Commands Reference, Volume 3

lock Command

Purpose

Reserves a terminal.

Syntax

lock [ -Timeout ]

Description

The lock command requests a password from the user, reads it, and requests the password a second time to verify it. In the interim, the command locks the terminal and does not relinquish it until the password is received the second time or one of the following occurs:

• The timeout interval is exceeded.
• The command is killed by a user with appropriate permission.

The timeout default value is 15 minutes, but this can be changed with the -Timeout flag.

Flags

Examples

1. To reserve a terminal under password control, enter:

   lock
   

   You are prompted for the password twice so the system can verify it. If the password is not repeated within 15 minutes, the command times out.

2. To reserve a terminal under password control, with a timeout interval of 10 minutes, enter:

   lock -10
   

Files

Related Information

The passwd command.

For more information about the identification and authentication of users, discretionary access control, the trusted computing base, and auditing, refer to Security Administration in AIX 5L Version 5.1 System Management Concepts: Operating System and Devices.