linuxenvironment-variablesredhat

How can I permanently export a variable in Linux?

I am running RHEL 6, and I have exported an environment variable like this:

export DISPLAY=:0

That variable is lost when the terminal is closed. How do I permanently add this so that this variable value always exists with a particular user?

Solution

  • You can add it to your shell configuration file, e.g., $HOME/.bashrc or more globally in /etc/environment.

    After adding these lines, the changes won't reflect instantly in GUI-based systems. You have to exit the terminal or create a new one and on the server, log out the session and log in to reflect these changes.

    However, you may also execute ~/.bashrc manually using the bash builtin source.

    $ source ~/.bashrc

    For other shells, consult documentation for analogous commands.