Accounts | Computing Services | CSE Department at the OSU

Accounts

The CSE Dept. account management system is an automated system that interfaces directly with the OSU Registrar's office twice daily at 10:00am and 4:00pm to download the latest user information. Most accounts are created and deleted automatically, with a few exceptions. Below is a list of common account problems and questions.

Usernames and Passwords - In order to login to the CSE environment you will need a username and password.
Your username will be supplied by your instructor for the first CSE course you are enrolled in, and it will never change, even if your account is deleted. If you are unsure of your username, please stop by or call the Help Desk and an Operator can look it up for you.
Your default password will be different for Windows and UNIX.
For Windows, your password will be the last four digits of your OSU ID number followed by your first and last initial and an exclamation point. For example, John Doe's OSU ID number is 123456789. His default password is 6789jd!
For UNIX, your password will be the last four digits of your OSU ID number followed by your first and last initial (no exclamation point). John Doe's UNIX password will then be 6789jd

Changing Your Password - To maintain the security of your account, it is important that you regularly change your passwords. We recommend that you change your password at most every month, and at least once per quarter. Windows forces you to change your password each quarter and we recommend that you also change your UNIX password at that time.

Windows

UNIX

yppasswd

Forgot Password - If you forget your password, you will need to bring a photo ID to the Help Desk in Dreese 895 to have your password reset. We will not reset passwords over the phone due to security concerns.

Account Creation and Deletion - New accounts are created daily at 10:00am and 4:00pm. If you just added a course, your account will usually take around 1 business day to get created.
Accounts are deleted at the end of the quarter for non-major students on the first Tuesday following finals week. Non-major students can backup their data before their accounts are deleted by bringing a CD to the lab and using the CD burners on the Lab PCs.
CSE Major accounts are retained one quarter after graduation, and then deleted.
CSE Grad Student accounts are retained for one year after graduation, and then deleted.

Disk Quota - Each user is assigned a particular disk quota on one of our filesystems. If you go over your quota, you will be unable to login or to create new files. You will then need to use SSH to login and remove files until you are back under your quota. Common files that cause users to go over their disk quota include netscape cache, compiled programs, large e-mail spools, and pictures. Cleaning up these large files will allow you to log in if you are over quota. If you delete these files and are still over quota, please stop by the Help Desk in Dreese 895 and an Operator will assist you in locating large files to delete.
To check your disk quota usage, you can type quota -v at a UNIX prompt. Disk quotas are determined by your status in the department. They are listed below.
CSE Non-Major Students: 100 MB
CSE Major Students: 1 GB
CSE Grad Students: 4 GB
CSE Staff: 10 GB
CSE Faculty: 25 GB

Print Quota - Each account has a print quota associated with it, which is the number of pages you are allowed to print on the CSE printers. You can look up your print quota and how much you have remaining by typing print-quota at a UNIX prompt. Print quotas for different types of accounts are listed below.
CSE Non-Major Students: 500 pages
CSE Major Students: 1000 pages
CSE Grad Students: 1500 pages
CSE Staff: unlimited
CSE Faculty: unlimited

If you run out of quota, you may purchase more quota by purchasing the Department a new toner cartridge for one of our printers. If you would like to pursue this option, please contact the Help Desk for instructions on the type of cartridge to purchase.

Sybase Accounts - If you are in a database course (cse570, cse670, cse772) and if you were on the class roster, a sybase account was created and you should have received mail. If you were a late add, then your instructor must add you electronically to the course list (using a tool called 'crconfig'). 'crconfig' electronically requests a sybase account for the appropriate courses.
If you are not in a database course, but working with a professor, have the professor submit a request (by e-mailing help@cse.ohio-state.edu) to have one created for you. This request must include: full name, login name, and any special requirements. If you need your own database, explain why, and the amount of data you are expecting. Otherwise, you will be added to the Scratch database.
Generally, one connects to sybase using 'isql'. For those in a course, your instructor should have a tutorial that will help you.

Program 60 Accounts - Program 60 is a program at OSU that allows people over 60 years old to audit courses for free. Since Program 60 students are never officially enrolled in the course for credit, our account system does NOT automatically generate accounts for them.
In order to generate an account for a Program 60 student, the course instructor will need to submit a Help Request by sending an e-mail to help@cse.ohio-state.edu. The subject should be Program 60 PRIVATE. The request should include the full name of the student, his or her Social Security Number, and the call number for the course.
After receiving the help request, an account should be made later that day.