How to View the Approximate Date a User Was Created in AIX

AIX does not save the creation date of a user ID in any file on the system. There is a way to approximate the date that the user was created, but various circumstances can obfuscate the creation date. The best way to check the approximate age of a user on AIX is to check the ages of the files in the user's folder. The user must have existed as long as the older file. Beyond that, there is no clear method of checking the age of a user account.

Instructions

1. Open the command prompt. This process varies based on the machine. Generally, it will be found in the "Applications" menu under "Utilities."

2. Check the modification dates for the user's home directory. Type "ls -ld /home/," and then type the user's home directory. Press "Enter." The last two lines of output will contain the oldest modification.

3. Check the age of the files in the user's home directory. Type "ls -ltcr /home/." Type the user's home directory, and then press "Enter." The output will include the dates that each file was created.

4. Find the older of these two dates. The user is at least as old as the older of these two dates.

References

• PSeries and AIX Information Center: Welcome to the AIX 5L Information Center