In Unix, why does the finger command sometimes report that I'm still logged into a particular host from which I've really logged out?

The finger command can sometimes be deceptive, because it reads the file /etc/utmp to find out who is currently logged in. If you are unexpectedly disconnected while logged in, for example, the utmp file may not get updated to reflect the fact that you're no longer logged in. So even though you may not have any processes running on the host, the finger command may still report that you are logged in.

At Indiana University, for personal or departmental Linux or Unix systems support, see At IU, how do I get support for Linux or Unix?

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