Department of Engineering

Setting a New Login Password

This page is for setting your password on the Engineering Department Central Computing System. This password is used for the DPO terminals, remote access via gate, smb-serv, admin-fileserver, editing web pages, research machines in several divisions. It is an important password that you must keep safe.

This password is nothing to do with Raven, Hermes or the PWF. To change those, read infosheet IS6.

• Changing your password from Windows
• Changing your password from a DPO Linux terminal
• Changing your password from Linux
• Changing your password from MacOS X
• Selecting a good password
• If you forget your password

Changing your password from Windows

• Run PuTTY from the Windows Start Menu. If this is not installed on your machine, download PuTTY here.
• Enter the host name, gate.eng.cam.ac.uk, and click on Open.
  
• If this is the first time you have used PuTTY to login to gate, PuTTY will put up a security alert. Click on Yes if the fingerprint matches ad:66:8e:86:11:7d:a9:c6:49:61:53:e4:32:42:a3:1d.
  
• Login using your current password (nothing will be echoed to the screen when you type this in).
• Type 'passwd' (without the quotes)
• When prompted for 'Old Password', use the same password that you just used to login.
• You will be prompted for a new password. See below for advice.

Changing your password from a DPO Linux terminal

• Right-click on the desktop (not inside an application's window) and select Open Terminal.
  
• Type 'passwd' (without the quotes)
• When prompted for 'Old Password', use the same password that you used to login.
• You will be prompted for a new password. See below for advice.

Changing your password from Linux

• Launch a terminal window. This might have one of the following icons, but it depends on which type of Linux system you are using:
  
  Under GNOME, you can right-click on the background (not inside an application's window) and select Open Terminal.
• In the terminal window, type 'ssh -l userid gate.eng.cam.ac.uk' (without the quotes).
  Replace userid with your userid, which is the bit before @cam.ac.uk in your email address.
  (Note: You can skip this step if you use a Linux terminal in the DPO.)
• You may get a message similar to:

  The authenticity of host 'gate.eng.cam.ac.uk' can't be established.
  RSA key fingerprint is ad:66:8e:86:11:7d:a9:c6:49:61:53:e4:32:42:a3:1d.
  Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?
  

  Type 'yes' if the fingerprint matches ad:66:8e:86:11:7d:a9:c6:49:61:53:e4:32:42:a3:1d.
  .
• Login using your current password.
• Type 'passwd' (without the quotes)
• When prompted for 'Old Password', use the same password that you just used to login.
• You will be prompted for a new password. See below for advice.

Changing your password from MacOS

Launch the Terminal Application and follow the instructions for Linux, above.

Selecting a good password

Passwords are case-sensitive, ie. upper and lower case are not equivalent.

In order to be as secure as possible your password should:

• Be at least 8 characters in length (the longer the better though old Windows systems may not cope properly with more than 14)
• Contain at least two alphabetic characters
• Contain at least one numeric or special character. Special characters available are:
  ~ ` ! $ % ^ & * ( ) _ - + = { } [ ] | : ; ' " > < , . ? /
• Not contain the @, # and \ symbols
• NOT be a common word or name from any language or variations on your name, initials or userid.
• Not use obvious substitutions of letters in dictionary words (eg passw0rd, s!mple, s1mple, sin9le)

A good example is something like 74!7aDa?. Using the initial letters of a phrase (with added punctuation) can be a good way to create passwords which are safe but memorable to you.

Password changes are normally propagated from this central server to other machines every 15 minutes so expect a delay between changing your password before it takes effect.

If you forget your password

Go the the Computer Operators in the DPO and ask them to reset it. Please bring your University Card or some other form of identification.