Changing the database password

When you create a new key database, you specify a key database password, which protects the private key. The private key is the only key that can sign documents or decrypt messages that are encrypted with the public key. Changing the key database password frequently is a good practice.


About this task

Complete the following steps to change the database password:


Procedure

  1. Start the IKEYMAN user interface.

  2. Click Key Database File from the main UI, then click Open.

  3. Enter your key database name in the Open dialog box, or click the key.kdb file, if you use the default. Click OK.

  4. Enter your password in the Password Prompt dialog box, and click OK.

  5. Click Key Database File from the main UI, then click Change Password.

  6. Enter a new password in the Password Prompt dialog box, and a new confirming password. Click OK. Use the following guidelines when specifying the password:

    • The password must come from the U.S. English character set.

    • The password must contain at least six characters and contain at least two nonconsecutive numbers. Make sure that the password does not consist of publicly obtainable information about you, such as the initials and birth date for you, your spouse, or children.

    • Stash the password or enable secure sockets layer (SSL) password prompting.

    Keep track of expiration dates for the password. If the password expires, a message writes to the error log. The server starts, but a secure network connection does not exist, if the password has expired.


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