Your PID

Your Virginia Tech PID is a unique Personal IDentifier. With it and the associated password, you can access the online Virginia Tech services that you may be eligible for. Access to your PID will be terminated if you are no longer an employee, a retiree, or a sponsored person, and have not been a student.

Contents

• Getting Your PID
• Creating Your PID Password
• Understanding PID Use Policies
• Using Your PID
• Graduating Students
• Just Leaving for a While?
• Retirees
• Obtaining Further Assistance

Getting Your PID

Creating your PID requires you to select a character string that is easy for you to remember and that may, depending on your eligibility, stay with you for a long time. As a logon credential, your PID should be memorable to you. PIDs will not normally be changed, so please remember that the PID you select today may be with you years and years from now. For more information on PID changes and alternatives to changing your PID, see Changing Your PID.

Your PID is assigned to you and to you alone. Your password should be managed so that you and only you may log on to services with your PID. It is recommended that you change your password periodically and definitely change it any time you suspect it has been compromised.

Students

Once your admission to Virginia Tech is completed, you will receive notification from the relevant admissions office, including the information unique to you that you will use to create your PID from the Generate Your PID page (https://my.vt.edu/mdsAuth/start.html).

Employees

Generate your PID using the online PID generation page. This tool requires you to have information from your hiring department in order to complete the form. At the discretion of your hiring department, if you are a salaried employee, you may create your PID prior to the first day of employment. See the Employee PID Generation (https://my.vt.edu/mdsAuth/start.html) page for detailed instructions.

Alumni

If you have recently attended the university, your PID is still assigned to you. If you have been out of school longer, you may need to generate a new PID. If you are not sure whether your PID still exists, you can find out by going to the Alumni Gateway (http://www.vatechalumni.com/vtaa.html?gateway/gateway.html). It will either tell you your existing PID or permit you to create one, as well as which services you can access using your PID.

Special Cases

Other individuals may have needs for university PIDs. These individuals cannot create their own PIDs, but their departments can sponsor them and request a PID. This PID is subject to required renewal by the department head. The department head will need to send a written request to Information Resource Management (IRM) using the Sponsored PID for Individuals Application Form.

Departments or organizations who need to route group information to one central e-mail account can request a VT PACE address.

Creating Your PID Password

Every PID has a password associated with it. Your password ensures that no one other than you accesses the network using your PID. Because your PID identifies you when you use the network, you should take care not to allow anyone else to know your password.

Choose a Strong Password

For secure password strategies, see Creating Strong Passwords (http://www.computing.vt.edu/accounts_and_access/pickinggoodpasswords.html).

Change Your PID Password Often

To increase the security of your account, change your PID password often.  For instructions, see Changing Your PID Password (http://computing.vt.edu/accounts_and_access/pidtool.html).

Understanding Acceptable Use Policies

Read and follow the rules and policies detailed in the Acceptable Use Guidelines (http://www.vt.edu/administration/policies/acceptableuse.html). Most of these rules are common sense and they are taken seriously by the people in charge of the Virginia Tech network. Penalties for abuse of the rules laid down in the policy can run from warnings to expulsion from Virginia Tech, depending on the severity of the offense. Some examples of violations include, but are not limited to:

• Degrading the network performance
• Selling access to your ID or network services
• Trying to break into someone else's account or steal someone's password

Using Your PID

Your PID lets you access the online Virginia Tech services that you may be eligible for. For example, logging on to Hokie SPA to update your address and other contact information or to view your paystubs or academic history, is a service that is available to students, alumni, and current employees. PID passwords are managed through MyVT (http://www.computing.vt.edu/classes_and_courseware/my_vt/index.html). For instructions, see Managing Your PID and Password (http://www.answers.vt.edu/ask4help/acctpassword/vtkb2621.htm).

Other services that may be available to many within the Virginia Tech community are VT Mail (http://www.computing.vt.edu/email_and_calendaring/vt_mail/index.html), Blackboard (http://learn.vt.edu), and Filebox (http://www.computing.vt.edu/internet_and_web/web_publishing/filebox/index.html).

Graduating Students

As you prepare to graduate, know that your PID will continue to be assigned to you. You may continue to update your contact information and view your academic records, including requesting transcripts, through Hokie SPA.

For more information, refer to the following:

• Computing Checklist for Graduating Students (http://www.computing.vt.edu/accounts_and_access/pid/graduatingchecklist.html)
• Online Services for Alumni (http://www.computing.vt.edu/accounts_and_access/pid/alumni.html)

Just Leaving for a While?

If you "stop out" of enrollment for one or more terms or are just leaving for the summer, you retain your PID, along with access to manage your password on MyID and access to Hokie SPA. However, you should pay attention to potential changes in your eligibility for other online services. Most basic services provide a one year grace period.

Away for the Summer?

Most services will remain in place over the summer. These include modem pool accounts, VT Mail, Filebox, and ePortfolio. You remain eligible for most software purchases from Student Software Distribution, but you may need to check on specific software. Other services may not be available.

Away for Longer?

Again, most services will give you a one-year grace period on the assumption that you will be back! However, please note that a sequence such as summer-fall-spring-summer includes two summers with an academic year in between. This is longer than one year and services may be terminated.

You may find it prudent and convenient to forward your VT Mail account to another e-mail provider and to copy or move any files on Virginia Tech systems, such as Filebox, that you anticipate you will need to retrieve later. For a checklist of computing tasks to take care of if you do not return to Virginia Tech, please refer to the Computing Checklist for Graduating Students (http://www.computing.vt.edu/accounts_and_access/pid/services/graduatingchecklist.html).

Retirees

Retirees are eligible to retain their PID. If you have had sensitive privileges assigned to your PID, the university reserves the right to change the character string of your PID upon your retirement.

Retiree PIDs are subject to required periodic renewal and are a service offered as a courtesy by Virginia Tech with no obligation to continue service. As with PIDs of current employees, the PID is assigned to you and to you only.

If you have retired from Virginia Tech, but no longer have an assigned PID, you may request one by using the Help Request Form (http://4help.vt.edu/) or by calling (540) 231-HELP (4357).

Please keep in mind that the Acceptable Use Guidelines (http://www.policies.vt.edu/acceptableuse.html) apply, regardless of employment status. Misuse may result in termination of services and other sanctions as stated in the Acceptable Use Policy.

For more information on services available for retirees, refer to the Online Services for Retirees (http://www.computing.vt.edu/accounts_and_access/pid/services/retirees.html) page.

Obtaining Further Assistance

If you need further assistance with your PID, such as a password reset, setting up and configuring your e-mail client, or accessing any of the many PID-based systems, contact 4Help by using the Help Request Form (http://4help.vt.edu/) or by calling (540) 231-HELP (4357).