Password phrase
A long password, up to 100 characters, that RACF accepts in place of a traditional 8-character password.
Also written passphrase, RACF password, mixed-case password, KDFAES
A traditional RACF password is at most eight characters long. That is short by modern standards, so RACF also supports password phrases: longer passwords, usually from 14 up to 100 characters, which can include spaces and punctuation. "Blue tram leaves at seven" is a valid phrase.
A user can have a password, a phrase, or both, and log on with either, depending on how the site has set things up. Not every application supports phrases yet, especially older ones, which is why many sites keep both.
Other changes have made RACF passwords stronger too. Sites can allow mixed-case passwords, so upper and lower case letters count as different. And RACF can store passwords using a modern, slow-to-crack method called KDFAES instead of the older one.
The rules a site applies, such as minimum length, how often passwords must change and how many old ones cannot be reused, are set with SETROPTS. If your logon fails with a message about the password not meeting the rules, those settings are the reason.
Where can I learn this hands-on?
Right here, at ZedBank. You take a junior job at a simulated bank and learn each part of the work by doing it, with Zed beside you. There's nothing to install.
Start at ZedBankRelated
- RACFThe security manager for z/OS, which decides who may sign on, read a dataset, or run a transaction.
- RACF user IDA person or program's identity on the system. Short, unique, and the basis of every access decision.
- LogonSigning on to a mainframe system with a user ID and password to start an interactive session.
- RACF user attributesSettings on a RACF user ID that give it special powers, such as managing security or auditing, or limit it, such as being revoked.
- MFAMulti-factor authentication: requiring something more than a password, such as a code from a phone or token, before a user can log on.