Intel® Server Board M50CYP2SB Family Technical Product Specification
101
12.1.1
Password Setup
The BIOS uses passwords to prevent unauthorized access to the server board. Passwords can restrict entry
to the BIOS Setup utility, restrict use of the Boot Device popup menu during POST, suppress automatic USB
device re-ordering, and prevent unauthorized system power-on. Intel strongly recommends that an
administrator password be set. A system with no administrator password set allows anyone who has access
to the server board to change BIOS settings.
An administrator password must be set in order to set the user password.
The maximum length of a password is 14 characters. The minimum length is one character. The password
can be made up of a combination of alphanumeric (a-z, A-Z, 0
–
9) characters and any of the following special
characters:
! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) - _ + = ?
Passwords are case sensitive.
The administrator and user passwords must be different from each other. An error message is displayed, and
a different password must be entered if there is an attempt to enter the same password for both. The use of
strong passwords is encouraged, but not required. To meet the criteria for a strong password, the password
entered must be at least eight characters in length. It must include at least one each of alphabetic, numeric,
and special characters. If a weak password is entered, a warning message is displayed, and the weak
password is accepted. Once set, a password can be cleared by changing it to a null string. This action
requires the administrator password and must be done through BIOS Setup. Clearing the administrator
password also clears the user password. Passwords can also be cleared by using the password clear jumper
on the server board. For more information on the password clear jumper, see
Resetting the BIOS configuration settings to default values (by any method) has no effect on the
administrator and user passwords.
As a security measure, if a user or administrator enters an incorrect password three times in a row during the
boot sequence, the system is placed into a halt state. A system reset is required to exit out of the halt state.
This feature makes it more difficult to guess or break a password.
In addition, on the next successful reboot, the Error Manager displays a Major Error code 0048. A SEL event
is also logged to alert the authorized user or administrator that a password access failure has occurred.
12.1.2
System Administrator Password Rights
When the correct administrator password is entered, the user may perform the following actions:
•
Access the BIOS Setup utility.
•
Configure all BIOS Setup options in the BIOS Setup utility.
•
Clear both the administrator and user passwords.
•
Access the Boot Menu during POST.
If the Power On Password function is enabled in BIOS Setup, the BIOS halts early in POST to request a
password (administrator or user) before continuing POST.
