Registering a Group

PURPOSE

Discuss the steps on how to register a group for a VCN account

STEPS TO BE TAKEN

The complete registration process for individuals and groups is described on the VCN website at www2.vcn.bc.ca/sign_up.

The online registration portion can be done using any computer connected to the internet, for example at work, school, libraries, and public access terminals. Please ask the group’s representative to enter on the form their names as it appears on any valid picture ID, utility bill or personal cheques, for us to verify later if they want PPP access. For walk-in customers, seat them at a public terminal.

If the group has an existing account and wants to upgrade to graphics (PPP), go to Part 2: PPP Activation. We will ask for a valid picture ID or cheque to activate an account for (dialup) PPP access.

Please refer telephone and email inquiries to the website for complete information.

STEP 1: Register Online

Ask the customer to:

1. Go to https://www2.vcn.bc.ca/.
2. Click on Sign-up.
3. Click on User Agreement.
   They need to read and understand this since they will have to agree to the terms.
4. Click on Sign Up for Non-Profits & Group
5. Complete the form.
   For walk-in customers, explain the rules for creating the login ID and password.

   Log-in ID:

   This will be the first part of the e-mail address (i.e. login@vcn.bc.ca).

   Rules for creating a log-in ID.

   • Must be 3 to 8 characters long
   • First character must be a letter
   • Can use letters or numbers
   • No punctuations allowed
   • No upper case letters allowed

   Passwords:

   Passwords are case sensitive, so customers must remember that if they enter their password in upper case letter then they also need to use upper case letters during log-in.

   Rules for creating a password.

   • Must be 6 to 8 characters long
   • Must have at least one letter and one number

6. Click on Submit and wait for the “Succesful Registration” page.
7. Take note of the information on the “Successful Registration” page on a piece of paper and keep it for as a record.
8. Close the browser to make sure the information is flushed out of the browser’s cache.

STEP 2: PPP Activation

1. Log-in to PUTTY to search for the group’s name and verify the status of their acccount. If they wish to have another account, ask them to register for another account.
2. Check if the contact name shown in PUTTY matches the group’s representative’s ID or cheque. If the names don’t match, ask them to repeat the online registration procedure again.
3. Enable PPP access for the account.
   1. Open Putty.
   2. Double click on vcn at the “Saved Sessions” list.
   3. Enter your login and password.
      Your password is not repeated with *’s, to prevent password theft.
   4. Press q.
   5. Press f then Enter to choose the full menu system. This will quit the welcome message.
   6. Press n to say no when asked to change your teminal emulation settings then enter.
   7. Press v to access the admin menu then enter.
   8. Press y to say yes when asked to execute script.
   9. At the main Administration menu, press 1 to select “Adds and Removes PPP services for an account”.
   10. Follow the prompt and provide the information that is asked.
4. Ask if they are able to make a donation ($300 = LARGE BUDGET; $100=MEDIUM to LOW BUDGET; $25-50=LOW BUDGET). Follow the instructions on how to process a donation if they wish to make a donation.
5. Give the customer the appropriate Help Page for setting up their connection. Tell them about the Help Section on the website if they need help. They can also call the helpdesk or email us (see About Us page for contact information), if they have problems with setting up the dialup connection.

NOTE:

• Groups are allowed to have more than one email account. If the group representative wants to add another user for their organization , they can refer to the Help Page for getting extra email accounts.
• Dial-up and internet services are free, and it is not mandatory for the users to make a donation to VCN in order to have their PPP access activate. However, VCN rely on donations to support its operations. Always ask the users for a donation whenever they request for a PPP access.