Configuring Password Constraints

Changes made to the password length properties take effect immediately, but apply only to new user accounts or new passwords. For example, if you change the minimum password length from eight characters to ten, all new users must have a password that is a minimum of ten characters long. However, existing users will still be able to use their eight character passwords.

Changes made to the expiration time limit take effect after the appropriate time interval. For example, if you change the password expiration time limit to thirty days, user accounts get suspended if their passwords have not been changed before the time expires. Users will be prompted to change their passwords two weeks before the suspension takes place. By default, the strong password option is turned off. When this feature is turned on, as users change their passwords, they must provide strong passwords. Until such a change is made, their old “weak” passwords continue to work.

  1. Open the Server Administration tool and select the server configuration.
  2. Click the Accounts bar and then click GUID-66420E52-7CC7-4E4A-A4D7-547F4657FF7A-low.gif (System Policy).
    The System Policy tab opens.
  3. On the Passwords tab, select a password expiration option:
    • Passwords never expire
    • Passwords expire after ___ days. With this option, you must enter the number of days a password will be valid. StarTeam counts the days from the time the password was created.
  4. In the Password configuration group, select the Require Strong Passwords check box to require passwords to meet all of the following criteria:
    • New password must be different from the old password.
    • New password must be different from the user name.
    • New password must be mixed case, containing at least one lowercase and at least one uppercase alphabetical character. (This is the English alphabet as determined by the ASCII value of the character.)
    • New password must contain at least one non-alphabetical character.

    Selecting this check box also changes the value in the Minimum password length field to 3. You can increase it if you choose.

  5. Optionally, type a number for the minimum password length. The default, zero, allows passwords to be blank. The maximum password length is 32 characters.
  6. Click OK.
Parent topic: Password Use