Password Resets

Note: If you became locked out of your account by the systems upgrade in late Summer of 2007, you may be able to migrate your old password.

If you have an email forwarding address or a mail alternate address, you may use that to reset your password. Please try our semi-automated password reset service by ssh'ing to passwordreset@to.ugcs.caltech.edu with the password ugcs_pwreset. Please try this before asking us for assistance.

For us to reset your password, we must first verify that you are really the owner of your account. There are several ways we can do this, in order from least to most annoying:

• If you have a PGP public key on UGCS in your home dir, or there is a path of trust from any sysadmin to you, we may be able to reset based on that. We would need a message requesting a reset signed by that key, and would encrypt you a new password to that key.
• If you have an email setup as as an mailAlternateAddress or mailForwardingAddress in ldap, we will send you a "cookie" of random numbers at that address. Reply to us with it from any address asking for an account reset and we will do so, emailing the new password to that address.
• If you have a phone number on record, we can call it and give you a new password over it.
• [coming soon] If you had SSH key access to the old cluster, we can authenticate you based on that. This method is somewhat more difficult so please use one of the above if you can.
• Arrange to meet a sysadmin in person. Bring photo identification; either your Caltech ID card or a state or federal ID. Bring both if the picture on your Caltech ID is no longer recognizable.
• If you have an @alumni.caltech.edu address, we may be able to contact the Alumni Association and get them to verify your name and alumni account. Please use this only as a last resort.
• If none of these methods work and/or you are unsure of what information we have available (IE, alternate emails, phone numbers, etc), please contact us for more information.