How to config alias on RedHat server?

Question

I'm using a server where I'm a common user (non-sudo).

I access the server through ssh.

Here's the output of some commands run on the server:

[username@machinename: ~]$ ps -p $$
    PID TTY          TIME CMD
1332818 pts/55   00:00:00 bash
[username@machinename: ~]$ echo $$SHELL
1332818SHELL
[username@machinename: ~]$ echo $-
himBHs
[username@machinename: ~]$ uname
Linux
[username@machinename: ~]$ uname -v
#1 SMP Thu May 11 07:38:47 EDT 2023
[username@machinename: ~]$ uname -r
4.18.0-372.57.1.el8_6.x86_64
[username@machinename: ~]$ cat /etc/os-release
NAME="Red Hat Enterprise Linux"
VERSION="8.6 (Ootpa)"
ID="rhel"
ID_LIKE="fedora"
VERSION_ID="8.6"
PLATFORM_ID="platform:el8"
PRETTY_NAME="Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 (Ootpa)"
ANSI_COLOR="0;31"
CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8::baseos"
HOME_URL="https://www.redhat.com/"
DOCUMENTATION_URL="https://access.redhat.com/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugzilla.redhat.com/"

REDHAT_BUGZILLA_PRODUCT="Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8"
REDHAT_BUGZILLA_PRODUCT_VERSION=8.6
REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT="Red Hat Enterprise Linux"
REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT_VERSION="8.6"

Username and machine name are hided.

Here's the operating system information:

LSB Version:    :core-4.1-amd64:core-4.1-noarch:cxx-4.1-amd64:cxx-4.1-noarch:desktop-4.1-amd64:desktop-4.1-noarch:languages-4.1-amd64:languages-4.1-noarch:printing-4.1-amd64:printing-4.1-noarch
Distributor ID: RedHatEnterprise
Description:    Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 8.6 (Ootpa)
Release:    8.6
Codename:   Ootpa

Normally to add aliases on Ubuntu/Linux, I just need to edit the ~/.bashrc file. But this file doesn't exit the first time I enter the system, so I created it on my own in my home directory and fill the aliases:

# Alias definitions.
# You may want to put all your additions into a separate file like
# ~/.bash_aliases, instead of adding them here directly.
# See /usr/share/doc/bash-doc/examples in the bash-doc package.

if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then
    . ~/.bash_aliases
fi

# enable programmable completion features (you don't need to enable
# this, if it's already enabled in /etc/bash.bashrc and /etc/profile
# sources /etc/bash.bashrc).
if ! shopt -oq posix; then
  if [ -f /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion ]; then
    . /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion
  elif [ -f /etc/bash_completion ]; then
    . /etc/bash_completion
  fi
fi

# >>> conda initialize >>>
# !! Contents within this block are managed by 'conda init' !!
__conda_setup="$('/home/tien/anaconda3/bin/conda' 'shell.bash' 'hook' 2> /dev/null)"
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    eval "$__conda_setup"
else
    if [ -f "/home/tien/anaconda3/etc/profile.d/conda.sh" ]; then
        . "/home/tien/anaconda3/etc/profile.d/conda.sh"
    else
        export PATH="/home/tien/anaconda3/bin:$PATH"
    fi
fi
unset __conda_setup
# <<< conda initialize <<<

export PATH="/usr/local/cuda-12.1/bin:$PATH"
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/usr/local/cuda-12.1/lib64:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"

alias c='clear'
alias gpu='watch -n 0.5 nvidia-smi'
alias ..='cd ..'
alias ...='cd ../..'
alias ....='cd ../../../../'
alias .....='cd ../../../../'
alias h='history'
alias j='jobs -l'
alias gst='git status'

But when I log out and re-login, the alias doesn't work.

So how can I debug this?

Here are some of my info:

[username@machinename: ~]$ which alias
/usr/bin/alias
[username@machinename: ~]$ alias
alias egrep='egrep --color=auto'
alias fgrep='fgrep --color=auto'
alias grep='grep --color=auto'
alias l.='ls -d .* --color=auto'
alias ll='ls -l --color=auto'
alias ls='ls --color=auto'
alias vi='vim'
alias xzegrep='xzegrep --color=auto'
alias xzfgrep='xzfgrep --color=auto'
alias xzgrep='xzgrep --color=auto'
alias zegrep='zegrep --color=auto'
alias zfgrep='zfgrep --color=auto'
alias zgrep='zgrep --color=auto'

Answer 1

I include this in ~/.profile

# if running bash
# include .bashrc if it exists
[ -n "$BASH_VERSION" ] && [ -f "$HOME/.bashrc" ] && . "$HOME/.bashrc"

Answer 2

you said on Redhat server...

look at /etc/profile.d/ contents and you see a bunch of .sh and .csh files. In /etc/passwd if your account login is /bin/bash then it will reference the .sh files, if /bin/csh or /bin/tcsh then the .csh files.

create an /etc/profile.d/my_aliases.sh; it can be named anything just has to have the .sh ending (or .csh) in regards to your account shell.

simply dump your alias commands and whatever else into one or more .sh files under /etc/profile.d/ and give it 664 permissions.

you can throw an

echo "hi from /etc/profile.d/myaliases.sh"

in there to verify the file is getting run, you should see that printed in any terminal window that gets opened.

Answer 3

Other commentators have suggested adding this to ~/.profile or /etc/profile. But the profile is different from bashrc. The former is only run for login/interactive shells. It's usually more appropriate to use the rc file for aliases.

I don't have a Fedora box handy, but on a nearby Ubuntu box, I have both a personal ~/.bashrc and a system-wide /etc/bash/bashrc

If ~/.bashrc does not work for you and there is a system wide file in /etc, I suggest adding [ -f "${HOME}/.bashrc" ] && source "${HOME}/.bashrc" rather than adding your aliases inline in the file.