User naming conventions

The rules for naming users, like those for naming groups, are simple:
  • A RACF® user ID must be 1 - 8 characters in length, and can consist of any combination of uppercase A - Z, 0 - 9, # (X'7B'), $ (X'5B'), or @ (X'7C').
    Note: Although RACF permits 8-character user IDs, keep in mind that TSO user IDs cannot be more than 7 characters. TSO and MVS™ also require that the first character of user IDs be uppercase A - Z, # (X'7B'), $ (X'5B'), or @ (X'7C').
  • The #, $, and @ characters might be displayed differently on terminals outside the United States; therefore, use the characters with the hexadecimal equivalents shown above.
  • No two user IDs can be the same. No user ID can be the same as a group name.

For information about user naming conventions for z/OS UNIX user identifiers (UIDs), see Defining user identifiers (UIDs).

Parent topic: Defining users