This page outlines thesteps that new employees and their organizations must taketo give new employees access to the primary IT services of theIT Center.

To ensure a smooth setup process, we recommend following the steps in the given order.

• Steps for new employees
• Steps for the organization

Steps for new employees

As a new employee at RWTH Aachen University, there are a few steps you need to take to get access to the main IT services of RWTH Aachen. If you need help with any of the steps below, you can contact the IT-ServiceDesk.

Depending on your job duties, you may need to use more platforms. You can find more information about them using the search bar at the top of the page. Please note that IT Center Help only documents services offered by the IT Center.

1. Redeem coupon
2. Set up multi-factor authentication
3. Access RWTH personal email account
4. Access eduroam
5. Set up VPN account
6. Set up Webex Account
7. Access RWTHonline and RWTHmoodle

1. Redeem coupon

After you sign your contract, the HR department will send you a ConnectMe coupon via email. Redeeming the coupon will create your RWTH Single Sign-On account and give you the status Employee RWTH. If you already have an account (with a username in the format ab123456), please use it to redeem the coupon.

Please note:

• After receiving the email with your coupon, you need to wait one day before redeeming it. Moreover, if you received your coupon much earlier than your planned start date, please wait until your start date is less than 6 weeks away to redeem it.
• It takes 24 to 48 hours for the new registration to be processed in the respective systems once the coupon has been redeemed. You cannot proceed with steps 4 to 7 until then.

Documentation: How to redeem your employee coupon

2. Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA)

For security reasons, your RWTH Single Sign-On Account is protected by multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Please note:
Before closing the IdM-Selfservice, make sure that you have successfully set up at least one token. After setting up a token, the IdM-Selfservice will also be protected by MFA. If you cannot login anymore, we will need to verify your identity before giving you back access to your account.

Documentation: How to set up MFA

3. Access personal RWTH email account

When you redeem your coupon, you will receive a personal RWTH email address. It will be in the format firstname.lastname@rwth-aachen.de. Your RWTH email address is for personal use only. You will receive an official email address from your organization.

To access your personal or your official email address, please set a password for the relevant email account. You can then access your emails via the RWTH MailApp or your usual email client.

4. Access eduroam (Wi-Fi)

eduroam is the Wi-Fi network available throughout RWTH Aachen University's campus.

Through your organization, you might get access to an RWTH-institutes Wi-Fi network. After your organization's IT administrator whitelists you for RWTH-institutes, you can set it up the same way you did for eduroam.

Documentation: How to set up eduroam

5. Set up VPN (Virtual Private Network) account

Some services and documentation can only be accessed within the RWTH network. To enable remote work, a VPN account is automatically created when you redeem your coupon. 

As an employee, you have access to the RWTH VPN. Your organization might have its own VPN to protect organization-specific platforms. To use an institute VPN, you need to be whitelisted for that VPN by your IT administrator. The login credentials are the same for the RWTH VPN and the Institute VPN.

There are three steps to connect to a VPN:

1. Set a password for your VPN account
2. Set up MFA for VPN
3. Configure your VPN client

6. Set up Webex account

If you need access to Webex, you can create your account in the TK-Portal. Please note that you need to be registered in the portal first.

7. Access RWTHonline and RWTHmoodle

Depending on your job duties at RWTH Aachen, you may need to use RWTHonline and RWTHmoodle. RWTHonline is RWTH's campus management system. RWTHmoodle is the university's e-learning platform.

Access is set up automatically when you redeem your coupon. Please allow 24 to 48 hours for our systems to complete this process. Once the setup is complete, you can log in via RWTH Single Sign-On.

Documentation:

• RWTHonline documentation portal (Accessible only through eduroam, RWTH-institutes or via VPN)
• RWTHmoodle documentation

Steps for the organization

Before the new employee arrives, the organization can set up their access to certain IT services:

1. Set up an official email address
2. Register a work phone number
3. Add contact information to RWTHcontacts
4. Register user for RWTH-institutes and Institute-VPN

These steps need to be taken by people with specific roles. If a role is not filled or you are unsure who has it, please contact your organization's role manager.

1. Set up an official email address

Official email addresses are usually located within the domain of the respective institute (e.g., lastname@institution.rwth-aachen.de). They can be set up by a person with the role Verwaltung RWTH E-Mail ("RWTH Mail Administration").

Please note:
Wait until the new employee has completed the ConnectMe procedure and has a username to avoid creating duplicate identities (multiple usernames).

Documentation: Set up an official email address

2. Register a work phone number

RWTH employees can receive a phone number. A person with the role Verwaltung Telefonie ("Phone System Administration") must submit a phone service request (TK-Antrag) and select the Apply for registration ("Registrierung beantragen") option. 

We recommend that new employees are first registered in the TK portal before their contact information is added to RWTHcontacts (see step 3). This ensures that their RWTHcontacts entry contains their phone number from the outset.

Documentation: Register a work phone number.

3. Add contact information to RWTHcontacts

RWTHcontacts offers a public directory with information about employees, organizations and the university. A person with the role Verwaltung Organisation ("Organization Administrator") can add a new employee to the RWTH Person Directory (PVZ), creating an entry in RWTHcontacts.

Having an RWTHcontacts entry is necessary to receive certain roles. However, it is possible to hide the entry from public view (see Step 3 of the guide below). 

Documentation: Add a person to the RWTH PVZ

​4. Register user for RWTH-institutes and Institute-VPN

To give new employees access to RWTH-institutes and to the Institute-VPN,  the network contact person must register the new person in the Radius-Admin.