Getting started at EPITA

Getting started at EPITA #

Welcome to EPITA. This section will cover the basics of Information Technology services at EPITA, such as accounts and Wi-Fi access.

Most of this information can be found in the Forge documentation but this guide is a short summary of essential information. Please refer to this page and the rest of the documentation before contacting us for a question or for assistance.

Accounts #

Each student at EPITA is given two accounts. One is managed by IONIS’ IT Department (formely known as the “Bocal”). The other is managed by the Forge (formely known as the “CRI”), an internal service of EPITA. The Forge is able to answer to all of your questions about both account types. In the event that you need assistance, please contact the Forge. If we estimate that we need the intervention of IONIS’ IT Department, we will contact them on your behalf. Please never contact them yourself.

IONIS account #

The IONIS account is used for the following:

If you have a French phone number, the password of this account is sent by text message when you first arrive at EPITA. If not, your password is sent to your personal e-mail address. Make sure to check your spam folder if you did not receive it.

In case you did not receive your password for this account or if you forgot it, you can reset it on the Console Bocal website. You can also use this website to update your recovery methods (personal e-mail address or French phone number) in case you forget your password.

Very important: login to this account is protected with multi-factor authentication. Its usage is mandatory. There are two possible methods of protecting your account: using a TOTP app on your smartphone (such as Microsoft Authenticator) or text message on your phone number. Please setup BOTH methods in case you lose the ability to use one of them. Resetting MFA on accounts requires a long process: you would need to contact the Forge, we would then need to check your identity before requesting IONIS’ IT Department to make the change. This process can take multiple days at worst.

Forge account #

The Forge account covers all the needs specific to EPITA. Depending on your curriculum, you might or might not use all of the tools mentioned in this section.

This account is required to use the following:

This account is managed on the Forge ID website. There are two possible methods of logging into this account: with your IONIS account using the “Sign in with Office365” button or by setting a custom password. At first, no password is set on this account which means you need to use the “Password recovery” button to set one up.

If you want to use computers in machine rooms, it is required to set up a custom Forge password.

Computers #

EPITA campuses are equipped with machine rooms intended for use by students. Computers run a Linux distribution called NixOS carefully configured to fit the needs of EPITA classes. Computers startup is handled by a technology called PXE which makes use of the network to find the operating system. On each startup, a menu is displayed allowing you to choose an “image” based on your needs. The primary image is NixOS PIE used by ING1 students. Prepa students use NixOS SUP in the first year and NixOS SPE in the second year.

Student file storage is handled by the AFS. Each student is allocated a 2GB volume. This allows you to find your files on any computer in the school. AFS volumes are only created for main curriculum students or after request. International students are less likely to use the school’s computer so volumes are not created by default.

The usage of the school’s computer is regulated by the machine room charter. It is mandatory to respect these rules. In case of infringement, disciplinary actions will occur. In short, it is forbidden to unplug any cable from machines, food is forbidden and the only allowed drink is water in a closed bottle.

Account test session #

During your first days at EPITA, an account test session is scheduled in machine rooms to test your accounts. Please follow these instructions during the session.

First, turn on a computer if it is not already on. In the first menu, pick the NixOS SUP entry. This image is intended for use by first year students of the main curriculum at EPITA. Wait for the computer to start up.

When the login prompt appears, select the xfce+none session in the drop down menu. This entry is an easier to use graphical interface than the default i3 one used later in the scholarship. Login with the epita username and without a password. This account is only enabled during the account test session as it is mandatory to use your personal Forge account to log into the computers.

Open a web browser and try logging into your accounts.

  1. Try your mailbox
  2. Check that you have access to Zeus
  3. Check that you can connect on Forge ID

When you are done, you can log out and shut down the computer.