Your password can include almost any character that you can type. The main exceptions are the Control keys and the Return key. A good password is a password that you can remember readily, but which no one else can easily guess. Examples of bad passwords include the following:
Words that can be found in a dictionary
Any common or popular name
The name of a famous person or character
Your name or user name in any form (for example: your name spelled backward, repeated twice, and so forth)
A spouse's name, child's name, or pet's name
Your birth date or a relative's birth date
Your social security number, driver's license number, passport number, or other similar identifying number
Any sample password that appears in this manual or any other manual
A good password is at least eight characters long. Moreover, a password should include a mix of characters, such as uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. Examples of passwords that would be good if they didn't appear in this manual include the following:
Acronyms, such as “I2LMHinSF” (which is recalled as “I too left my heart in San Francisco”)
Easy-to-pronounce nonsense words, such as “WumpaBun” or “WangDangdoodle!”
Deliberately misspelled phrases, such as “6o'cluck” or “RrriotGrrrlsRrrule!”
Don't use these examples. Passwords that appear in manuals are the first passwords that an intruder will try.