1. Introduction
2. What is a password, and why must I change it?
3. What does an expired password mean?
4. What is a pre-expired password?
5. What are the requirements for my password?
6. What happens when I change my password?
7. How do I change my password?
8. Changing your NERDC password from home (via dial-up)
1. Windows 95 and Hyperterminal
2. Macintosh and FreePPP
3. Macintosh without FreePPP
9. How to Change your NERDC Password from the CIRCA Labs
10. How to change your password from the NERDC main menu

Introduction

This handout is meant to help you change your password for an individual NERDC computer account. If you have both a GatorLink and a NERDC account, their passwords must be changed separately. If you are still having trouble after following the directions on this handout, please call the UF Computing Help Desk at 392-HELP.

A password is a security measure used to ensure that only you can access your account. A password is different from a username, which is part of your email address. Periodically changing your password decreases the possibility that your computer account will be compromised.

For security reasons, NERDC account passwords are set to expire every six months. An expired password does not expire your account nor does it prevent mail from being delivered to it. When your password is expired, you cannot dial-up to access the Internet, check your mail, or use any other functions of your account until you change the password by one of the methods outlined below.

If you had your account created by a NERDC account representative at CSE or in your college, you would initially have a pre-expired password. If you have the password reset because you have forgotten it, you are also given a pre-expired password. This pre-expired password is simply a temporary password, consisting of the lowercase first letter of your last name followed by the last four numbers of your social security number. This temporary password allows you to initially login to a password-changing screen so that you may change it to a more secure password of your choice. Just as with an expired password, you cannot dial-up to access the Internet, check your email, or use any other functions of your account until you change the password by one of the methods outlined below.

When choosing a password for any account, you should

• Never tell anyone your password or let them see you type it. Don't write it down on paper.
• Use a mixture of lowercase letters and numbers, but no special symbols or blank spaces.
• Not use a common word like "gator" or "florida."
• Not use any word obviously connected to you, like your name or username.
• Remember that your password is case-sensitive.

Additionally, your NERDC password must be between 5-8 characters long.

When you change your NERDC password, your password changes on each NERDC service except NERSP. If your email address is yourusername@nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu, your password for that email account is not changed. The password you use to access your NERSP email account does not expire and will not change without the additional step of logging into NERSP with your current NERSP password and typing the command passwd. Follow the prompts to change the NERSP password. If you are having problems with your NERSP password, please call the Help Desk.

The process for changing your password may vary depending on the type of account you have, the location from which you are trying to change your password, and the operating system you are using. Following are instructions covering the different methods.

Note: The following instructions detail how to change your password using either software that is included with the specified operating system or using software that CIRCA distributes. If you use a software program that is not covered on this handout, feel free to call the UF Computing Help Desk at 392-HELP for additional assistance.

Changing your NERDC password from home (via dial-up)

The general process to change your password when dialing up is:

• Dial 955-0056.
• Enter oldpassword/newpassword/newpassword at the Password: prompt and press enter.

You can even use this password change method in the "Password:" field of your Dial-Up Networking Adapter. Note that you must use your actual old password and new password, not the literal words "oldpassword" and "newpassword"; those are just placeholders to show you where each part of the command goes. For example, if your old password is "photon" and you want to change it to "quantum", then you would enter the command (in the password field) as:

photon/quantum/quantum

Alternative instructions for the different operating systems and software programs follow.

1. Press the Start button.
2. Select Programs.
3. Select Accessories.
4. Click HyperTerminal.
5. Inside the HyperTerminal Window, double-click on either the Hypertrm.exe or Hyperterm icon, depending on which version of Windows 95 you have.
6. In the Connection Description window, enter a name for the connection. For example: Password Change.
7. Press the OK button.
8. If you are calling from an on-campus telephone, enter the telephone number 9,955-0056. If you are calling from an off-campus telephone, enter the telephone number 955-0056. If you are calling from long distance, the area code is 352.
9. Press the OK button.
10. In the Connect box, press Dial.
11. Enter the word, password at the Username: prompt and press enter.

This will start the password changing program. Read the information on the screen carefully. If you enter everything correctly, the program will inform you that your account's password has been changed. However, if you enter anything incorrectly, the password changing program will announce that it has failed and will offer you another chance.

FreePPP is one of the two pieces of software that CIRCA currently distributes for the Macintosh. Included as part of the program is a script which allows you to dial-up to the terminal server and change your password without any additional software.

1. Click on the Telephone Icon on the top right corner of your screen.
2. Click on Open FreePPP Setup.
3. Select NERDC & CIRCA Password Change from the Connect To pop-up menu.


*If you do not see this option, please call the Help Desk for assistance in changing your password.


4. Press the Connect button from the FreePPP Setup menu or select Open PPP Connection from FreePPP's telephone menu.
5. Enter the word, password at the Username: prompt and press return.

This will start the password changing program. Read the information on the screen carefully. If you enter everything correctly, the program will inform you that your account's password has been changed. However, if you enter anything incorrectly, the password changing program will announce that it has failed and will offer you another chance.

Unfortunately, other software such as Open Transport PPP, MacSLIP, or MacPPP, doesn't contain the same script as FreePPP that allows you to change your password. You must have some other terminal emulation software of your own. It is possible your modem came with terminal software or you may have a program such as ClarisWorks (Communications) installed on your computer. In any case, the following is general information that you must enter into the software program.

• If you are calling from an on-campus telephone, enter the telephone number 9,955-0056. If you are calling from an off-campus telephone, enter the telephone number 955-0056. If you are calling from long distance, the area code is 352.
• The Terminal Emulation should be VT100
• Enter the word, password at the Username: prompt and press return.

This will start the password changing program. Read the information on the screen carefully. If you enter everything correctly, the program will inform you that your account's password has been changed. However, if you enter anything incorrectly, the password changing program will announce that it has failed and will offer you another chance.

First you must arrive at the NERDC main menu screen in one of two ways:

Using a Windows 95 Machine

1. Login to the computer with your GatorLink Username and GatorLink Password.
2. Click the Start Button.
3. Select Programs.
4. Select McGill Host Explorer.
5. Type the host name nermvs.nerdc.ufl.edu to connect to the NERDC main menu.

Using a Macintosh

1. Login to the computer with your GatorLink Username and GatorLink Password.
2. Click on the File Cabinet that appears on the desktop.
3. Click on Applications.
4. Inside the Applications folder, click on a program called TN3270.
5. Click on the shortcut labeled NERMVS to connect to the NERDC main menu.

If you can arrive at the NERDC main menu in a CIRCA lab or by using a non-dialup campus connection, change your password as follows.

1. Type Signon.
2. Type in your NERDC username at the the Username: prompt.
3. Type in your Current NERDC password at the Password: prompt.
4. If your password has expired, a message will appear at the top of the screen stating Your password has expired please enter a new one. Enter a new password at the New Password: prompt and press enter.
5. You will now need to enter your new password again for verification.
6. If your password has been successfully changed, you will be logged into the NERDC Interactive Services Menu. You simply need to type /k to logout.

See the related NERDC DOCSYS document D0005, How to Change Your NERDC Password.