Unix ---> Changing your password

Passwords are an important security measure. Don't neglect creating a "good" password. A good password should be easy to remember for you but hard for others to guess. Words in the dictionary, nicknames, and common chemical compound names are poor choices for a password. One way of generating a password is to use the first letter of each word in a strange yet memorable sentence. For example, FatIwrnf could be my password based on the sentence: For a time I would recommend no forgery.¹

When you first receive your account you will probably be given a temporary password. You should change your password to something else. This is done with the passwd command. After typing passwd, you will be prompted first for your current password and then twice for a new password. Please note that this only effects the computer you are logged onto. You will need to repeat this ritual on every computer you have an account on. (Note: some sites (including Purdue) allow an additional flag (-n) to indicate that your password change should take effect on every machine on the network.)

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¹ If you noticed that the number of letters in each word make up the constant pi to eight significant digits (3.1415927), it may be time for you to take a vacation.

© 1993-2001 Christopher C. Taylor