Getting Started with Your Unity Account

* * * * Need your password or Unity ID? Contact the NC State Help Desk during business hours. * * * *

All NC State students, faculty and staff automatically receive Unity computing accounts. This account provides you access to many computing and Internet resources at NC State. Here are links to help you use the Unity computing environment:

What is Unity and what does my Unity account provide?
What do I do first?
What kind of computer should I buy or bring?
Where can I access Unity?
How do I use Unity?
What additional resources are there for faculty and staff
What is Eos?
What other resources are available?
What if I am having a computer problem?
How to register for the PIER emergency notification system

What is Unity and what does my Unity account provide?

• Your unique Unity ID and password, which you can use to access many secure services such as student records and registration, financial information, and library services. You can also update your campus directory information, submit a leave request and much more.
• Email services including filters for viruses and spam. For more information see Email and Messaging.
• File storage space (disk quota) that you can allocate yourself as desired among these three categories:
  • Email file space (IMAP quota)
  • Personal network file space to store files or post Web pages
  • Profile storage space
• Support for creating and posting your personal Web pages
• Use of Unity computing labs with high-speed Internet access
• Access to Campus Kiosks
• Remote access using SSH (secure shell), WinSCP (Windows) or Fugu (Macintosh)
• Free use of many popular commercial, discipline-specific and public-domain software packages
• Access to your student records (http://www.ncsu.edu/reg_records) and other online student services (http://www.ncsu.edu/student_services/), including Registration, Housing and Financial Aid
• Access to wireless campus networking
• NC State Help Desk for technical support

What do I do first?

• Read the most up-to-date version of the rules and regulations at http://www.ncsu.edu/it/rulesregs. Everyone who uses NC State's computing and network resources must abide by the Administrative Regulations issued by the Chancellor and the Office of Legal Affairs.
• Find out your Unity ID and password.
• Change your password as soon as you receive it and at frequent intervals at http://www.ncsu.edu/password.
• Install AntiVirus Software (free to NC State students, faculty and staff; mandatory for ResNet). Be diligent about updating the virus definitions every few days.
• Learn how to keep your student records and account information secure.
• Read the Introduction to Email to learn out about WebMail and other email clients.
• Update your campus directory profile - for students or for faculty and staff.

• General information about purchasing a computer
• Guidelines for new computer purchases
• Minimum requirements for older computers
• More information about computer hardware
• Individual college requirements and recommendations

• From your own personal computer
• In Unity computing labs - open to all with Unity accounts
• In other computing labs on campus
• From on-campus housing via ResNet
• From off-campus using the Internet
• From University Towers
• More Unity account access information

How do I use Unity?

You can use workstations in Unity labs to access your Unity file space. Here are links to workstation tutorials and other information:

• Windows XP Workstation
• Mac Workstation
• Unix Workstation - extensive tutorials, including Unity/Unix commands
• Online Guide to Eos and Unity Computing (PDF) - Online version of College of Engineering manual
• Software in the Unity realm - see also software agreements.

What additional resources are there for faculty and staff?

Obtaining more file space:

• Unity lockers and locker policies
• Locker application form
• How to access and use locker file space

Setting up and managing an email list:

• General information on list services
• Managing a list
• Email List Services - Majordomo2 Web Tools
• List of Lists

What is Eos?

Prior to 1996, there were two kinds of computing accounts — Eos for engineering and Unity for the rest of the campus. Now there is a single campus-wide realm with the preferred name Unity, and everyone has a Unity account. The name Eos is still used in some contexts, e.g., the College of Engineering.

• Online Guide to Eos and Unity Computing
• Unity Software

What other resources are available?

• Basic Unity troubleshooting
• Help Knowledgebase (http://help.ncsu.edu) - computing related questions and answers.
• NC State Help Desk or help@ncsu.edu
• Campus Computing Resources (http://www.ncsu.edu/comp_index.html)
• E115 Online Course - basic introduction to computing terminology and resources at NC State
• FOLDOC - a Free Online Dictionary of Computing terminology
• The WWW Acronym and Abbreviation Server for help with computer acronyms
• System news from Unity Systems Administrators
• Free copy of Anti-virus software - mandatory for ResNet
• Unity Computing Labs (public - open to all) and College- and Department-based Computing Labs
• Campus Kiosks
• OIT publications

What if I am having a computer problem?

• Check the Help Knowledgebase (http://help.ncsu.edu) - computing related questions and answers
• Check the Sysnews Web site to see if there are outages or other problems that affect you (http://sysnews.ncsu.edu)
• Contact the NC State Help Desk
• Contact College- and Department-based Computing Labs Help Desks
• Check computer repair resources

Last modified March 6, 2008 by cawalker