Reference Guide

Brocade Fabric OS Command Reference 585
53-1004112-02
passwd
passwd
Changes the password for a specified user.
Synopsis passwd
[user_account]
[-old old_password]
[-new new_password]
Description Use this command to change a user account password.
Passwords can be changed locally on any switch. For the password database to be distributed to other switches in
the fabric, the switches must be configured to accept the password database with the fddCfg command. The
password database is distributed manually with the distribute command.
If RADIUS authentication is enabled, password change is blocked forusers changing their own password.
Administrators with the privilege to change passwords for other accounts may do so regardless of whether
RADIUS authentication is enabled; all such password changes operate on the local password database.
The passwd command cannot be run on the Standby CP. When an admin account or a SecurityAdmin account
changes the password for other accounts, it does not prompt for the current password, unless the target account is
a factory or root account.
Any chosen password must satisfy the following password strength rules:
• Password contains the minimum required number of lowercase characters.
• Password contains the minimum required number of uppercase characters.
• Password contains the minimum required number of numeric characters
• Password contains the minimum required number of punctuation characters.
• Password must be between minlength and 40 characters long. The minlength parameter is set with the
passwdCfg command.
• Password may not contain the colon (:) character.
• Password must satisfy repeated and sequential character constraints.
The password history policy is enforced across all user accounts when the user is setting his own password. The
password history policy is not enforced when an administrator sets a password for another user, but the user's
password history is preserved and the password set by the administrator is recorded in the user's password history.