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User Accounts
Windows Account (Waterloo Nexus Network)
- Waterloo Nexus is a general purpose PC-based computing environment available for use by students, staff and faculty. It provides a wide variety of application software, print and file services and access to the Internet.
- All registered students are eligible for a Waterloo Nexus Account (Microsoft Windows network).
- Staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, etc. should contact their departmental system administrator for an account.
- If you are new to University of Waterloo, you must activate your a WatIAM account. The Quest student information system and UW-ACE course management system use the WatIAM password. Activate your WatIAM account here using the "Account Activation" link.
- New undergraduate and graduate students in Engineering will have their Nexus accounts created for them once we have their enrollment information from the Registrar's Office. All that is needed to activate your account is to set the password. N.B. the Nexus password is separate from the WatIAM password, but can be made the same. The Nexus password is set using the "Change Password" link on the log-in browser of any Waterloo Nexus workstation, or do it over the Web here. You will be asked for your Quest/WatIAM user name and password as authentication.
- Students who register late, after the bulk account creation has been done, can create a Nexus account use the "New User" link on the log-in browser of any Waterloo Nexus workstation, or do it over the Web here. (N.B.: You will be asked for your Quest/WatIAM user name and password as authentication.)
- If you've forgotten your Quest/WatIAM password, you must visit the Help Desk or the IST CHIP for some help.
- See the Help Desk section for Nexus account problems and solutions.
Engineering Printing Account
- The faculty provides a variety of laser printers which are available at any time. There is a nominal page charge for laser printing (currently 8 cents/page single-sided, or 12 cents/page for double-sided printing).
- A printing account is required for printing to most of the Engineering Printers.
- A WATCARD reader located outside the Help Desk (E2-1308A) is used for transferring money from your WATCARD to your laser printing account.
- If you do not have an existing Laser Printing account, one will automatically be generated the first time you swipe your WATCARD. Enter your Nexus user ID. Funds can be added from your WATCARD to another person's account, if you like.
- Laser Printing account balances are maintained from term to term. If your account becomes depleted, it will be deleted. Just swipe again to create a new one.
- To query your Laser Printing account balance or close your account (transfer money back to your Watcard) go to http://xas.uwaterloo.ca. When you close your printing account, your remaining balance will be credited to your WATCARD on the following Friday. A service charge will apply. See the WATCARD pages for information about how to obtain refunds from your WATCARD.
- See the printing section for details on using Engineering's printing services.
Email Accounts
- As of Fall 2011, all existing grad student email accounts on engmail will be moved to the central Mailservices server.
- As of Fall 2010 all new students will receive email accounts on the central Mailservices mail server, operated by Information Systems and Technology (IST).
- As of Spring 2010, Engineering staff and faculty who currently have accounts on Engmail are being moved to the central Microsoft Exchange server, Connect.
- Mail can be read via email programs such as Thunderbird on Nexus workstations. A very convenient method for reading mail remotely is via the Waterloo Nexus web portal. Connect users have a very nice Web interface at connect.uwaterloo.ca.
Web Page Account (www.eng)
- The www.eng server provides general purpose web space for students, clubs and course web pages.
- Simply put files directly into N:\public_html\ on your Nexus account to make them ''live'' on the web.
- Your default home page URL is http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~userid (assuming you placed an
index.html file in your N:\public_html folder).
- See the User Support section for more details on using your web space.
Unix Account (sftp.eng)
- Anyone with a Nexus account also gets an account on a FreeBSD Unix machine called sftp.eng with the same password.
- sftp.eng provides access bulk file transfers from you N drive space, if accessed with a secure shell or secure FTP client
- sftp.eng may only be accessed remotely via a Secure Shell (SSH) client (such as PuTTY).
- A Unix command shell and limited software is also available on sftp.eng.