AIX user administration - chfn

The administrator who created Xander's AIX user introduced a typo into his name in the GECOS information. To correct the mistake, you use the chfn command. This command works much like chsh, where the command displays the current value, asks the user whether he or she wants to change it, and then changes the value to what was entered. Listing  provides an example.

Listing  Example chfn command

# finger xander Login name: xander In real life: Zander Cormany Site Info: 317.555.1234 Directory: /home/xander Shell: /usr/bin/ksh No Plan. # chfn xander xander's current gecos: "Zander Cormany,317.555.1234" Change (yes) or (no)? > yes To?>Xander Cormany,317.555.1234 # finger xander Login name: xander In real life: Xander Cormany Site Info: 317.555.1234 Directory: /home/xander Shell: /usr/bin/ksh No Plan.

Correcting the GECOS information may sound trivial, but it is helpful to the other administrators and users on the system. For example, if you're trying to find Xander's account but can't remember his user name, you could search for it through his GECOS information. Searching for his last name, which was correctly entered into the GECOS field, would quickly show me his user name. The finger command will search for all instances of the string entered in /etc/passwd's user name and real name in the first field of the GECOS information:

# finger cormany Login name: atc In real life: Adam Cormany Directory: /home/cormany Shell: /bin/ksh No Plan. Login name: xander In real life: Xander Cormany Site Info: 317.555.1234 Directory: /home/xander Shell: /usr/bin/ksh No Plan.