If you’re a Linux admin, you probably take care of any number of servers, all of which contain numerous users. Those users log in via various means or protocols, such as SSH, FTP and HTTP. In order to successfully log in, those users have to have — passwords.

A single word that sends shivers through the spine of many an IT pro. You have to deal with users who create overly simple passwords, forget their passwords or forget to change those passwords with any regularity.

It can get frustrating, especially if the operating system that powers so many of your servers is new to you (or to your staff). If that’s the case, you need to know how to manage user passwords. But how? What are the tools you need to use to make this task easier? And how can you create policies to ensure passwords are strong and regularly changed?

This guide, written by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic Premium, walks users through a few of these processes, so they can better manage user passwords on Linux servers (and even desktops).

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EXPIRING PASSWORDS WITH THE CHAGE COMMAND

Let’s say you want to expire a user’s [called ‘vega’] password at some point in the future. For example, say it’s November 24, 2026, and you want the password to expire on December 9, 2026. That’s possible using the built-in chage command. For our example, the command would be:

sudo chage -E 2026-12-09 vega

You can view the expiry date with the command:

sudo chage -I 30 vega

Improve your Linux knowledge with our in-depth eight-page PDF guide. Previously priced at $49, this is now available for download at just $9. Alternatively, enjoy complimentary access with a Premium annual subscription. Click here to find out more.

TIME SAVED: Crafting this content required 16 hours of dedicated writing, editing and research.