A file or LOGON password specified by a user is written into the catalog entry of the file or the user catalog, respectively. In systems operating with password encryption, the password entered by the user is encrypted according to an internal code and transferred in this form to the catalog entry or user catalog. The user must enter the password in its unencrypted form when calling the file or entering /SET-LOGON-PARAMETERS, since the encryption is performed internally by the system.
The purpose of this procedure is to prevent unauthorized persons from discovering passwords if parts of the catalog or user catalog happen to be included in the output when a dump is taken.
When files with encrypted passwords are imported into a system operating without password encryption, a user who specifies the unencrypted password will not be given access to the file because the password is contained in its encrypted form in the catalog. The function of PASSWORD is to convert the unencrypted passwords into encrypted passwords in order to allow the file to be accessed.