NSIT Accounts and Passwords
Over the past few years, NSIT has been moving towards a single password for all NSIT-provided services. For the vast majority of users, this process has been successful: most users have a single password and single ID.
A side effect of moving to one password is that all of the other previously valid terms are still floating out there. This document is designed to help clear up any lingering misconceptions regarding logon credentials for NSIT services.
Current IDs and Passwords
CNetID – the CNetID (Chicago Network Identifier) is your username for your NSIT account. Generally speaking, you'll recognize it as the first part of your email address. If you aren't sure what it is, look it up through the Directory Search tool. Your CNetID is your username for common NSIT services (Webmail, proxy server, logging into harper, Thunderbird) and many non-NSIT sites (cMore, Buysite, Gargoyle, and Griffin, to name a few).
CNet password – the CNet password is the password you re-certified in fall of 2002 (you created a question and answer at the same time). Optionally, if you arrived at the University after Autumn 2002, the CNet password is the one you created when you claimed your CNetID. Previously known as the Directory password, you might also have called it the ph password, Unix password, or, occasionally, your email password. The CNet password has at minimum eight and at maximum sixteen characters.
If you don't remember your CNet password, you should reset it. Even if you don't remember the password, you can reset it using the question and answer pair you set up when you re-certified, or when you initially set up your account. Just follow the "Change your password" link on the CNet homepage.
Deprecated IDs and Passwords
Directory Password – the previous name of the current CNet password
Ph Alias – The ph alias wasn't a real username: it was a potential address (alias) to which mail could be sent. At one time, you could use it to authenticate against the modem pool and the proxy server, but currently, if your account is old enough, it's just a legacy alias for redirecting email to your actual account name (your CNetID). The old ph technology is no longer in use.
Ph Password – a password which correlated with your ph-alias, in the days when ph-alias was more than a simple mail redirector.
Unix/Harper Login – a login specifically for harper, it was replaced by the CNetID (which was used for all services).
Email Password – there never was an email password; many people use the term to refer to whatever password they happen to use for your email (at this point in time, your CNet password).
Last updated: 12/19/06
