You are viewing an old version of this page. View the current version.

Compare with Current View Page History

« Previous Version 40 Next »

Unknown macro: {bgcolor}

Logging In

People with an MIT Kerberos username, or an MIT X.509 certificate can simply use their normal account to securely authenticate to Stellar.

People that do not have an MIT Kerberos account or MIT X.509 certificate can also authenticate to Stellar. They can do so by self-registering for a Collaboration Account, or if the person has an account with a member of the InCommon Federation, they may be able to authenticate using their account from their own university, company, or agency.

Default browser settings should not prevent anyone from using MIT Touchstone for authentication. However, there are various optional settings that can affect the usability of Touchstone.

The use of cookies

MIT Touchstone requires the use of browser cookies. If cookies have been disabled in the browser an error will result when attempting to use MIT Touchstone enabled applications. To re-enable cookies within your browser you should consult your browser's documentation.

The site associated with the cookies will depend on which identity provider, or account provider, you are using.

The use of javascript

Although MIT Touchstone assumes Javascript is enabled, and uses it, it is still possible to authenticate if you do not have Javascript enabled. Instead of being automatically redirected back to the application that you are trying to access, you will have to use a button to complete a form post.

Unknown macro: {bgcolor}

Troubleshooting Login Problems

If you get an Access Denied message, complete and send the email form so a member of the class faculty can add you to the class/section Participants list. You should then receive a response from the instructor.

Please also note: If you leave the Stellar page idle for 1 hours or if it's 6 hours after getting the touchstone ticket, you will need to re-authenticate.

For MIT Users:

If you are on the Participants list and still cannot gain access, consider the following:

  • Do you have an MIT certificate? To use a Stellar class website, you need both an MIT Certificate Authority and a personal certificate.
    All personal certificates at MIT expire on July 31. Go to Certificates at MIT for directions on checking the expiration date of certificates, deleting expired certificates in your browser, and getting a new personal certificate or MIT CA certificate.

  • Try clicking the Login button on the class or section homepage, then click a link in the homepage's navigation bar. If clicking the link takes you to another page, you are logged in.

    Users with a non-MIT account are prompted to enter a user name and password after clicking the Login button.


  • Try logging in to another certificate-protected site, such as WebSIS. If this works, then the problem is in Stellar. If it does not work, the problem is in the particular computer/browser/certificate combination you are using. Make sure that your computer and browser have only current MIT certificates---delete any old ones.

  • Make sure you are using an MIT-supported web browser.

  • If all attempts fail, contact the Computing Help Desk.
For non-MIT users

If you are on the participants list, consider the following:

  • Is the e-mail address you are using to login the same as the one the instructor listed as your e-mail address on the site? Check with the instructor.
  • If this is not the problem, contact the Computing Help Desk.
Unknown macro: {bgcolor}

MIT Certificates

All members of the MIT community automatically have a Stellar account that uses the MIT Kerberos user name (e.g., username@mit.edu) as the Stellar user name. MIT users identify themselves to Stellar through a personal certificate.

To get certificates for the browser and computer you are using, go to the MIT Certificates page. Get an MIT Certificate Authority first, if you do not have one already, then get an MIT Personal Certificate. To get a personal certificate, you must already have the following:

All personal certificates at MIT expire on July 31. Go to Certificates at MIT for directions on checking the expiration date of certificates, deleting expired certificates in your browser, and getting a new personal certificate or MIT CA certificate.

  • No labels