Setup guide

UNCLASSIFIED

Chapter 3 -

Initial Installation

across the network when the machine is

connected to one. Sensitive information

should never be put in these screens.

Create First Administrative Account

 Create Your Account

This screen sets up the initial account, which is also an administrative account. If

information was entered into the registration screen, that information is used to

fill in default values for the name and short name fields; otherwise, these fields

are blank. Account information for the initial account should be entered as

follows:

1. Enter a name for the initial administrator in the Name text box. Any name

may be used for the administrator account; however, it should not be an easily

guessable name, such as “Administrator.”

2. Enter a short name for this administrator in the Short Name text box. This

name will be used as an ID for this administrative user and it should not be an

easily guessable name, such as “admin.”

Both the “short name” and the “name”, or full name, are accepted by the

system for authentication. The “short name” is used by Unix commands or

services.

3. Enter the administrator’s password in both the Password and Verify boxes.

Passwords in Mac OS X can be up to 255 characters long and contain

uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

Choosing a password that consists of at least 12 characters, that would not be

found in a dictionary, and that contains mixed case, numbers, and special

characters is recommended. There are many references available which

describe how to choose good passwords; therefore, this guide will not go into

any further detail about choosing a password.

Although there is currently no built-in method for enforcing good password

use on a locally administered Mac OS X system, a utility that will assist a user

in choosing a better password is provided. This feature is currently available

only as a part of the Keychain Access program, described further in the

section on Keychain.

4. Leave the Password Hint field blank. If a hint is provided, anyone

attempting to guess the password would be presented with a hint after 3 failed

attempts, giving him additional information that could be used to

compromise the account.

5. Click Continue.