The passwd command imposes no minimum length or special character requirements. As with any password, it is best to choose a password unlikely to be guessed by an intruder.
If the filer is booted from floppy disk, selection "(3) Change password" enables you to reset the password without entering the old password. This is useful for the forgetful.
Because the password for the failed filer becomes unnecessary after a takeover, you do not have increased security by assigning different passwords to the filers in a cluster. Network Appliance recommends that you use the same password for both filers.