In keeping with good security practices, NCSA encourages you to change your password regularly. This page was established to make that task a little easier, by bringing directions for all the different procedures into one place.

A goal at NCSA is to have logins to all centrally managed machines (effectively, this means all unix machines that aren't controlled by individuals or local groups - if you aren't sure, ask whoever administers your system) stop using "unencrypted authentication". Instead, these machines would use Kerberos or SSH. This includes, but is not limited to, the "Big Iron" machines, the Public Suns, AFS, REL/NL, and the Mass Storage System (MSS).

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NCSA Kerberos

UIUC NetID/Kerberos

Local Unix Machine

Log on to the machine you want to change your password on, then execute a "passwd <username>" command, where "<username>" is your login. Ie, if I wanted to change my password, and my login was "mitch", then I'd execute a "passwd mitch".
The passwd command will prompt you for your old password first, then ask you to type the new password twice, to make sure you don't make any typos.
NOTE: If you are working on an NCSA System-Administered machine (ie, you do not personally have root access to the machine, and are not responsible for maintenance, installations, upgrades, etc), then this is not where you want to be. Please follow the directions for changing your Kerberos password instead.

Windows Domain

While logged into an NT machine using your NCSA domain account, press Control, Alt, and Delete at the same time. The "Windows NT Security" dialog box will pop up. In the bottom left hand corner of this box is a button labeled "Change Password". Click on it.
The "Change Password" dialog box will pop up. Your name and current domain will appear in the appropriate boxes. Enter your current password in the "Old Password" box. Enter the password you wish to change to in the "New Password" box, and then enter it again in the "Confirm New Password" box, to make sure you've entered it the same way in both boxes, then click "Ok".
Make sure you have the correct domain selected when you do this! Under Windows NT, there are two different accounts you can have passwords for. The first is the password for the NCSA NT network (the "NCSA" domain), and the other is the password for the local machine. The domain name for this password is the name of your specific machine.

Dialup Terminal Server

The NCSA dialup terminal server now uses the NCSA Kerberos password.

Meeting Maker

Open Meeting Maker, and select "Edit", then "Preferences". Within the dialog box that opens is the option to change your password.

Troubleshooting

Often, after changing their NCSA Kerberos password, users will be unable to check their email via Eudora or similar email clients that save passwords. If you are experiencing this problem, please try the following:

1. Go into Tools -> Options and uncheck Save Password
2. Restart Eudora
3. Enter your new password when prompted.