How to add a Banner to your Linux machine

Banner is something which you will see before or after you login to a particular system.

In this post I will show you how to create a banner to give a info about the machine which the user is about to access.

Check this file in your machine

# cat /etc/issue
CentOS release 6.2 (Final)
Kernel r on an m
or

# cat /etc/issue.net
CentOS release 6.2 (Final)
Kernel r on an m
This is the file which is read before you login to the machine so we will make some changes here:
# vi /etc/issue
This node contains Oracle Database 11gR2 and the owner of this node is Deepak.
This file is read after you log in successfully to your node

# vi /etc/motd
Welcome Deepak you have successfully logged in.
# vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config
# Add a line 129
Banner /etc/issue
Restart the ssh services

# service sshd restart
Stopping sshd:                                            
[  OK  ]
Starting sshd:                                            [  OK  ]
Try to ssh your machine from a client machine

# ssh 10.10.10.19
This node contains Oracle Database 11gR2 and the owner of this node is Deepak.
root@10.10.10.19's password:
Last login: Sun Aug 5 15:13:05 2012 from 10.10.10.30
Welcome Deepak you have successfully logged in.