There are three different flags that can be set to alter password behavior:

- Only root can change password
  If this flag is set then only the root user can change password information.

- User must choose new password
  If this flag is set then the user is forced to change their password the next time a login command or an su command is given for the user.

- Don't check password restrictions
  If this flag is set then new passwords choosen need not follow the password guidelines.