'central' - Services provided

central is the Unix computer managed by the Office of Information Technology Service which for many years has provided a number of important services to all staff and some postgraduates.

Until Dec 15, 2005, central  acted as an email server for staff. IT Services has now completed the migration of all staff email accounts from central to the Murdoch Exchange system.

central is still used by some staff and postgraduate students for the hosting of Personal Home Pages via the Web Server http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au.

The following instructions are provided for staff who already have a Unix user account, or staff who apply for an account to maintain a Personal Home Page.

Login and Password

Your user account on central.murdoch.edu.au is a Unix account. It will be allocated after you complete and submit the appropriate application form. Your login will be based on your surname. A password will be assigned at the time the account is created and you are advised by Information Technology Services staff to change it as soon as you can. If you have forgotten your password, contact the IT Service Desk on (08) 9360 2000 for assistance.

Note: Your 'central' username is completely separate from your  Murdoch Username and  your central password  is separate from and NOT currently synchronized with your Murdoch Password.

Changing Your 'central' Password

Your 'central' password can be changed using the passwd command at a command line prompt. Easily guessed passwords are not allowed. For help with guidelines for choosing a secure password see the section in the IT Security Policy.

To change your password you will need to do the following :

• login to 'central' using SSH (secure shell) [telnet logins are not allowed]. Use a program such as "Putty" for Windows or "" for macinstosh.. (Call the IT ServiceDesk EXT 2000 if you do not have access to an SSH client program).
• at the 'central' prompt type passwd
• enter your old password
• enter your new password
• enter your new password again (to confirm)
• logout using the logout command

If you have any trouble with these steps, please contact the IT ServiceDesk on 9360 2000 to receive assistance.