CCID Access Troubleshooting

Logging into Computing Science Ubuntu machines

If you cannot log into Computing Science Ubuntu machines, here are a few well known reasons why not:

  • You do not currently have a Relationship with the department of Computing Science
  • There is something wrong with your user information
  • There is something wrong with your user account
  • There is something wrong with the system

Each of these difficulties is expanded below with possible solutions. Many solutions involve contacting the IST Service Desk.

Relationship to the department of Computing Science

A Relationship with the department is a way of defining your roles in the university. Here are some examples of relationships you might have with the department:

  • Computing Science undergrad graduate student
  • Computing Science graduate student
  • Computing Science support staff
  • Computing Science faculty

If you do not have a relationship with the Computing Science department, you will not be able to access Computing Science computers or other IT resources. Each type of relationship is defined in more detail at the bottom of this document, including how and when those relationships are created and expired.

Something Wrong

Incorrect User Information

At the end of August 2022, Computing Science switched to using CCIDs (instead of CSIDs) for authentication. There could be a disparity between the CCID information provided to the department versus the deprecated CSID system. If you think this might be the case, please contact IST (see above).

There is something wrong with your account

It is possible that there is something wrong with your account. For example, you may have exceeded your allotted disk space, or have a configuration file issue. These can be difficult to diagnose without a Sysadmin. If you were recently able to log in (e.g., yesterday) but suddenly cannot, this may indicate this type of problem. Please contact IST (see above) for assistance.

There is something wrong with the system

The Computing Science system has many moving parts, and one or more of them might not be working. Examples of this are the network being offline, or the file server not being functional. Contact IST (see above) for assistance.

Definitions of Relationships to Computing Science

First, not having a relationship with Computing Science does not mean you do not have a relationship to the University of Alberta. You can be a valid University of Alberta student while not having a relationship to Computing Science. It is also possible that your relationship is "too new" and the systems are still creating and distributing the information that will result in your Computing Science account. Below are some of the relationships to the Computing Science department:

Undergraduate Student

  • This includes:
    • Students taking a Computing Science course
    • Engineering Students taking: EN140, EN141, EN240, EN241, EN840, OR EN841
    • Students in the Computing Science program, including those on official Leaves of Absence
  • This Relationship is created on the date of enrollment in course
  • This Relationship expires on:
    • your convocation date OR
    • the date you are no longer in the program OR
    • 3 months after your last course, if you are not in a Computing Science course next term

Graduate Students

  • still valid if you are an official Leave of Absence
  • This Relationship expires on:
    • your convocation date
    • A date after which you are no longer with the program

Everyone else

  • this includes: staff, faculty and guests
  • This Relationship is created a few days after your start date
  • This Relationship expires when you no longer have a relationship to the department