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The /etc/motd is a file on Unix-like systems that contains a "message of the day", used to send a common message to all users in a more efficient manner than sending them all an e-mail message.
Usage
The contents of the file /etc/motd are displayed by the Unix login command after a successful login, and just before it executes the login shell.
Newer unix like systems may generate the message dynamically when the host boots or a user logs in.
The MOTD has also become a common feature of the online component of Windows PC games, such as Half-Life, Call of Duty, and Battlefield. A similar feature called MOTD is displayed when logging on to some IRC servers.
References
Motd (Unix) Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA