EPFL/SPC External Collaborator Access Migration

This page provides instructions for external collaborators of the Swiss Plasma Center (SPC), regarding the mandatory migration to the new EPFL authentication system.

Overview

SPC External Collaborators have 2 seperate accounts to access different systems:

Guest account (used for spcwiki)
SPCLDAP/LAC Account (Used to login to gateways and LAC cluster)

Changes:

The EPFL legacy guest account system and "Tequila authentication" is decommissioned.
To maintain access to SPCwiki, all external users must be accredited in EPFL as external collaborators.
Collaborators who haven't finalized the procedure will also lose access to their LAC accounts.

During this process, the new data access form has to be signed.

30 March 2026: SPCWiki migrated to use EPFL EntraID authentication
31 March 2026: End of Life for Tequila authentication.
5 June 2026: Deactivation of lac account of people who haven't updated their access request.

Note: Users can do the procedure anytime in the future to re-gain access to wiki and LAC account.

Migration Procedure

If you do NOT wish to keep your access, no action is needed. Your access will be removed once expired.
Otherwise complete the following steps at least 2 weeks before you need access to SPCWiki and LACs

1. Identify your SPC Contact

Your "Main Contact Person" is typically the SPC staff member you collaborate on your research project and who initially requested your access. If you collaborate with multiple people, choose the one most closely related to your primary activity.

2. Submit the Data Access Form and identity document

Download the New Data Access Form (PDF/Docx)
If you can't access the form, ask your SPC Contact person to send it to you
See below for Access Roles
Email the completed document and copy of your valid identity document to your contact person at SPC. (For data protection concerns, see below)
You SPC contact person should also sign and transmit it to guest account manager (SPC Secretary).

3. Account Activation and 2FA

Once processed, you will receive an automated email from EPFL IT with instructions.
As of March 2026, title of the e-mail is "Démarrer à l'EPFL en tant qu'externe // Getting started at EPFL as an external" from noreply@epfl.ch
From 30.03.2026 you can log-in to spcwiki with your new account
It's been observed that people with previous EPFL accounts sometimes don't get the mail, see FAQ section.

Access roles

During migration to the new authentication system, data will be collected on finer grained access rights on computing resources.
Starting June 2026, any LAC Accounts without a corresponding "spc external accreditation" will be disabled.
Access rights for computing resources are in development and you'll receive further communications.
If unsure, only select "Documentation" and "Read access", further access can be demanded later.

Access types:

Documentation (SPC wiki): Default rights to access SPCWiki. Must be selected if user wants to keep their SPCWiki access.
Read access to TCV data: Users with this right have access to log in to certain resources that have read-only access to TCV data and software. (This grants creation of a LAC Account)
Write access to TCV analysis results: Users with this right have access to log in to certain LACs, Some collaborators may have access to write results tree or run certain codes to generate analysis results.
TCV Private Network (For diagnostics control etc.): Users with this right have access to log in to hosts that have access to TCV private network. This is ONLY granted if the user requires to run/manage a diagnostic in TCV, or similar reasons.
Access to Falcon system and network: Access given to collaborators of Falcon project.
Other access: Comment and justify. This is for collaboration for other projects such as: Defuse Project, Digital Twin Project.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)

This section will be updated regularly
If you have any questions, ask in the Question/Support form

Can I ask for additional access later

Yes, if you are unsure about access requests on computing resources, demand the minimum for now. You can ask for further access later through your SPC contact person.

What happens if I miss the June deadline?

Your wiki contributions will remain.
You will just not be able to log-in to SPCWiki and LAC before you complete the procedure.
You can do the procedure anytime in the future, at least 2 weeks in advance.

I didn't receive onboarding e-mail from EPFL

Some collaborators reported not having received the mail.

Do an ldapsearch from EPFL network with your lastname (can work on lac912 if you have access, if not ask your contact to do it)

# ldapsearch -x -LLL -H ldap://ldap.epfl.ch:389 -b "o=EPFL,c=CH" -t ou=spc-ext gecos |grep i <surname>

# example:
ldapsearch -x -LLL -H ldap://ldap.epfl.ch:389 -b "o=EPFL,c=CH" -t ou=spc-ext gecos |grep -i Yildiz

If nothing appears, your account isn't created:

Your EPFL account is not yet created. If you need it urgently, contact your SPC contact person.

If your account appears, your account is created:

Check you spam/junk, (look for sender: noreply@epfl.ch)
Call EPFL Helpdesk (+4121 693 1234) during work hours (8h-18h) explaining you are accredited in "SPC-EXT" unit as an "External" and haven't received mail to reset your password.

Ask your SPC contact person to send you the form.

What happens to my SPC LAC account

Starting June 2026, any LAC Accounts without a corresponding "SPC External accreditation" will be disabled.

Is connection to gateways lac911, lac912 affected?

Yes, from June 2026, users without "SPC External Accreditation" will not be able to connect to SPC gateways.

Why is the copy of Identity Document needed, what happens to it afterwards

EPFL enforces confirmation that an identity document is seen by the person in charge of creating accreditation for external collaborators.
Copy of ID will be deleted once EPFL accreditation is created.
If you don't want to sent it by mail, you can show it over a video call or if you are on site in EPFL, you can pass by in person to show identity document.
If you have further concerns about data protection/privacy, please comment in the question/support form below.

Support and Updates

For any issues observed during this migration, please keep checking this page, which will be kept up to date.
If your question is unanswered, fill the Question/Support form
We may not answer each question/request separately, but we will answer common questions on this page.
EPFL IT support address you receive in the onboarding mail is solely for the EntraID login issues. For all other matters (LAC account, etc.) see https://spcwiki.epfl.ch/wiki/Portal:IT