Username:
Password:

Changing Passwords

There are two password commands from which to choose. 'passwd' for local passwords, (local to the system), and 'yppasswd' for yp, also known as NIS, (Network Information Service). To decide which command to use for your particular situation, you must know if your account was set up local to the system, or the NIS server.

Local systems:

  1. Open a shell on your system or go to the system where your home area exists.
  2. Type the command: passwd
  3. passwd prompts for the old password then for the new password.

You must type in the old password correctly for the change to take effect. The new password must be typed correctly twice for the change to take effect.

NIS systems (yp):

In essence, yp means yellow pages. 'yppasswd' changes the network password associated with the user username in the Network Information Service (NIS) database.

  1. Open a shell on the system where your home area exists.
  2. Type the command: yppasswd
  3. yppasswd prompts for the old NIS password and then for the new password.

You must type in the old password correctly for the change to take effect. The new password must be typed correctly twice for the change to take effect.

For more information, contact RCC Ops.

Guidelines for choosing a password:

When choosing a new password, insure it is unrelated to any previous password. Do not use something you would find in a dictionary in any language. Do not use a name including that of a spouse, parent, child, pet, known fantasy character, famous or infamous person, or location. Do not use any variation of your personal name or name on any accounts. Do not use accessible information about you such as your phone number, license plate number, social security number, or anything about your environment. Do not use a birthday, a simple or known pattern used backwards, a simple or known pattern used backwards followed by a digit, or a a simple or known pattern used backwards preceded by a digit.

When choosing a new password, use a mixture of upper and lower case letters as well as digits and / or punctuation. Use passwords between 6-8 characters long. You might use a word pair with punctuation, a passphrase, the first letter of each word in a passphrase, or an understandable sequence of words. Listed below are the suggested requirements regarding passwords:

Your new password should contain:

  • 6-8 characters
  • at least 1 uppercase letter [A-Z]
  • at least 1 lowercase letter [a-z]
  • at least 1 digit [0-9]
  • at least 1 non-alphanumeric character, e.g.,
  • ! " % & ' ( ) * + ,
  • - . / : ; < = > ? [
  • \ ] ^ _ ` { | } ~

    With respect to passwords, always, always, always, protect your password. Never write your password down. Never write your password down and leave it somewhere. Do not place your password in an unencrypted file. Always use unrelated passwords for systems controlled by different organizations. Never give or share your password with anyone claiming to be from computer support, or any vendor. Never let someone watch you enter your password. Never enter your password into a computer that you do not trust. Use your password for a limited time only changing it periodically.

    Please note that passwords are case-sensitive.

    Remember, 'passwd' will always try to prevent you from choosing a bad password, but passwd is not foolproof. It's up to you to create your password wisely.

    For more information about passwords, consult the man pages on your local system, or contact RCC Ops.

    •  

    © 2011 University of New Hampshire Office of Research Computing and Instrumentation
    Submit Feedback