Selecting A Secure Password; Configure Operators And Administrators; Factory Preset Administrator Account; Creating An Operator Account - Patton electronics SmartNode Series Software Configuration Manual

4 • Accessing the CLI

Selecting a secure password

It is not uncommon for someone to try to break into (often referred to as hacking) a network device. The net-
work administrator should do everything possible to make the network secure. Carefully read the questions
below and see if any applies to you:
• Do your passwords consist of a pet's name, birthdays or names of friends or family members, your license
plate number, social security number, favorite number, color, flower, animal, and so on?
• Do you use the same password repeatedly? (Example: Your ATM PIN, cell phone voice mail, house alarm
setting code, etc.)
• Could your password or a portion thereof be found in the dictionary?
• Is your password less than six characters long?
To prevent unauthorized access, you should select passwords that are not dictionary words or any of the above-
mentioned examples. Every password should be at least 6 characters long and include at least one capital letter,
one number, and one lowercase letter.
A good example of a password is: 3Bmshtr
You are probably asking yourself, "How am I going to remember that?" It's easy, the password above is an acro-
nym taken from: "3 blind mice see how they run." Making a good password is that easy! But please, don't use
the above example password for your SmartNode device.
Configure operators and administrators
To secure the system, as well as to enable remote access to the system, you must create operator and administra-
tor login accounts. These accounts are valid system-wide. Operators and administrators can log in to the
SmartWare via the console or through Telnet.
Note
Only administrators are allowed to create new administrator and operator
accounts.

Factory preset administrator account

At the beginning of setup, SmartWare contains a factory preset administrator account with the name adminis-
trator and an empty password. After adding a new administrator account, the factory preset administrator
account is automatically deleted and only the newly created administrator account is available. You can create
more than one administrator account, but there has to be at least one administrator account defined. If, for
some reason, the last administrator account is deleted, SmartWare automatically recreates the factory preset
administrator account with the name administrator and an empty password.

Creating an operator account

Operators do not have the privileges to run the enable command and therefore cannot modify the system con-
figuration. Operators can view partial system information.
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You are responsible for creating a new administrator account to
maintain system security. Patton Electronics accepts no responsi-
bility for losses or damage caused by loss or misuse of pass-
words. Please read the following sections to secure your network
equipment properly.
SmartWare Software Configuration Guide
Accessing the SmartWare CLI task list