User Accounts

User accounts are assigned for use at the URI Engineering Computer Center (ECC) facilities located in Kirk 203. Equipment provided is to be used for academic related activities only, as outlined in the ECC Equipment Facility Use Policy.

Accounts are for doing course work requiring these computers during your entire stay at URI, i.e. the same account is used for all classes taken until you leave the University. It is recommended that you learn how to manage files and subdirectories to make the most effective use of the space allocated to you.

Accounts are disabled every year at the end May. To renew your account for the next year, show your student ID to an ECC operator and set a new password. All files and email related to your account are retained. Email addresses are now available for your use after you graduate, see the Email link for more details.

Starting with Summer 2007, the department affiliation will be updated as part of the annual renewal process. The group affiliation will be updated from student or grad to alumni using the college graduation lists beginning with May 2006 data. This will allow the Email college address book searches to function more accurately.

Passwords

You will be asked to pick, and type in, your own password when your account is created. You are required to change it once a year when your account is renewed. However, you can change it more frequently if you wish!

To change your password on the PCs:
hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete and choose Change Password

To change your password on the server:
Use SSH Secure Shell Client (see Server Access)
to start a terminal session
type passwd
enter your old and new passwords as prompted

The password is updated on both systems regardless of where it was changed.

Passwords must be a minimum of six (6) characters, are case sensitive and should include a digit or special character somewhere in the middle (not just at the end). They should not be a name or a word that would be found in a standard dictionary in any language - either forwards or backwards!

Good passwords are random seeming letters, digits and characters that are somehow easy to remember!! (for example, the first letter of each word in a phrase) like Bif0mNH (for Ben is from New Hampshire). Bad passwords are your birthday, your license plate, or a simple combination like badboy or badboy2.

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