HP XC System Software Installation Guide Version 2.1

C
Guidelines for
User-Defined Information
This appendix
contains guidelines for some user-defined information you are asked to supply
during the ins
tallation and configuration process.
• Host names (Section C.1)
• Passwords (Section C.2)
C.1 Defining Host Names
Follow these guidelines wh en deciding on a host name:
• Names can contain from 2 to 63 alphanumeric upp
ercase o r lowercase characters (a-z,
A-Z, 0-9). Fully qualified host names (for exa
mple, mysys.example.com) can
contain a maximum of 254 characters. Each comp
onent of the domain name can contain up
to 63 characters and components must be separa
tedbyperiods.
• Host names must beg in wit h a letter.
• Hyphens (-) are permitted i n host names.
• Underscores ( _) are not permitted in host nam
es.
•Periods(.) are permitted in fully qualified domain names.
• Before deciding upon a ho st name, consult with your site administrator to make sure you
choose a unique name that adheres to your corporate host naming conventions.
C.2 Setting Strong Passwords
Passwords protect the data on y our system and control access to your system by providing
a means to verify identity and ensure individual accountability. On an X C system, you set
passwords for several different users; none of these passwords are required to m atch :
•Rootuser
• MySQL system configuration database administrator
• Nagios administrator
•LSFadministrator
The Linux operating system perm its the root user (also know n as the superuser) to have
permissions that supersede those of ordinary users. Th e root user is generally the person who is
responsible for system administration tasks and has access to all files, all user accounts, and
all devices. The root user is not restricted from changing anything on the operatin g system.
For this reason, the root user needs a special, unique password that must be closely guarded
for security purposes.
Do not choose a root or general user password that can be guessed by an unauthorized person .
Because the root user has absolute power o ver the operating system, the root password must
be carefully protected. The basic gu ideline is to m ake the password so methin g that you can
remember but difficult for someone else to guess.
Never share a password w ith anyone, and never write it down. If you have to w rite down a
password to remember it, change the password.
These guidelines will help you choose strong passwords:
• A password must contain a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 16 characters.
Guidelines for Use r-D efined Infor mation C-1