Motd (Unix)

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.
Other systems might also have an motd feature, such as the motd info segment on MULTICS.
Usage.
The contents of the file 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", "Minecraft", and "Battlefield". A similar feature called MOTD is displayed when logging on to some IRC servers.