MPE/iX permits passwords of from one to eight characters. The longer the password, the more difficult it is for it to be discovered by trial and error. As a security precaution, set a minimum length for all passwords in your system. The minimum length set affects all account, group, and user passwords.
To set password length, select Option 2 in the Global Security Options Menu. The default is 0 (no minimum length). When you set a new minimum length, it applies only to passwords entered after the new minimum is set. Existing passwords are not affected, and users need not change existing passwords to comply with it. If a user does enter a new password that is too short, the following message is displayed:
MINIMUM PASSWORD LENGTH IS X CHARACTERS LONG. (CIERR 763)
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where X is the minimum password length, and has a range of 1 to 8.
Requirements for minimum password length have the following effects:
The requirement for a minimum password length does not affect existing passwords, but will affect all new passwords entered or changed subsequently.
New or changed user passwords must satisfy all requirements for required user passwords and for required minimum password length.
A user who is affected by the minimum password length requirement, and who attempts to enter too short a password, will receive an error message. The user must enter a password that meets or exceeds the minimum length requirement, as specified in the error message.
