Passwords
From MCS IT Wiki
Contents |
Password types
There's a number of different passwords and passphrases a user of the infrastructure here is likely to encounter. We'll enumerate a number of the different kinds below, but it's worth noting that we're looking to simplify this in the near future. This page outlines the way things exist currently, as well as a plan for moving forward. If you're confused about which password you should use for a given resource, you should search this page for the resource you're interested in. Please report any inaccuracies to systems@mcs.anl.gov.
- Password Guidelines
- Department of Energy Password Guidance
- Argonne Password Guidelines (Internal website only)
Argonne Domain Password
What is it? : Authenticates against the central Argonne Active Directory. It is used for:
- Inside Argonne and other Argonne internal websites
- most administrative applications
- Argonne VPN
- Argonne Exchange e-mail server
- Zimbra (MCS E-Mail)
Where can I change it?: Argonne Credentials Site
Who can reset it for me?: It varies, depending on your home division. A list below is included, but all requests should go through the MCS Help Desk.
- Tina Stanton-Piersanti
- Craig Stacey
- Rick Bradshaw (MCS Employees only)
- Max Trefonides (MCS Employees only)
- Ken Raffenetti (MCS Employees only)
- John Roberts (MCS Employees only)
- Tisha Stacey (LCF Employees only)
IMPORTANT: When your Argonne Domain Password is changed
When your Argonne Domain Password is changed (by you or by an administrator), there are numerous places where you'll need to change your password. Below is a list of all the places you'll need to change it.
- Anything that logs into Zimbra, such as your mail client, or the iCal/iSync conduit, or your Mobile Device. Also check any saved, inactive mail servers that you might not even be using.
- Any LDAP clients using Argonne's LDAP server, such as Mac Mail/Address Book
- Any Jabber clients such as Pidgin, iChat, Trillian or Adium.
- Authenticated wireless password caches.
- Anything using the lab's Exchange server, such as Outlook, mobile clients.
If you neglect to change these passwords, you may find your account gets locked out due to too many bad password tries.
MCS Workstation Password
What is it? : Primary MCS password. It is used for:
- MCS Accounts Page
- Some MCS websites
Where can I change it?: MCS Account Management
Who can reset it for me?: Anyone in MCS Systems.
MCS Windows Password
What is it? : Password for MCS Windows Domain. Scheduled to be retired by summer 2009. Used for:
- Most MCS Mac desktop machines
- Samba authentication
Where can I change it?: MCS Windows Password changer
Who can reset it for me?: Anyone in MCS Systems.
OTP
What is it? : One Time Password generator. Some users will be required to use this for access to certain applications. If you have one and don't know how to use it, contact MCS Systems.
Others
SSH Key: SSH keys require the use of a passphrase. This passphrase is unique to your key and is not in any way tied to any particular machines. For details on how these work in MCS, see SSH keys.
