Unix account

open an account

Please email the following information to support-neuro@berkeley.edu:

  • name: what is your first and last name?
  • email address: what is your berkeley.edu address? If you don’t have one, then please request account approval from your PI.
  • username: specify a username that is 8 characters or fewer. Use only letters and/or numbers.
  • position: are you a Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Fellow, or Research Assistant?
  • contact: specify a lab member who you will see in person to relay your temporary password.
  • mobile number (optional): I may contact you via text if your email address fails, or to reset a password.

change password

I recommend that you install and configure X2Go (remote desktop) session first. Alternatively, you may login with a secure shell client.

  1. In X2Go, you will see a menu in the upper left corner. click on:

    Applications -> Terminal Emulator

  2. In the terminal window, type the ‘passwd’ command

    $ passwd

You will be prompted for your old and new password.

password security

A good password:
  • Contains at least 8 characters
  • Is unique, not derived from a dictionary word nor your username
  • Contains at least one of the following:
    • uppercase letter
    • lowercase letter
    • number
    • special character

To ensure data integrity, don’t share nor re-use passwords. The following comic is an entertaining reminder to be sensible about password security:

Password Reuse from xkcd

../../_images/password-reuse.png