Technical Note - ECS Login Account Registration

Summary

This technote provides some details about the account registration procedure on the ECS systems. The same process can also be used if you have forgotten your ECS password and need to reset it.

Note that this process relates to your ECS login and not to a central MyVUW student login or VUW staff login that you may have.

Details

How Do I Register My Account?

You can register your ECS account by logging on to an ECS workstation (office or lab computer) using the username "register" and password "register". Alternatively, if you have access to the Internet via another computer you can register by going to the ECS Registration web page. In either case you will be presented with a series of screens which guide you through the process.

info Note: ECS/SMS student login accounts become active one week before the course(s) they are enrolled in start. Attempting to register a student login account before then will not work.

The first step of the registration process is verifying your identity. If you are a VUW student you can use your MyVUW student login or if you have a VUW staff login you can use that instead. If you don't have (or don't know the username/password of) either of these VUW logins you can request an 'activation code' (a one time password) from ECS technical support. Send an email to jobs@ecs.vuw.ac.nz to request one.

After you have verified your identity the registration process involves the following steps:

  • Reading a description of the rules/policies that apply to the use of ECS computers.
  • For ECS/SMS thesis students, optionally choosing a different login name
  • For ECS/SMS staff/thesis students/guests, optionally redirecting your ECS email.
  • Setting a password for your ECS login.

If you have previously registered your ECS login and are going through the registration process because you have forgotten your password the system will skip the first three steps and go straight to the password setting page.

If you have forgotten your ECS password and don't have a VUW staff or student login you will need to get a new activation code from an ECS technical support person. The activation code you used to register your login the first time will not work (as mentioned above, it was a "one-time" password).

On completion of the registration process the first time the system will send you an email containing information about the ECS computing environment. This email will not be sent when registering because of a forgotten password.

You should now be able to log on to ECS systems using your assigned username and the password that you just set.

When Do I Have to Register My Account?

There are two situations when you have to go through the account registration process.

  • Prior to using your ECS account for the first time.
  • If you have forgotten your ECS password.

Students used to have to register their ECS logins at the start of each year. This is no longer the case, though if a student has forgotten their ECS password they can use the registration process to reset it.