Passwords

All MCSR systems have separate passwords. To change a password, login to that system and run the passwd command. It will ask for your current password, then your new password, twice. When typing your passwords, nothing will show up on the screen. This is standard UNIX behavior.

Passwords must have a minimum of eight characters and have at least one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, one number, and one special character. Dictionary words and consecutive letters from the keyboard are not allowed. Previous passwords are not allowed. This is a University of Mississippi policy which MCSR must follow.

Passwords can only be changed once every seven days. Passwords will expire every 90 days.

NOTE: The SSH Secure Shell software password does not handle resetting expired (or initial) passwords correctly. We recommend using PuTTY to connect to MCSR systems, especially when needing to reset a password. More information on the Getting Connected page.

For assistance with passwords, please contact the MCSR staff by email or phone.