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Employee Computer Accounts

Computer Account Basics - Usernames and Passwords
Types of Accounts

Capitan (Windows-Network) Account

VMS/VAX Account

Discovery Accounts for Employees

Retired Employees, Honorary Research Associates and Adjunct Faculty
Affiliate Status

Disabling of Computer Accounts

Maintaining your Account Access
Password Expiration

Change your Capitan/VMS Password

Forgotten Passwords

Screen Saver Security


 

Computer Account Basics

Computer accounts are automatically created by Human Resources when:
a) an appointment has been entered into the Human Resources system and
b) a request is made for an account by the area contact of the new employee's department.

Account maintenance, such as the disabling of inactive accounts is done through an automated system. A disabled account can be automatically re-enabled by Human Resources when conditions a) and b) above are met.

Usernames and Passwords

As a new employee, your Capitan and VMS usernames are identical. Both accounts use the same password. It has been initially set to your Social Insurance Number.

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Username

Your username is automatically generated by the computer system. The basic form takes up to the first 8 characters of the user's surname followed by their first initial. In some cases additional initials or a numeric value may be required to differentiate between usernames. Your username is not case sensitive, so Joe Name's username can be entered as namej or NameJ.

If you have had a formal name change, and your new name has been entered by Human Resources into the StarGarden system, you can send a request to the IT Helpdesk (ithelp@viu.ca) to have your username and Email address changed to reflect your new name.

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Passwords

A valid password must:

  • Be any combination of numbers and letters
  • Be a minimum of 7 characters
  • Not contain your username
  • Not be a password you have used previously

Remember your password is case-sensitive but your Username is not. Please see our Password Security web page for information on creating a strong password.

The password for both your Capitan and VMS accounts is identical. For new employees is initially set to your Social Insurance Number. For security reasons your password should never be left as your SIN. Click here for information on how to change your Capitan/VMS password.

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Types of Accounts

An employee may have a number of accounts they will use to access resources at Vancouver Island University.

What is commonly referred to as your 'computer account' consists of the following:
You may also want to access the following resources, which require different accounts (usernames and passwords):

Capitan (Windows - Network) Account

Capitan is the Windows domain for the faculty and staff subnet. (Discovery is the Windows domain for students). This account includes either a local or roaming profile, personal network storage (your U: drive) and also includes an Exchange Email account. Your Exchange Email address is your Firstname.Lastname@viu.ca. Your Capitan network storage (including your U: drive and roaming profile) is subject to a quota limit. For information on the two types of accounts (local and roaming) and also information about your network storage quota, please see our web page on User Profiles. Click here for information on how to change your Capitan/VMS password.

Everyone using information technology at VIU is required to abide by Vancouver Island University's Policy 45.01 - Use of Information Technology

Your Capitan account allows you to:

In some situations (such as accessing InVIU from off-campus), you may need to enter Capitan\ in front of your Capitan username. i.e. Capitan\YourUsername

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VMS/VAX Account

This account provides access to many of VIU's main business applications, which exist on our Unix servers. Click here for information on how to change your Capitan/VMS password.

Your VMS/VAX account allows access to:
  • The Student Record System (SRS), including Grade Entry
  • The Financial Record System (FRS), including Purchase Requisitions
  • StarGarden HR System
  • Facilities Online Work Order Form
  • Parking Permits
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Discovery Accounts for Employees

Some Instructors have found it convenient, for instructional purposes, to have a Discovery account (a computer account in the student domain). When you click the link below you will see a login box; enter your username and password and click OK. This is all that needs to be done to create an account.
Create a Discovery account

Retired Employees, Honorary Research Associates and Adjunct Faculty

If you are a member of one of these groups, please refer to Procedure 45.01.001 Access to Information Technology - Associate Privileges for information regarding duration and type of access.

Affiliate Status

An Affiliate of Vancouver Island University (VIU) is a person who is not an employee but who has a regular relationship to the institution and may require access to some VIU services.  Once registered as an Affiliate in the Payroll/Human Resources system, VIU, at its discretion, can extend this person rights to various services, such as a network computer account, library borrowing privileges, staff parking, and the like.  Status as an Affiliate lasts a maximum of two years, after which it can be renewed. Affiliates assigned a computer account are bound by the provisions of Use of Information Technology Policy 45.01.

Affiliate Status Application Forms are located in the Public Folders area of Outlook. Always use a form from Outlook to ensure it is the most current version. Affiliate form

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Disabling of Computer Accounts

Employees and Associates nearing the end of their contracts or affiliation period will receive an email informing them that their computer accounts are due to be disabled.  The disable date for the computer account relates to the end date of the contract or affiliation period which comes from Human Resources’ records.

Reasons for receiving this notice:
  • Regular employee whose employment is ending due to resignation, retirement or termination
  • Temporary (non-VIUFA) employee whose appointment is ending
  • VIUFA Term employee whose last appointment ended over 12 months ago
  • Research Associate whose affiliation agreement is ending
  • Affiliate whose affiliation agreement is ending
  • Casual who has not been paid for 90 days
  • Student Worker (work-op) who has reached maximum number of contract hours
  • Student Worker (non work-op) whose contract is ending
  • New employee who has not been paid within 30 days of the start of their appointment
  • Retiree who has not renewed their account privileges within the last year

Computer Account Disable Dates by affiliation:

Temporary VIUFA

- Account disabled 12 months after last date of appointment

Regular VIUFA, BCGEU, CUPE, Admin & Associates

– Account disabled 1 day after last date of appointment

Casual

– Account disabled 90 days after last date of pay

Student Workers (work-op)

– Account disabled when maximum number of contract hours has been reached

Student Workers (non work-op)

– Account disabled 1 day after contract completion date

Disabled Accounts – Access to VIU accounts, network shares, email and online resources are disabled.  Any email sent to a disabled account will be rejected.  Files and emails in a disabled account remain intact for 1 year.

Re-enabled Accounts – Access is restored to user accounts and resources.  Files and emails are just as they were left.

Data is removed from a Disabled Account only after 1 full year with no activity.

 

Maintaining Your Account Access

If you are retiring from Vancouver Island University, you may be entitled to maintain access to your computer accounts.  Please contact the IT Helpdesk for more information.

If you have received an email informing you that your account is to be disabled, and you believe your account needs to remain active, have your Supervisor contact the IT Helpdesk with the following information:

- Confirmation of employment/appointment
- Contract start/end dates
- Whether or not an online appointment (or Associate form) has been submitted.

For information on archiving your email, please see Outlook Archiving

For information on burning your files to CD or DVD, please see CD/DVD Burning

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Password Expiration

Your Capitan/VMS password is configured so that it must be changed at least once every 60 days. Each time you change your password the 60 day count will be reset, if you do not change your password within that time the password will be marked as expired and you will be required to change it the next time you log on. You do not need to wait until your password expires before selecting a new one - you should change it immediately if you have any reason to suspect someone else may have learned it. You may not re-use the same password when you make the change (best practice is to never re-use your old password because you don't know who may have knowledge of it).

Please see our Password Security web page for assistance in picking a strong password and for suggestions on how to make it easy to remember.

Password Expiration

  • Passwords will expire every 60 days and must be changed at the next login.
  • The system will remember, and not allow you to re-use a previous password.
  • Passwords will have a minimum length of 7 characters.
  • Passwords can not contain your username.
  • You do not need to wait until your password expires before selecting a new one. Choosing a new password will reset the 60 day clock.
  • Email reminders are sent starting 7 days prior to your password expiry date, and are sent on a daily basis until you have changed your password or your password expires.

Change your Capitan/VMS Password

There are three options for changing your password (forgot your password?):

  1. Use the link in the email you receive, when you password is close to expiration, to open the personalized password expiry page.
    https://records.viu.ca/getnewpass?username=YourUsername
  2. You can change your Password on-line
  3. Your password can be changed when you are on campus and logged into a campus computer (Nanaimo, Parksville and Powell River) :
    • Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to open the Security window
    • You will see six buttons, press the Change Password... button (lower left)
    • Enter your Old Password
    • Enter your New Password
    • Confirm your New Password
    • Click OK to save
    • Click Cancel to Exit from the Security window
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Forgotten Passwords

No one knows your passwords, not even the ITS department. If you have forgotten one or both of your passwords, or the password doesn't seem to be working, please contact the IT Helpdesk at 250-740-6300. You will be required to provide some proof of identification. The Helpdesk can reset both your VMS and Capitan Passwords.

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Screen Saver Security

  • After 20 minutes of no mouse or keyboard activity, a standard screen saver will execute and lock the workstation.
  • Subsequent mouse or keyboard activity will present the user with a Computer Locked screen and require them to press Ctrl+Alt+Del and enter their Capitan password.

Screen saver lockout window

  • Enter your password and click on "OK" to continue working. No work will be lost while the screen saver is activated, when you enter your password your desktop will return the same state it was in before the screen saver activated.
  • Screen savers can interfere with the playback of multimedia presentations. For this reason the instructors stations in classrooms and lecture theatre podium workstations will be configured to override the mandatory screen saver.
    • In order to protect the integrity of your computer account, please make sure to manually log off these stations when you are done with them.
  • VIU owned and managed laptops will be exempt from this policy.
  • The 20 minute idle timeout will not trigger during the playback of Windows Media Player files.
  • Users will not be able to choose their own screen saver. The domain policy will force a standard screen saver.