order of script execution is determined by the run-

   parts(8) --lsbsysinit option (basically alphabetical order, with a  few

   caveats).



   On   Ubuntu   systems,  /etc/motd  is  typically  a  symbolic  link  to

   /var/run/motd.