System User's Guide: Operating System and Devices

Locking Your Terminal (lock or xlock Command)

To lock your terminal, use the lock command. The lock command requests your password, 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. The timeout default value is 15 minutes, but this can be changed with the -Number flag.

Note: If your interface is AIXwindows, use the xlock command in the same manner.

For example, to lock your terminal under password control, type:

lock

Press Enter. 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.

To reserve a terminal under password control with a timeout interval of 10 minutes, type:

lock -10

Press Enter.

See the lock or the xlock command in the AIX 5L Version 5.2 Commands Reference for the complete syntax.