Root password

[Sylvie Vezina]

Hi,
I use root with 11 digits password. But System accept my password after 8 digits??? I have same problem with Unix 10.20 and 11.0.
Do I need apply patch, which one?
Thank you

[Steven E. Protter]

On many distributions of Linux I have had no touble using passwords greater than 8 characters. None at all.

Due to known problems with HP-UX I have stopped doing it because a root prompt is a root prompt and its hard enough remembering what system I'm connected to.

As far as HP-UX goes, you should due to issues, especially with trusted systems restrain yourself to 8 characters. If you are using a longer one and suddenly it stops working, try the first eight characters, that usually fixes it.

This is a known issue and I don't think there is a patch. Under certain circumstances HP-UX reverts to its roots.

SEP

[Bill Douglass]

HP-UX normally restricts passwords to 8 characters. If you convert your system to trusted mode (using the tsconvert command), you can specify the maximun password length with modprpw (up to 40 characters).

RH Linux, by default, uses an MD5-based algorithm for passwords, and allows password lengths up to 255 characters.

[V.Tamilvanan]

Hi,
On HP-UX untrusted system (normal) the maximum password length is 8 chars only. But if you give u password of length more than 8 characters it accepts and after 8 characters whatever you have typed it just ignores.
In the same way when you login if you type the password with more than 8 characters it only validates first 8 character and if it maches it allows you to login or else denies.

[Vitaly Karasik_1]

Does you system support MD5 passwords? - you can just check your /etc/passwd or /etc/shadow - if your linux uses MD5, you wlll see about 25 letters in the second field instead of 12 without MD5.

Vitaly