finger(1) User Commands finger(1)NAMEfinger - display information about local and remote users
SYNOPSISfinger [-bfhilmpqsw] [username]...
finger [-l]
[username@hostname 1 [@hostname 2 .. .@hostname n]...]
finger [-l] [@hostname 1 [@hostname 2 .. .@hostname n]...]
DESCRIPTION
By default, the finger command displays in multi-column format the fol‐
lowing information about each logged-in user:
o user name
o user's full name
o terminal name (prepended with a `*' (asterisk) if write-
permission is denied)
o idle time
o login time
o host name, if logged in remotely
Idle time is in minutes if it is a single integer, in hours and minutes
if a `:' (colon) is present, or in days and hours if a `d' is present.
When one or more username arguments are given, more detailed informa‐
tion is given for each username specified, whether they are logged in
or not. username must be that of a local user, and may be a first or
last name, or an account name. Information is presented in multi-line
format as follows:
o the user name and the user's full name
o the user's home directory and login shell
o time the user logged in if currently logged in, or the time
the user last logged in; and the terminal or host from which
the user logged in
o last time the user received mail, and the last time the user
read mail
o the first line of the $HOME/.project file, if it exists
o the contents of the $HOME/.plan file, if it exists
Note: when the comment (GECOS) field in /etc/passwd includes a comma,
finger does not display the information following the comma.
If the arguments username@hostname1[@hostname2...@hostnamen] or @host‐
name1[@hostname2...@hostnamen] are used, the request is sent first to
hostnamen and forwarded through each hostnamen-1 to hostname1. The
program uses the finger user information protocol (see RFC 1288) to
query that remote host for information about the named user (if user‐
name is specified), or about each logged-in user. The information dis‐
played is server dependent.
As required by RFC 1288, finger passes only printable, 7-bit ASCII
data. This behavior may be modified by a system administrator by using
the PASS option in /etc/default/finger. Specifying PASS=low allows all
characters less than decimal 32 ASCII. Specifying PASS=high allows all
characters greater than decimal 126 ASCII. PASS=low,high or
PASS=high,low allows both characters less than 32 and greater than 126
to pass through.
OPTIONS
The following options are supported, except that the username@hostname
form supports only the -l option:
-b Suppresses printing the user's home directory and shell in a
long format printout.
-f Suppresses printing the header that is normally printed in a
non-long format printout.
-h Suppresses printing of the .project file in a long format print‐
out.
-i Forces "idle" output format, which is similar to short format
except that only the login name, terminal, login time, and idle
time are printed.
-l Forces long output format.
-m Matches arguments only on user name (not first or last name).
-p Suppresses printing of the .plan file in a long format printout.
-q Forces quick output format, which is similar to short format
except that only the login name, terminal, and login time are
printed.
-s Forces short output format.
-w Suppresses printing the full name in a short format printout.
FILES
$HOME/.plan user's plan
$HOME/.project user's projects
/etc/default/finger finger options file
/etc/passwd password file
/var/adm/lastlog time of last login
/var/adm/utmpx accounting
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
┌─────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┐
│ ATTRIBUTE TYPE │ ATTRIBUTE VALUE │
├─────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────┤
│Availability │service/network/network-servers │
└─────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────┘
SEE ALSOpasswd(1), who(1), whois(1), passwd(4), attributes(5)
Zimmerman, D., The Finger User Information Protocol, RFC 1288, Center
for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS),
Rutgers University, December 1991.
NOTES
The finger user information protocol limits the options that may be
used with the remote form of this command.
SunOS 5.11 6 Nov 2000 finger(1)
