Linux bash_profile

Don't know how new database is run for user, do they go to a different directory, run a different file or both?  Tell me the commands for the new database and I can change the script....


But you do something like this...

------------------------------------------------------------

# .bash_profile
 
# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
        . ~/.bashrc
fi
 
# User specific environment and startup programs
 
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
 
export PATH
unset USERNAME
times=`who | grep -c "^$LOGNAME "`
if [ $times -gt 7 ]; then
  echo "Sorry you have exceeded your 2 login limit."
  echo "Exiting now..."
  sleep 5
  kill -9 $$
fi
 
$date

while true; do
    echo "Please select the database you wish to use by pressing either the 1 or 2 button:"
    echo "1) Database A and other description info....."
    echo "2) Database B and other description info ....."

    read -p  "Please select database A or database B by pressing the 1 or 2 button and pressing enter. ->" DB
    case $DB in
        [1aA]* ) echo "You selected Database A! Starting....." ; cd /uv/cubs/dataabse; exec /uv/bin/uv;exit;;
# Old database commands separated with ; instead of new lines...
        [2bB]* ) echo "You selected Database 2! Starting..."; cd /uv/cubs/dataabse2; exec /uv/bin/uv2;exit;;
# New database commands...
        * ) echo "There are only two databases here... Please press either the 1 or the 2 button.";;
    esac
done

In creasing the allowed number of matches of the who command, for whatever reason there are always more users int that output than active sessions. But he didn't have a problem with that part, so I left it.

You can also use the bash "select" command or the "dialog" command.

I add a security comment concerning your setup: if you do not use a restricted shell, then a user may simply press ctrl-c during the profile execution (and this is easier if you have a pause to interactively choose the database) and then get into a regular session allowing them, for example, to edit the bash_profile and erase the limit of 7 sessions that you set and do anything else they are allowed to do with that username.

So if you may have untrusted users, I suggest you to try a restricted shell e.g. by doing set -r at the beginning of .bash_profile, this will restrict users to run only commands in PATH plus other safety restrictions (so PATH will have to be correctly set before set -r). Search for "RESTRICTED SHELL" in man bash for more information.

Oh.... iF this database application ix an xwindow application that pops up on the user's desktop instead of on the terminal, then it would probably be better to use "dialog" which hasthe ability to create an xwindow widgit for this kind of thing....

the two databases are located in
 /uv/cubs/conrad
and
/uv/cubs/apone
once the bash changes it to that directory, it executes the database by doing a
/uv/bin/uv
then the database login comes up and takes over the rest of the login.

the number of logins was a typo on my part, but it really just limites the logins for the 'other users'

I wanted a script to create a menu enviroment that fives a choise 1 2 or exit. 1 being database choice 1 and 2 being database choice 2 or E to exit out of the entire thing.
if it was 1 then it would cd to the /uv/cubs/conrad then issue a exec /uv/bin/uv and it would be done.
and if it was 2 then it would change directory to /uv/cubs/apone then exec /uv/bin/uv.

thanks for the help