This document describes account and password expiration policies. Every user is required to change their password on a regular basis in order to maintain a secure system. You can change your password on the HPC-website: www.hpc.fsu.edu/password.

Password Expiration

All HPC users must change their password at least once every 180 days. Failure to change your password within 180 days will result in an email warning sent to your HPC registered email account.  Failure to change your password within 20 days after the initial email warning will result in your account being locked. Your account will remain locked until you contact hpc support staff to request that the lock be removed from your account.  Accounts will be unlocked with in 24 business hours from the time that the request is received.  Locked accounts and all data contained by an account will be permanently removed from the HPC system if no request to unlock the account is made within 180 days from the first email warning.  After your account is removed from HPC you must  reapply for an account to gain access to the HPC facility.

A summary timeline for password and account expiration on HPC:

1. After 180 days of not changing your password, you will get a warning by email.
2. After 200 days of not changing your password, your account will be locked.
3. After 360 days of not changing your password, your account will be permanently removed from HPC.

Sponsored Accounts

FSU faculty and HPC owners are required to have an active HPC account to sponsor users on the FSU shared HPC system.  As describe above, a sponsored account will be locked if the sponsor fails to change his password within 200 days of the last password change.  If a sponsored account is locked, the accounts under this sponsor will be affected in the following way.

1. Sponsored account will receive an email warning 20 days after sponsoring account is locked.
2. Sponsored account will be locked 90 days after sponsoring account is locked. You cannot unlock your account through the HPC website until the sponsoring account is unlocked.
3. Sponsored account will be removed permanently from the HPC 160 days after sponsoring account is locked.  After the sponsored account is removed from HPC, non-faculty and non-owners must reapply for an account to gain access to the HPC facility.

You may switch sponsors at any time to prevent deletion of your account.

Account Verification

Before a sponsored account is created the selected sponsor is sent an email with instructions to verify the request.  Account requests are voided after 30 days if a sponsor fails to verify the account request.