CRAM stands for CECS Remote Account Manager, which is a system that allows users to activate, recover, and manage their MCECS account remotely. It also lets you enroll in MFA or reset all your MFA authenticators and restart from scratch. You can also visit the Computer Action Team front desk in suite 82 of the Fourth Avenue Building for help with account management.

Table of Contents
  1. Logging into CRAM
  2. Activating a New Account
  3. Account Recovery and Reset

 

Logging into CRAM

To use CRAM, log in with your Odin credentials using the following link:

Go To CRAM

 

When you click on the button labelled “Login Using Odin Account”, you will see the Single Sign On prompt to enter your Odin login credentials

PSU Single Sign On pop up

NOTE: your Odin credentials are used to access your @pdx.edu email, myPSU, and Canvas. This is not the same as your MCECS account. For more information on the difference, read the “Your MCECS Account vs. Your Odin Account” section in the following guide

https://cat.pdx.edu/users/getting-help/intro-to-mcecs-computing/

Activating a New Account

If you are a new MCECS user that has an account waiting to be activated, this is what CRAM will look like after you log in.

insert of active account button from cram front page

Click on the “Activate Account” button, and then select your department from the dropdown menu (if available) and then enter your new password and confirm it.  After that, click on the “Activate Account” button.

cram password set/reset page

You will then see this page confirming that your account is being activated. It can take between 15 and 20 minutes for your new account to push through our systems. It then presents you with a “Enroll in MFA” button. Pressing that kicks off the process to set up your first MFA authenticator in MCECS.

MFA is mandatory for MCECS accounts. Learn more about our MFA system.

crm post activation screen show ready to enroll in mfa button

At this stage, CRAM will step you through the process of setting up your authenticator. This is similar to the process for setting up authenticators in our services portal. Visit our MFA setup page for details.

Account Recovery and Reset

You can log into CRAM to perform these tasks from the front page:

  • Reset your MCECS password
  • Remember what your MCECS account username is (if it is different from your Odin username)
  • Enroll in MFA if you haven’t done that yet
  • Reset your existing MCECS MFA setup and restart from scratch. This means it will invalidate all your current authenticators.

If you have an active account but haven’t enrolled in MFA yet, you should see the following buttons. Clicking on the Enroll in MFA button guides you through MFA setup, as described in our MFA documentation.

cram front page for active user whoj has not enrolled in mfa

If you have an active account and already have MFA setup but wish to delete everything and start from scratch, press the Reset MFA Enrollent button. This will delete all references to any existing authenticators and run you through setting up an authenticator again. 

cram buttons for active user who has already enrolled in MFA

If you’ve forgotten your MCECS password, click the Reset Password button. It will warn you and let you a new password. It can take between 15 and 20 minutes for your new password to push through our systems before it is ready to use.