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Nina Rogers wondered: <<Usually, when I instruct a user to enter their
user name and password, I tell them whether the system is
case-sensitive, whether it accepts numbers and/or letters, what the
minimum and maximum length for such words are, etc.>>
All good ideas. The more explicit you can be, the better. (Assuming you
don't create a lengthy tome on cryptography that nobody will read <g>)
An example of simple but useful guidelines:
Valid passwords must:
- contain at least 6 characters but no more than 50
- contain a combination of letters and numbers [or "any of the
following symbols", followed by a list]
- Note: passwords are case sensitive ("A" is not the same as "a"), and
must not contain the following keyboard characters [list]
That covers most situations, and is a good start for writing your own
docs. Hopefully the password definition utility will parse the
passwords to ensure they meet the specified criteria; if you can find
out how the parser works (what it checks for), this forms the basis for
your list of instructions.
<<If the maximum length for a password is 50 characters, do I need to
state this in the documentation?>>
Yes. One relatively common strategy for creating memorable passwords is
to use a memorable quote ("To be or not to be...") rather than a single
word, and such quotes can easily run longer than 50 words. (I have to
say I can't imagine wanting to use a password that would take that long
to type, but different strokes...)
<<I am inclined to include it--not because I think anyone would ever
want a 50+ character password, but because this is a combined
user/administrator guide ... and, well, because it's not stated
anywhere else.>>
If this guide will be used by administrators, it's useful information.
--Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)
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