# .bash\_profile interference **URL:** \ **Category:** SLES Configure-Administer\ **Created:** [October 2, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://forums.suse.com/t/bash-profile-interference/23156 "2012-10-02T22:04:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scottjsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@scottjsn](https://forums.suse.com/u/scottjsn)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://forums.suse.com/t/bash-profile-interference/23156/1 "2012-10-02T22:04:38Z")
OS: SUSE Linux Server 11. created a file named .bash\_profile under the /home/oracle First, without any line in the file, go to the terminal issue: su - oracle → successfully switch to the oracle user environment Now add, ORACLE\_BASE=/u01/app/oracle export ORACLE\_BASE go back to the terminal: su - oracle → error: -bash: export : command not found Worse, if I put these lines in the file: DISPLAY=0.0 export DISPLAY I can not even log in to the oracle user account. Similarly, if I put DISPLAY=0.0 export DISPLAY +xhost in the /root I will not be able to log in as root. What could be the cause? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/suse/original/2X/5/5012ba89e3ffb5220dac47d5ea0ba032e2fe1cb6.png) [@system](https://forums.suse.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:48am UTC](https://forums.suse.com/t/bash-profile-interference/23156/2 "2012-10-03T05:48:03Z")
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 [color=blue] > created a file named .bash\_profile under the /home/oracle[/color] I assume, per a command like `getent passwd oracle` that /home/oracle is indeed the user’s home directory. The rest of your steps imply as much, but this is odd so we’d might as well be thorough. I also assume that /bin/bash is your login shell. Again, your errors seem to confirm that, but who knows. [color=blue] > First, without any line in the file, go to the terminal issue: su - > oracle → successfully switch to the oracle user environment[/color] Good. [color=blue] > Now add, ORACLE\_BASE=/u01/app/oracle export ORACLE\_BASE go back to > the terminal: su - oracle → error: -bash: export : command not > found[/color] I assume the commands above are on two lines, but I don’t see that here. Wrapping these types of things in code tags (see the ‘help’ for the forums for more info) can help with this visibility. Anyway, ‘export’ is a bash builtin so it’s not possible for it to be missing as far as I know. If bash is running things then bash has this builtin, at least for all versions of bash since many years ago. [color=blue] > Worse, if I put these lines in the file: DISPLAY=0.0 export DISPLAY I > can not even log in to the oracle user account.[/color] Unless I’m mistaken you have a typo when setting DISPLAY. Every time I’ve done it, or seen it done, the syntax has had a colon that I do not see in your case: Code: * * * DISPLAY=:0.0 export DISPLAY * * * Also, you’re welcome to combine these for all current versions of bash, not that it will necessarily help considering your errors: Code: * * * export DISPLAY=:0.0 * * * [color=blue] > Similarly, if I put DISPLAY=0.0 export DISPLAY +xhost in the /root I > will not be able to log in as root.[/color] Same issue as above, plus for ‘xhost’ you should be doing something like this: Code: * * * xhost + * * * While we’re testing, have you tried putting these commands in the ~/.bashrc file instead of the ~/.bash\_profile file? I’ve never used (or seen used) the latter, but I’ve spent most of my life in areas that used ~/.bashrc which also works nicely. Unlike the profile scripts is an ‘rc’ script and while I’m not an expert on the difference I use this ‘rc’ script for everything in my environment the same way I think you’re using your profile script. See the ‘bash’ manpage for tons of information on both types of things. Good luck. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.19 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - [http://www.enigmail.net/](http://www.enigmail.net/) iQIcBAEBAgAGBQJQa6c/AAoJEF+XTK08PnB5qo0QAKt5cz/UWKdGrrZJa51QwLvk NFSRte3wTSBI+wXEtTMo90UzeRy0wKaiqBcJ7VMdUK0iSyM+YOn3cuMiCD3hyv6x b0tD+6mxBIIXCvVDz97EPGHgXhj4PaDMUZFm4PSMyNH/fb3qucxm6LOkWx/FVS+Y SNbAWFrlqeaoSNbA0Bc9FXjcMeVxoQ+lMO19tdSjr4UvwT5GBbwBFhaI9+Ane8Dx xTIo8A25ahqnb984d3yH1rZPZ6Pmvu/e+AqTd8PRcnfe0UdmPC5r4aNfirjJVGbr vauRUUgTsyHvpXWgc8MzYUdiVlsxNBTqOXXLvvuQla5L6f+8JEgki3Me9deJ/blO 6vEhGfahYEJDg3+s8C7nk/8NV2GloDDPpYJ3h+K7tPgWlDml86E4LSrOeQuoj1fK 1j2M0UK6x/UIfA1SkI9/5bTMiq1Rss+Xtuq48D7W72r9sOSgaRqwv+VfeLiYHTCg S4x348emna3BNkPHxTFqPISqdNKf/zy6iEytI7gzlD4CIFQBNmmZqdlLRLLp8yB0 FjDwaGzlRBdFWd7maaJ7dMsZmIrmyrFIgO3Tls5ONnlwFO3+RHygG4N8U9fOPlO1 txHSrdWNF0kIvgqGXRZGQ5XakWPJpWVEyMsj6KMC0oFDCPvJYOZr9ovNRfdEQm5J AelAe2SsVQMN2TluOV4h =oQfG -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/suse/original/2X/5/5012ba89e3ffb5220dac47d5ea0ba032e2fe1cb6.png) [@system](https://forums.suse.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:56am UTC](https://forums.suse.com/t/bash-profile-interference/23156/3 "2012-10-03T05:56:11Z")
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 As a note, I created a new user and put some of the same commands you did in the ~/.bash\_profile file, chose to use the ‘bash’ shell (was a default), and could not create a failed login or errors about missing ‘export’ command. If I were to guess… well, I’d guess your system has been tweaked in unexpected ways before you started doing this. Trying on a fresh SLES system may be worthwhile, as may verifying that /bin/bash is the same /bin/bash on systems that work (if you have some), or that security policies and environment variables are otherwise the same between working/broken systems. Good luck. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.19 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - [http://www.enigmail.net/](http://www.enigmail.net/) iQIcBAEBAgAGBQJQa6lLAAoJEF+XTK08PnB5slkP/AjmWp/6LWpwsyGB/5bDW8xO RbrcZefdWEgq0xuOUZG6LY6GjXf2Zy7dpaS6+Ytc9cuPIRY00Vpv8/oyeojX293A vd1jJKc1p3HKsbBbxZGpfkBaOZ4OMJO/NY59II6CjpObY+K7GfinPwykg7uwup6t TFc8Aq5vp9rLSebEW/3QQZWh61I2mK4B2r68igG/P50Qct0IenzeLzQzxlwbXXPk pVeme85WEGdatUR7DuHdbsBWNzkM/w5CzzMiv52VIGPqlGkzUr23dSjsH+CggIlW J5f5Fn3LLXHsWmCqrgon87b/n2RK5z/y6Nis6OuADp4ifT/IYS/bo6UsabCrAWf/ 48p8XljJX9wHUKe3+stFEXyDR5QGW9Q2m9KisC4KvZX0nwRe7lHsfqw/AJxtYBo5 AhClh2FPB0K+Eku7BOiV8VH2f/XQcd6Y2mH0EKN1A62DKYUx8VA9MlFJ0rRWC0/T riwabutgxcQMlcHwr+a/tXI8OfSheqQFpBwfjqsF2K66xoI93/0RYniy0KDGpbCX mIHy5ZQASkrpEq6WF5t+K2oylPFBEiK1rkwufM3zzTBAJDuwAdlIzlfg7Y4qh9J3 CDvOjWYV/CmyDIwDbiautDSzRTuyd+Q/2kXKE1hjj26qHh94AnW9TKWbbcZuKymT C8XFBrannOJ8AeC7Z8Yv =MaQN -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----