The required characters rule ensures that passwords contain certain character categories.
Required characters are necessary to make a password stronger. For example, if you set the minimum number of uppercase characters to 4, then the password "ElePHant" will be rejected.
To configure the required characters rule
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Follow the steps outlined in Configuring Password Policy Rules.
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On the Policy Rules tab, click Required Characters Rule to expand the rule settings.
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Under Required Characters Rule, select the Password must contain at least check box, and then specify the following options as required:
Option |
Description |
Alphabetic characters |
Set the minimum number of alphabetic characters (A-z) that must appear in a password. |
Lowercase characters |
Set the minimum number of lowercase characters that must appear in a password. |
Uppercase characters |
Set the minimum number of uppercase characters that must appear in a password. |
Unique characters |
Set the number of characters that must be unique within a password. To require case sensitivity for this setting, select the Case sensitive check box. |
Digits (0-9) |
Specify whether passwords must contain digits: Set the minimum number of digits that must appear in a password by selecting the Minimum check box, and then typing the required number. In the In positions text box, type the numbers of positions within a password where digits must appear. For example, 1,3,5-10. Use Number of ending characters to specify how many digits must be in the end of a password. |
Special characters |
Specify whether passwords must contain special characters: Set the minimum number of special characters that must appear in a password by selecting the Minimum check box, and then typing the required number. In the In positions text box, type the numbers of positions within a password where special characters must appear. For example, 1,3,5-10. Use Number of ending characters to specify how many special characters there must be in the end of a password. Special characters include the following characters: - !"#$%&'()*+,-./:;<=>?@[\]^_`{}~ |
NOTE: By default, the table of lowercase, uppercase, and special characters is taken from the locale settings of the domain controller where the Password Policy Manager is installed. To view the locale settings, select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Regional Options and click the General tab.