Password system values: Restricted characters
The Restricted characters system value is also known as QPWDLMTCHR. You can use this system value to specify the characters to be restricted.
| Quick reference | |
|---|---|
| Location | From IBM® Navigator for i, select . Right-click on Password and click Properties, then select the Validation 1 tab. |
| Special authority | All object (*ALLOBJ) and security administrator (*SECADM). |
| Default value | No restricted characters. |
| Changes take effect | Immediately. |
| Lockable | Yes.  |
What can I do with this system value?
You can specify that certain characters are not allowed in a password, or you can specify that any characters are allowed in a password (*NONE). You can restrict characters A through Z, 0 through 9, and the following special characters: number sign (#), dollar sign ($), at sign (@), and underscore (_).
You can use this option to provide additional security by preventing users from using specific characters, such as vowels, in a password. Restricting vowels prevents users from forming actual words for their passwords. You can specify up to 10 restricted characters.
This system value is not enforced when the password level is 2 or 3. This system value can be changed at password level 2 or 3, but will not be enforced until the password level is changed to a value of 0 or 1.
The suggested setting is A, E, I, O, and U. You may also want to restrict special characters (#, $, and @) for compatibility with other systems.