Universal Password is designed to supply backward compatibility to existing services. By default, passwords changed with this service can be synchronized to the simple and NDS passwords on the User object. You can choose which passwords you want to have synchronized by using the Password Management plug-in. This way, Novell Client software earlier than the Novell Client for Windows version 4.9 or the Novell Client for Windows version 3.4, which don't take advantage of NMAS, have their passwords continue to function properly.
The exception to this is the use of international characters in passwords. Because the character translations are different for older clients, the actual values no longer match. Customers who have deployed Web-based or nds-cluster-config services and who use international passwords have already seen these problems and have been required to change passwords so they do not include international characters. We recommend that all Novell Client software be upgraded in order for full, system-wide international passwords to function properly.
The Novell NetWare Storage Management Services (SMS) infrastructure is used for NetIQ and third-party backup and restore applications. Additionally, the Novell Server Consolidation utility, Distributed File Services Volume Move, and Server Migration utilities use SMS as their data management infrastructure. The system passwords used by these NetIQ and third-party products cannot contain extended characters if they are to function in a mixed environment.
NOTE:Refer to TID 3065822 to see which applications and services are Universal Password-capable, as well as which applications and services are extended character-capable. Many applications and services can use extended characters without Universal Password.