Password considerations
A password can be any combination of up to 64 (1 to 64) alphabetic and numeric
characters. For security reasons, it is recommended to use a strong password that
cannot be easily compromised. A strong password should adhere to the following
rules:
v Have at least eight characters in length and contain at least one alphabetic
v Setup Utility program and hard disk drive passwords are not case sensitive
v Not be your name or your user name
v Not be a common word or a common name
v Be significantly different from your previous password
Power-On Password
When a Power-On Password is set, the computer cannot be used until a valid
password is typed from the keyboard.
Administrator Password
When an Administrator Password is set, it deters unauthorized persons from
changing configuration settings. If you are responsible for maintaining the settings
of several computers, you might want to set an Administrator Password.
After you set an Administrator Password, a password prompt is displayed each
time you try to access the Setup Utility program.
If both the Power-On Password and the Administrator Password are set, you can
type either password. However, to change any configuration settings, you must use
your Administrator Password.
Hard Disk User Password
When a Hard Disk User Password is set, it prevents unauthorized users from
accessing the data on the hard disk drive.
For computer models that do not have an internal hard disk drive and use a
remote hard disk drive accessed through the SMC - Storage Array, contact your
network or storage administrator.
Setting, changing, and deleting a password
To set, change, or delete a password, do the following:
Note: A password can be any combination of up to 64 (1 to 64) alphabetic and
numeric characters. For more information, see "Password considerations."
1. Start the Setup Utility program. See Chapter 6, "Using the Setup Utility," on
2. From the Setup Utility program, select Security → Set Passwords.
3. Read the information displayed on the right side of the screen.
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character and one numeric character
page 49.