Account & Password Information
Request a User Account
A valid username and password are required to access Bio domain resources. BioComputing will provide Biology faculty and staff with user accounts on request. To request a Bio domain account, send a message to BioSysAdmin@tennessee.edu. We'll create the account and notify you when it's ready. If you can't E-mail the request, give us a call at 974-2763 or stop by our office at 437 Hesler Biology Building.
UTK Password Policy (3-1-05)
Your NetID password can be changed at HERE.
Password expiration: All University of Tennessee passwords must be changed every 180 days and should be set to expire after that period. (The 180-day interval is subject to revision.) Passwords issued for temporary IDs, password resets, and locked-out IDs must expire at next login, thus forcing recipients to change them upon first use.
Password encryption: Passwords should not be sent across the network in
clear text. Passwords must also not be listed in
clear text for the purpose of automating a login
sequence. All passwords must be stored in an
encrypted format by the application.
Note: All encryption methods and technology
must comply with any international regulations
governing this technology.
Account lockouts: An account will be set to lock out a user for a minimum of five minutes after a maximum of five failed login attempts.
Password uniqueness: A history of at least ten passwords should be kept when technically feasible for each account within a system. New passwords should be checked against this history and users prohibited from re-using any matching entries.
Password display and printing: When entered, displayed, or printed, passwords must be masked, suppressed, or otherwise obscured.
Password retrieval: Computer and communication systems must be designed, tested, and controlled to prevent the recall of stored passwords -- whether they appear in encrypted or plain text form. Electronic or automated means must not be used to record and retrieve a password instead of keying it in through a keyboard when logging on or authenticating a user.
Choosing a new, secure password
New passwords must be at least eight characters long and include at least three of the following four characteristics:
- At least one numeric character (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0)
- At least one special character (/, [, -, =, +, !, #, $, etc.)
- At least one lowercase character (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, etc.)
- At least one uppercase character (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, etc.).
- All passwords--including those issued for temporary IDs, password resets, and
locked out IDs--must conform to the above standard.
Note: All ERA (UT Dial-Up) customers should change their passwords to have exactly eight characters. Passwords with more than eight characters cause the login to fail.
Users must never write down or otherwise record their passwords. Each user is responsible for any action taken with that user's login. No university employees or students should ever share or divulge their password to anyone, including other university students and staff, nor should UT employees and administrators ever request a user to divulge his or her password. Users should change their passwords often--at least once every 180 days. Any password that a user believes may have been compromised must be changed immediately.
Users must not attempt to determine another user's password through any means. This prohibition applies to passwords for students, faculty, staff, and friends and accounts on systems reached through the Internet.