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NetID - NetID 101: Complete Guide

This document explains what a NetID is and how it can be used.

Contents

 What is a NetID?

Your NetID and your NetID password allow you access to many university systems. Your NetID is a combination of your initials and numbers (e.g. abc123) and is not the same as your Rice ID or Owl ID.

 Eligibility for NetID

Your NetID account will work for the duration of your "active" status at the university. The actions below change your status in the Rice database, which triggers the creation of your NetID. In turn, your NetID creation activates your Rice email account.
  • Faculty and Staff: after acceptance of employment (Contact Human Resources for any questions regarding eligibility.)
  • Undergraduate: within 24 hours of your undergraduate student status (late April or early May after deposits are received) (Contact the Office of the Registrar for any questions regarding eligibility.)
  • Graduate: after completion of acceptance process (Contact the Office of the Registrar for any questions regarding eligibility.)
  • Retirees: university retirees as defined by Human Resources have access to email only. 

 Computing Systems Linked to NetID

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 Activate NetID

Go to the Online Account Management System. The My NetID page is divided into two parts: Sign In (for current account holders) and Activate Your NetID (for new members of Rice community). Select the link, Start by activating your NetID. 

The mynetid.rice.edu web page with the link Activating your NetID highlighted

You will be asked to provide your Rice ID number (which is on your Rice ID card or in your welcome letter), your birth date, and your first and last name (should match the name given to the Office of the Registrar or Human Resources). Then select Submit.

Activate your NetID

If you already have an active NetID: clicking Submit will tell you that "Your NetID is already activated. It can not be activated again." You can click on the link at the top of the page: I already have a NetID to log in to your NetID Account.

After successfully setting up your NetID password, you will receive a Congratulations message that identifies your name and NetID.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to make a note of your NetID. 

Congratulations and NetID identification screen

Once your password is set, you can access your Rice email through Rice Google Mail. 


Two-Factor Authentication

Duo Mobile Authentication

Duo Mobile is a two-factor authentication service that can be utilized for systems that require an additional layer of security such as Esther, VPN and NetID login.   

Duo

Getting Started with Duo 

All about Duo: Learn all you can do with Duo including managing and enrolling devices as well like using the authentication service while traveling.

Install VPN Client Software

Rice University uses the Duo Authentication service in order to protect VPN access to Rice systems. The following are the installation links for the AnyConnect VPN Client. Campus login is required for all of these softwares. 

Password

Password Criteria and Best Practices

Effective May 17, 2021, new Rice Google account holders will use their NetID password to login to Google. Individuals with Rice Google accounts that were established prior to May 17, 2021 will continue to have a separate Google password that differs from their NetID password until they change one of the passwords and then the passwords will automatically be synchronized. If individuals would prefer to have one less password to remember, they may synchronize them by resetting their password at https://mynetid.rice.edu.

Password Criteria

  • Passwords should be  eight (8) characters or longer in length (pass phrases are highly recommended)
  • Be secure and memorized. (Writing down passwords is not recommended)
  • Contain at least one (1) character from each of the three (3) following character sets:
    • Upper case letter (A-Z)
    • Lower case letter (a-z)
    • Digit (0-9)
    • Special character (! ?. )
  • Be secured and private.
  • Passwords should not contain a common proper name, NetID, email address, initials, first, middle, or last name in forward or reverse format.
  • Passwords should not be or contain a dictionary word if less than 12 characters.
  • Have been used previously in the last year.

Best Practices

  • Each password chosen is new and unique for each account.
  • Don't share it with anyone.
  • Don't write it down.
  • Do change the password if it is shared or if you think someone else may know it.
  • Do change the password regularly.  (Suggestion: change your password when you change your clocks for Daylight Savings Time)

Change your NetID Password

Effective May 17, 2021, new Rice Google account holders will use their NetID password to login to Google. Individuals with Rice Google accounts that were established prior to May 17, 2021 will continue to have a separate Google password that differs from their NetID password until they change one of the passwords and then the passwords will automatically be synchronized. If individuals would prefer to have one less password to remember, they may synchronize them by resetting their password at https://mynetid.rice.edu.

By changing your NetID password, you will be eliminating your separate Google password (if you had one before). You will use your NetID password to login to the Rice Google system.

Before proceeding, you must have enrolled in Duo Authentication.  Changing your NetID or recovering your NetID will require the use of Duo two-factor authentication.

If you are already enrolled using Duo Two-factor authentication, proceed to the Online Account Management System.

Step 1:  Log on to: Online Account Management Page, select Change Password. Refer to: Password Criteria and Account Recovery for password guideline details.

Step 2:  Choose your authentication method: (This example is mobile phone, select "Send Me a Push" button.)

Duo Authentication
On the mobile phone, a notification for a login request will appear.  Select Approve.

Duo Notification on Mobile phone

Note:  if you do not Approve the notification promptly, your Login can time-out.

Login time-out

Step 3:  Select the Change Password option for NetID option. (Note: When you change your NetID password, if you had a separate Google password before, it will become the same as your NetID password. Read more.)

Enter your new password (making sure it meets the criteria listed below that field), re-type the password and click Submit. 

Select the NetID password button on the change password page.



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How to Reset a Forgotten NetID Password

Effective May 17, 2021, new Rice Google account holders will use their NetID password to login to Google. Individuals with Rice Google accounts that were established prior to May 17, 2021 will continue to have a separate Google password that differs from their NetID password until they change one of the passwords and then the passwords will automatically be synchronized. If individuals would prefer to have one less password to remember, they may synchronize them by resetting their password at https://mynetid.rice.edu.

By changing your NetID password, you will be eliminating your separate Google password (if you had one before). You will use your NetID password to login to the Rice Google system.

Select Forgot Password on the Rice University Online Account Management System.

mynetid.rice.edu

Enter your NetID, birthdate, and click Submit.
Reset your NetID password



You will then be asked to select your preferred notification method. After you make your choice, click Submit. A password reset token will be sent to you via your selected method. This token is only valid for 24 hours and can only be used once. If needed, you can generate another token.

Use Password Reset Token

Enter your NetID and the token and click Submit. Follow instructions.

If you need assistance throughout this process, contact the OIT Help Desk.

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What to do if Locked Out of Account

Keep calm if you are locked out. The lock automatically expires if no other failed authentications occur.  While you are waiting, check your phone and laptop for places where you may have saved an old password and change those to use the new password.  If you've done this and you still are unable to figure out what is causing your account to automatically lock, please reach out to the OIT Help Desk.

The common causes behind an automatic account lockout is when an incorrect password is entered multiple consecutive times or an incorrect saved passwords in an application or a web browser is entered multiple times. For the latter scenario, it's best to figure out where the saved password is stored and act accordingly.

Common places with passwords stored:
  • WiFi/Wireless Network Settings: Select Forget this network for Rice Owls WiFi and re-authenticate with credentials
  • Email Client (Thunderbird, Exchange, Apple Mail, Outlook)
  • iOS / Android 
  • Cached credentials / stored passwords in a web browser: Clear the browser cache
  • Windows stored credentials 
  • Windows Mapped Drives: Disconnect Mapped Drives and reconnect with proper credentials
  • MacOS X/ MacOS Keychain: Remove password from Keychain and re-authenticate with credentials then add correct password to Keychain

Automatic account lockouts typically activates after multiple consecutive failed login attempts to a specific authentication system. To better understand the automatic account lockouts, it's important you understand that we have two independent authentication systems with auto-lock protection:

  • Active Directory
  • RiceNet Wireless
  • Rice Exchange Mail
  • Workstation/Kiosk Logins (Windows, Mac)
  • LDAP / Kerberos / Web Single Sign-On
  • Rice Campus Mail
  • Rice Authenticated Web Sites (Canvas, Box, Subversion, Webmail, etc.)
  • Server/Desktop Logins (Linux)

Auto-lockout affects access to everything within that authentication system. This means if you trigger the auto-lockout by entering your password incorrectly into Webmail (Rice Campus Mail), you will be unable to access any Linux computers that are also using LDAP for authentication, but your RiceNet Wireless would continue to work normally.

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Manage NetID Account

Changing your Published (Primary) Email Address

You can select which of your email address or aliases that you want to make public in the Rice online directory (https://search.rice.edu). 

Login to mynetid.rice.edu.

Welcome to the online account management system



 Click the Change your published email address button or the Select Primary Email Alias link in the left menu. 

Select the radio button for your preferred primary email alias and then click Publish.
Select Primary Email Alias
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Creating an Email Alias (also known as Vanity Email)

With the activation of your NetID, you are automatically assigned two email addresses:
  • NetID address: sto77@rice.edu
  • Official full name address: Samson.The.Owl@rice.edu
You can create up to three personalized @rice.edu addresses that also called email aliases or vanity email addresses. Select vanity addresses carefully since you will not be able to delete or modify them later.
  • Vanity email address: Sammy.Owl@rice.edu
To create a new email alias, login to mynetid.rice.edu.


Welcome to the Rice Online Account Management System

Click the Create a vanity email address button or the Create Email Alias link in the left menu. 

 Email aliases must contain at least three characters, can only contain lowercase letters, number, dash (-) or a period (.), and the must begin with a letter but end with either a letter or a number. After you enter an alias and click Submit. 

Create email alias
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Changing Contact Information in MyNetID

Be sure to keep your contact information in the Rice Online Account Management System, MyNetID, updated. In order to reset your forgotten password yourself, the system needs to know a cell phone number or a secondary email address or both. This way, a reset token can be sent to those contact points that are external to the password that needs resetting. 

Login to mynetid.rice.edu. Click the Change your contact information button or the Contact Information link in the left menu. 
Welcome to Rice online account management system



Enter your personal email address and your SMS capable phone number along with the service provider name. Then select Save.

Set up your personal contact information

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Account Summary

To view your MyNetID account information, login to mynetid.rice.edu. Click the Account Summary link in the left menu. 

Welcome to Rice Online Account Maintenance

  • NetID Information - use your NetID to log on to Rice classroom and lab computers and campus systems.
  • NetID Account Status - the status is indicated.
  • Primary Email Address - this is your published email address in the Rice online directory.   You may select your preference for published email alias.
  • Email Alias or Vanity Email Alias  - You may personalize your Rice address by creating up to only three email vanity aliases. All addresses deliver to your NetID email account.
Account Summary


See Also:



Keywords:NetID, net id, account, email account, activate netid, netid password, change netid password, reset netid password, create email alias, email alias, change published email, account summary, contact information, netid lockout, forgot password,   Doc ID:58397
Owner:Cynthia S.Group:Rice University
Created:2015-11-20 15:48 CSTUpdated:2021-10-27 10:51 CST
Sites:Rice University
Feedback:  10   9