configure account password-policy min-different-characters

configure account [all |name] password-policy min-different-characters [count]

Description

When changing a password, configures the number of characters in the revised password that must be changed from the existing password.

Syntax Description

all Applies the configuration to all accounts.
name Applies the configuration to the account of the specified name.
password-policy Specifies configuring the account password policy.
min-different-characters Specifies the minimum number of different characters between a previous and new password.
count Specifies the number of characters required to be different between the previous and new password. The range is 0–16. The default is 0.

Default

The default for the minimum number of different characters is 0.

Usage Guidelines

This command allows you to configure a variable number of characters that must be changed from the existing password when a new password is created. If the new password is longer than the original password, the “extended” characters of the new password are counted as different from the prior password. If the new password is shorter than the existing password, only the new password characters determine the number of characters that are different.

For example, if you specify 8 for the number of characters that must be different:

This combination would count as 9 different characters, and would pass:
  • Current password: MyChoice
  • New password: MyChoiceButLonger
This combination would count as zero different characters, and would fail:
  • Current Password: MyChoiceButLonger
  • New password: MyChoice

To view the current selection for the minimum number of different characters for changed passwords, use the show accounts password-policy command.

Example

The following example configures the minimum number of different characters for changed passwords to be "3" for all accounts:

# configure account all password-policy min-different-characters 3

History

This command was first available in ExtremeXOS 30.7.

Platform Availability

This command is available on ExtremeSwitching 5320, 5420, 5520, and 5720 series switches.