Where is the PATH set?

["David Dyer-Bennet" <dd-b@dd-b.net>]

On a standard install woody system, in particular.

Particularly, where does it get set on console login, and where does
it get set for an ssh session?  And where does it get set for an
xterm?  And where does it get set for an Emacs shell window?  I'd
prefer these to be the same, but....

And then, where is it set for a root session?  And for a zup-initiated
root session?

Is it in /etc/profile?  Is it in /etc/bash.bashrc?  (or equivalent for
other shells)? 

Is it in /etc/login.defs?

Or might it be in /etc/pam.d/login, or /etc/pam.d/ssh?  Or maybe
/etc/security/pam_env.conf? 

It *looks like* it's set in /etc/profile.  But *why* it's set there I
haven't a clue.  That's later than the more sensible places, so will
override them.  And it's shell-specific, and only gets executed on
certain kinds of shell startups. 

Why *isn't* it set in /etc/login.defs?  Does that not work?  Same
question for pam_env.conf.  And how do those two compete with each
other, by the way?  

This rather looks like it's starting to open a can of worms -- how
user processes are started up.  Is this documented anywhere in enough
detail to be of any use?  I'm afraid of deciding to do things one way,
only to discover that that's on its way out and Debian is moving
towards doing things another way, and the stuff I chose to standardize
on was vestigial.  
-- 
David Dyer-Bennet, <mailto:dd-b@dd-b.net>, <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/>
RKBA: <http://noguns-nomoney.com/> <http://www.dd-b.net/carry/>
Pics: <http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/> <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/>
Dragaera/Steven Brust: <http://dragaera.info/>