Introduction

You need AAF login credentials before you can access Nectar Cloud Dashboard. The AAF login credentials are normally the same as the ones you have from an associated Australian university or research institution such as CSIRO.  You can check the list of subscribers from AAF website to see whether your organisation is AAF enabled. 

How to get access

If your organisation is not listed and you want to access the Nectar dashboard, there are some options for getting AAF login credentials:

Option 1: If you are associated with (for example, as a research collaborator) any AAF-enabled Australian University or other Australian Research Organisation, you can request them provide you with institutional login credentials. These credentials can typically be used to authorize your AAF login. Contact your research collaborators or their IT service departments to determine if this option is available to you.  (It will typically be necessary for your collaborator to make a case to their local organization.  Details will be organization specific.)

Option 2: You may be able to request a AAF Virtual Home (VHO) account from an appropriate group which manages a VHO Organization. The problem will be identifying such a group.  (Unfortunately, the AAF does not publish a list of the AAF VHO Organizations.) 

We suggest that you try contact any of the following to ask if they can provide or arrange a VHO account:

• Your local organisation's IT service desk;
• Identity Provider (IdP) administrator of your organisation;
• Your local Research Group Leader/Manager;
• The Leader/Manager of the Research Group that you want to collaborate with.

Once you have identified an appropriate VHO Organisation, the people who manage it will be responsible for providing your AAF identity. 

For more information about VHO, please read what is AAF Virtual Home. You can also contact AAF helpdesk with VHO-related questions by emailing support@aaf.edu.au.  

Option 3: If neither of the above works for you, send a Nectar support request to support@nectar.org.au to ask about alternatives. For example, some Nectar nodes can provide an AAF identity for researchers collaborating with their members.

Finally, if your organisation is interested in becoming a member of AAF, they should contact the AAF: see information about joining AAF.