Q What is a NetID?

A The Network ID (NetID) is a Windows Active Directory account that is uniquely assigned to each Connecticut Community College (CCC) student, faculty & staff. It serves as your login to many CCC computing and networking services.

A The NetID is defined as follows:

If you're a student, your NetID is composed of the following two items:

• Username: BannerID (without the "@")
• Domain: @STUDENT.COMMNET.EDU

Example: A student with a BannerID of @87654321, will have the following NetID:

87654321@STUDENT.COMMNET.EDU

If you're a staff or faculty member, your NetID is composed of the following two items:

• Username: BannerID (without the "@")
• Domain: @CollegeDomain

College	College Domain
Asnuntuck	ACC.COMMNET.EDU
Capital	CCC.COMMNET.EDU
Gateway	GWCC.COMMNET.EDU
Housatonic	HCC.COMMNET.EDU
Manchester	MCC.COMMNET.EDU
Middlesex	MXCC.COMMNET.EDU
Naugatuck	NVCC.COMMNET.EDU
Norwalk	NCC.COMMNET.EDU
Northwestern	NWCC.COMMNET.EDU
Quinebaug	QVCC.COMMNET.EDU
Three Rivers	TRCC.COMMNET.EDU
Tunxis	TXCC.COMMNET.EDU
System Office	COMMNET.EDU

Example: A faculty member at Capital with a BannerID of @01234567, will have the following NetID:

01234567@CCC.COMMNET.EDU

Q What is my initial NetID password?

A The initial password for all new NetIDs will be based on a combination of personal information (birth date and social security number). Specifically, the following three items will makeup the initial password:

1. 1st three characters of birth month (with first letter capitalized)
2. Ampersand character - &
3. Last 4 digits of Social Security Number

So, for a user with a birth date on 10/24/79 and social security number of 123-45-6789, then the initial password would be:

Oct&6789

NOTE: You will be forced to change your password the first time you logon.

Q What if I forgot my NetID password?

A You can use the following process to reset a lost or forgotten NetID Password:

If you're a student or faculty, go to the following website to reset your own forgotten NetID Password:

www.commnet.edu/netid/password.aspx

Prior to resetting a password, you will have to verify your identity by entering a combination of personal information. Specifically, the following items:

• Social Security Number (last 4 digits)
• Birth Date (Month, Day, Year)
• Provide the answer to your security question

If you're a staff member, please contact your local college IT department for assistance.

Q How do I set or change my Security Question?

A Your Security Question must be set up in advance using myCommNet, New users who log into myCommNet will be prompted to select a Security Question & Answer.

Q What should I do if I have missing or incorrect identity information?

A If you are unable to use the Reset Forgotten Password utility because you have missing or incorrect identity information (Social Security Number, Date of Birth), then you need to take the following two actions:

• Contact the Information Technology department for help resetting your password.
• Contact the Registrar's Office to verify and/or correct the Social Security Number and/or Date of Birth information that is in Banner.

Q What is this error I receive when using the Reset Password utility?

A There are a few different error message that can appear, based on certain situations.  The following provides some insight into these error messages:

You entered an invalid/ineligible NetID. Please try again. If you have forgotten your NetID, please contact the Information Technology department at the college where you are enrolled.

This message appears when you enter an invalid/ineligible NetID.  Please verify you are entering your eligible NetID in the correct format.  If you continue to get this error, please contact the Information Technology department.

Too many failed attempts. The application will be locked for 30 minutes.

This message appears when you make too many failed attempts entering identity information (Social Security Number, Date of Birth). Try again once the lock is removed and make sure you are entering the requested information in the specified format.

You entered invalid identification information. Please try again.

This message appears when you enter an invalid Social Security Number (SSN), Date of Birth (DOB) or incorrect answer to your Security Question. 

If you entered the correct SSN /DOB and it continues to fail, it could be that this information is incorrect in Banner.  In this case, follow the steps detailed here.

If you have forgotten your Security Question, follow the steps detailed here.

Missing identification information in Banner. Please contact the Registrar's Office at the college where you are enrolled.

This message indicates that your Social Security Number and/or Date Of Birth are missing in Banner.  In this case, follow the steps detailed here.

NetID account creation pending; please try again later. If still pending after 24 hours, please contact the Information Technology Department at the college where you are enrolled.

This message indicates that your NetID account is not yet available to be used with the Reset Forgotten Password utility.  If you try using this utility again 24 hours later and it still isn't working, please contact the Information Technology department.

NetID server error; please try again

This message indicates that a server error occurred.  If you continue to get this error, please contact the Information Technology department.

Q What are the requirements for a NetID password?

A The following requirement (see CCC Password Policy for more details) must be followed when selecting a NetID password.

• Password must be at least eight characters.
• Password must be complex and difficult to guess. A password must contain characters from three of the four categories:

1. Uppercase characters (A through Z)
2. Lowercase characters (a through z)
3. Numeric digits (0 through 9)
4. Special characters (for example, !, $, #)

• Password must not contain all or part of the user's NetID account name.
• Password must differ from previous passwords.
• Password is forced to change every 90 days, but users have the ability to change them sooner.

The following are a few suggestions for creating a secure NetID password:

• Randomly pick alternating uppercase and lowercase vowels and consonants. Add in a digit or two; (e.g., eBiC92oD)
• Combine three and four character words with at least one digit between them. This will create passwords that can be easily remembered but difficult to crack (e.g., Egg123Salad).
• Randomly pick a book, poem, or song. Select a phrase from the work and use the first character of each word in the phrase as your password. Add in at least one digit, or change some of the existing letters to digits or special characters. For example, the phrase "Four score and seven years ago our forefathers…" might become this password: 4s&7yaof

If the password you select does not meet the requirements specified above, you will get the following error message and be asked to try again:

Your password must be at least 8 characters; cannot repeat any of your previous 24 passwords; must contain capitals, numerals or punctuation; and cannot contain your account or full name. Please type a different password. Type a password which meets these requirements in both text boxes.

If you have any questions, please contact your local college IT department.

Q What services can I access with my NetID?

A The NetID will be use to access a variety of community colleges services over time. Services that will be immediately accessible using your NetID include;

• PC workstations throughout the community college system
• Outlook Web Access Mail (Faculty & Staff)
• Windows File Shares
• Access to the following services via myCommNet:
  • WebCT Vista
  • Banner Self-Service (Students, Faculty, Finance)
  • Library Electronic Information Databases

Q Who do I contact if I need help with my NetID account & password?

A You should contact your local college IT department for assistance.