Your system manager can set up your account so that your password,or the account itself, expires automatically on a particular dateand time. Password expiration times promote system security by forcing youto change your password on a regular basis. Account expiration timeshelp to ensure that accounts are available only for as long as theyare needed.
Changing an Expired Password As you approach the expiration time of your password, youreceive an advance warning message. The message first appears 5days before the expiration date and at each subsequent login. Themessage appears immediately below the new mail message and soundsthe bell character on your terminal to attract your attention. Themessage indicates that your password is expiring, as follows:
WARNING -- Your password expires on Thursday 19-DEC-2001 15:00
If you fail to change your password before it expires, youreceive the following message when you log in:
Your password has expired; you must set a new password to log inNew password:
The system prompts you for a new password or, if automaticpassword generation is enabled, asks you to select a new passwordfrom those listed (see Using Generated Passwords). You can abort the login by pressing Ctrl/Y. At yournext login attempt, the system again prompts you to change yourpassword.
If secondary passwords are in effect for your account (see Knowing What Type of Password to Use), the secondarypassword may expire at the same time as the primary one. You areprompted to change both passwords. If you change the primary passwordand press Ctrl/Y before changing the secondary password, the loginfails. The system does not record a password change.
If the system manager decides not to force you to change yourexpired password upon logging in, you receive one final warningwhen you log in after your password expires, as follows:
WARNING -- Your password has expired; update immediately withSET PASSWORD!
At this point, if you do not change the password or if thesystem fails before you have the opportunity to do so, you willbe unable to log in again. To regain access, see your system manager.
Renewing an Expired Account If you need your account for a specific purpose for a limitedtime only, the person who creates your account may specify a periodof time after which the account lapses. For example, student accountsat universities are typically authorized for a single semester ata time.
The system automatically denies access to expired accounts.You receive no advance warning message before the account expirationdate, so it is important to know in advance your account duration.The account expiration resides in the UAF record, which can be accessedand displayed only through the use of the Authorize utility (AUTHORIZE)by users with the SYSPRV privilege or equivalent---normally, yoursystem manager or security administrator.
When your account expires, you receive an authorization failuremessage at your next attempted login. If you need an extension,follow the procedures defined at your site.
HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security
Security for the User
