All categories

Question:

My issue is not listed here - how can I get help?

(Last edited: Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 11:43 AM)
Answer:

Send us an email to support@tech.alliancecan.ca with the subject "Compute Ontario Summer School", We'll be happy to help. 


ACCOUNTS

Question:

I am getting an error when trying to create a Compute Ontario Training account - can you help?

(Last edited: Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 11:38 AM)
Answer:

The following steps should resolve the issue (if not, send us an email to support@tech.alliancecan.ca):

  1. Go to https://training.computeontario.ca/createcotacct.php
  2. Type in your email and click submit.
  3. Check your inbox for an email from the web site.
    • Only bother with the last email received.
  4. Instead of clicking the link in that email, right-click your mouse on it and copy the link.
    • If your default browser is not the same browser as you used with step 2 then clicking will not work.
  5. Paste the link in the web browser you used in step 2 within 10 minutes of doing step 2.
  6. Now you can complete filling in the details for your account and finalize account creation.

Question:

I can't connect with SSH! It is outputting, "WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!"

(Last edited: Monday, 16 June 2025, 12:17 PM)
Answer:

While "WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!" is a serious warning by SSH, in some cases it is a non-issue and prevents access to the system one is trying to connect to.

One can suppress this warning message by adding to the SSH command line:

-q -o "StrictHostKeyChecking no"

e.g., if your ssh command line was:

ssh USERNAME@coss2025a.c3.ca

then use this command line instead:

ssh -q -o "StrictHostKeyChecking no" USERNAME@coss2025a.c3.ca

When does this message typically occur? If you had previously connected to that server with SSH, and after that the server changed its SSH keys/configuration, then when you try reconnecting to the server SSH will output, "WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!". (When SSH connects to a machine, it remembers things about that machine.)

A way to remove what SSH remembers about a machine's identification, one can use the ssh-keygen command on your computer, e.g.,

ssh-keygen -R coss2025a.c3.ca

Running such will delete the SSH server identification information for coss2025a.c3.ca on your computer. Connecting with:

ssh USERNAME@coss2025a.c3.ca

will no longer output that command (for this connection only) since SSH will re-download the server's identification (and there is now no previous server identification on your computer to check against since you just deleted it with ssh-keygen).


Question:

I created a Compute Ontario Training account, but when I try to use it to register for courses it doesn't work

(Last edited: Monday, 21 April 2025, 4:52 PM)
Answer:

One common mistake is forgetting to prepend the username you provided when creating the Compute Ontario Training account with "cot-". For example, if you provided the username john.smith, use the following to login to the summer school site: cot-john.smith .


ATTENDANCE

Question:

How can I mark myself as present in the course I am attending?

(Last edited: Monday, 5 May 2025, 5:01 PM)
Answer:

You don't need to do anything special - the system will record your attendance automatically.


Question:

How to qualify for a course attendance certificate?

(Last edited: Thursday, 19 June 2025, 1:53 PM)
Answer:

To qualify for a course attendance certificate, you have to attend at least 2/3 of the course (if it contains a single session), or at least 2/3 of each session of the course (if it contains more than one session). For example, if the course consists of two 3-hours sessions, you have to attend at least 2 hours of the session 1, and at least 2 hours of the session 2. Please note that some courses may only issue Completion certificates (no Attendance certificates). If that is the case, this is noted in the course description.


Question:

I attended the summer school course X, but I was marked as absent by the system - can you fix it?

(Last edited: Monday, 2 June 2025, 1:59 PM)
Answer:

You have to wait for at least a day to see your attendance properly reflected on the course page. If after one day you still have a problem with the attendance, please send us a ticket to support@tech.alliancecan.ca with the subject "Compute Ontario Summer School".


Question:

I registered for the summer school course X. How can I attend it? Where is the video link?

(Last edited: Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 11:41 AM)
Answer:
  • First you go the top page for the summer school. For example for the 2025 summer school it is https://training.computeontario.ca/coss2025.php (just change the year number at the end for other years.)
  • Next click "link to course" under the course you are trying to attend (this assumes you already registered for it.)
  • On the next page, log in to the summer school site using your Compute Ontario Training account.
  • Then you will find yourself on the course web page. The video links (separate for each session - morning and afternoon) will be located near the top of the page - the link Live Course Video Links.

COMPLETION/CERTIFICATES

Question:

How can I see all certificates issued to me?

(Last edited: Friday, 6 June 2025, 1:21 AM)
Answer:

To see a specific certificate:

  • Go to the course the certificate(s) were issued in and you can download such from that course by clicking the appropriate link in that course.

To see all of your certificates:

  • Once logged in, you can click your name/initials/picture at the top-right, choose Profile, and click on My Certificates. The page that comes up will show you all certificates that have been issued to you or that you have downloaded manually.

Question:

My certificate is blank/I cannot see it?

(Last edited: Tuesday, 10 June 2025, 3:18 PM)
Answer:

All issued certificates are PDF files. Sometimes a program will fail to render them properly --we recommend keeping your software programs up-to-date to avoid this issue. Also be aware that modern web browsers will render PDF files without using any third-party programs --so there is no need to install third-party programs to view/print PDF files.

Some users have had issues on Windows systems using Adobe Reader. These users have had success for these uses has been by doing the following:

  • Uninstall the Adobe Reader program.
    • ASIDE: Adobe Reader typically sets web browsers to run Adobe Reader instead of showing the PDF file and it is Adobe Reader --not the web browser-- that gives an error with the file. It is possible to change this setting but it is typically a different set of instructions for each web browser so it is not worth going into such detail here. Instead uninstalling Adobe Reader is and consistent.
  • Access/Download/Print the certificate (e.g., via the web site).
    • (Might as well do this when Adobe Reader is not installed.)
  • And optionally re-download and install Adobe Reader, e.g., if you want it installed.
    • Re-downloading it is a good idea to get the newest release and bug fixes. Don't rely on a file you already have if it was already giving errors with our certificate PDF files.

Question:

The course I attended has a Completion Quiz at the end - when is the deadline for doing the quiz?

(Last edited: Monday, 21 April 2025, 4:52 PM)
Answer:

Normally you should complete such quizzes (and any other completion assignments) before the end of the summer school - unless instructed otherwise by the teacher.


Question:

When will I get the summer school certificate?

(Last edited: Monday, 21 April 2025, 4:52 PM)
Answer:

Gathering all the data for certificates generation is fairly time-expensive, so expect some delays with getting your certificates. This could be late summer or early autumn. 


Question:

Will I get a certificate after attending your summer school course?

(Last edited: Thursday, 19 June 2025, 1:50 PM)
Answer:

All our courses (with a few exceptions, noted in the course description) will generate Attendance certificates for people who attended at least 67% of live sessions. Some courses will also issue Completion certificates - based on quizzes and/or home assignments. 


RECORDINGS

Question:

Are your courses recorded? How to access the recordings?

(Last edited: Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 3:30 PM)
Answer:

All are courses are recorded. The recordings are posted on the course web page typically within a couple of days. To access the recordings, you need to be registered for the course. If the course you are interested in is full, you can contact us after the summer school (support@tech.alliancecan.ca) concerning access to the recordings and other course materials.


Question:

How can I enable automatic live transcription?

(Last edited: Friday, 13 June 2025, 10:20 AM)
Answer:

If you are using the Chrome web browser, you can enable captions in the Chrome web browser on your computer/phone, see this link from Google. (This has been supported in Chrome since 2021.)

If Zoom is being used, Zoom supports live transcription in its application (if you are using a new enough version). (Ask for it to be enabled in that Zoom session.)

If BigBlueButton (BBB) is being used, BBB does not currently support automatic live transcription.


Question:

I cannot find the recorded videos on the course webpage. Could you please let me know where to find them?

(Last edited: Monday, 21 April 2025, 4:52 PM)
Answer:

It typically takes a couple of days for the recordings to be posted. Once ready the recordings will be posted on the course webpage (section "Live Session Recordings" at the bottom of the page) and a message will be posted for all the participants. 


Question:

Will I still have the access to the courses I attended after the school is over?

(Last edited: Monday, 21 April 2025, 4:52 PM)
Answer:

Yes, you can still access the course materials after the school is over. 


REGISTRATION

Question:

Do I need to be from Ontario to be able to attend Compute Ontario summer school courses?

(Last edited: Monday, 21 April 2025, 4:52 PM)
Answer:

No. Any Canadian researcher can register for our summer school courses. This applies to Canadian grad students, some undergrads (involved in research), postdocs, staff researchers, faculty etc. You can be in a Canadian university, college, national lab etc. 


Question:

Do I need to have an Alliance account to register for Compute Ontario summer school courses?

(Last edited: Monday, 21 April 2025, 4:52 PM)
Answer:

The vast majority of our courses do not have such a requirement. The courses which do require this list this as a formal course prerequisite. For the rest of the courses you can create a Compute Ontario Training account, then use it to register for the courses you want.


Question:

I am a high school student - can I attend the Compute Ontario summer school?

(Last edited: Monday, 21 April 2025, 4:52 PM)
Answer:

No. The school's material is designed for researchers, and will not be helpful for high schoolers. 


Question:

The course is full - do you have a waitlist? or can you register me manually?

(Last edited: Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 11:39 AM)
Answer:

Our summer school courses do not have waitlists. Also, once the course is full, we cannot add people manually. What you can do is to wait till the summer school is over, then send us an email (support@tech.alliancecan.ca) asking for an access to the course contents including the recordings from the live sessions.

 


Question:

What should I do if the courses I enroled in overlap in time?

(Last edited: Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 3:39 PM)
Answer:

The summer school runs with parallel streams. It is possible that the courses you want to attend overlap in time.  If this is the case:

  • If you are registered in both courses, you can only attend one. Please consider unenrolling from the one you won't be attending.
  • If you are only registered in the course you will be attending, no problem.

After summer school has ended:

  • If you are already registered in the courses you want access to then there is nothing to be done.
  • If you unenrolled and/or don't have access to the desired courses after summer school has completely ended then:
    • Send an email to support@tech.alliancecan.ca with the subject COSS 2025 requesting access to those course(s). (Please give us the exact name(s) of those courses. Thank you.)

Question:

When is the deadline for registering for summer school courses?

(Last edited: Monday, 5 May 2025, 4:18 PM)
Answer:

We do not currently impose such deadlines. You can register any time - before, during or after the summer school - as long as the course is not full. (We do impose registration caps with some of our courses.) Registering after the course is over can still be useful as it will allow you access the course materials including live session recordings. You will not be able to qualify for an Attendance certificate though. 


VIDEO CONFERENCING

Question:

How can I enable automatic live transcription?

(Last edited: Friday, 13 June 2025, 10:20 AM)
Answer:

If you are using the Chrome web browser, you can enable captions in the Chrome web browser on your computer/phone, see this link from Google. (This has been supported in Chrome since 2021.)

If Zoom is being used, Zoom supports live transcription in its application (if you are using a new enough version). (Ask for it to be enabled in that Zoom session.)

If BigBlueButton (BBB) is being used, BBB does not currently support automatic live transcription.


Question:

What are BigBlueButton's browser and software requirements?

(Last edited: Tuesday, 6 May 2025, 11:18 AM)
Answer:

BigBlueButton's (BBB's) browser and software requirements are:

NOTE: BBB is used exclusively through a web browser. If you're having an issue, ensure everything is up-to-date and perhaps switch to use a different web browser, e.g., Chrome or Firefox.


Question:

What are Zoom's browser and software requirements?

(Last edited: Tuesday, 6 May 2025, 11:18 AM)
Answer:

Zoom's browser and software requirements are here:

NOTE: Zoom can be used through a web browser or via its application that can be downloaded and installed. If you are having issues, ensure everything is up-to-date. If using a web browser, consider using a different web browser, e.g., Chrome or Firefox.