Request Access, Sign In, and Passwords
To log on to STARS, you will need the following:
1. Terminal emulation software. Because STARS is a mainframe application, you must have terminal emulation software that can connect to it.
2. Security authorization. Your agency’s STARS administrator must submit a Security Access Request for you to the State Controller’s Office (SCO).
Provide a three-character (alphanumeric) operator identification (Operator ID), and one or two alternates, to your STARS security administrator. Your administrator will submit a Security Access Request authorization for you. SCO will then assign a password.
Once you have been assigned STARS security, the SCO Computer Service Center will create a CICS security USERID and a PASSWORD for you. You will use these to sign in to the mainframe. On your first sign in, you should change the password to something unique. Password requirements are explained on the Computer Services Web site.
1. At the Idaho State Controller's Computer Network screen, locate the cursor (an underline character (_) at the bottom left of the screen, below the ENTER SELECTION BELOW prompt).
2. Type cicsprod, and then press ENTER.
Figure 1 - Cicsprod signon
3. At the CICS banner screen, press PAUSE to clear the screen. On some laptop keyboards you may need to press the Function key (Fn) and Pause simultaneously. On some laptops, using your emulation software, you may have an Edit command and then Clear.
Figure 2 - CICS banner
4. At the blank screen, type cesn, and then press the ENTER key.
5. Type your assigned CICS Userid in the Userid field.
6. Type your CICS Password in the Password field and then press the ENTER key.
Figure 3 - CESN Userid and password
Note: If you need help with logging in, email the SCO Service Desk at servicedesk@sco.idaho.gov.
7. After you type your CICS Userid and Password, the Bill Code Screen should appear.
8. Leave the XA01 BILL CODE field blank and the bill code will default to one of your agency’s bill codes.
Figure 4 - Billcode
9. Press PAUSE to clear the screen. On some laptops, using your emulation software, you may have an Edit command and then Clear. A blank screen should be displayed and you can log on to STARS / DSYS (see below).
Note: If your logon fails three consecutive times, your operator ID will be suspended and you will not be able to sign on. Email the SCO Service Desk at servicedesk@sco.idaho.gov.
1. At the blank screen, type dsys, and then press ENTER.
2. At the STARS banner screen, type your OPERATOR ID (usually three characters). If your Operator IDis less than three characters, the cursor does not advance to the password field and you will have to press TAB.
Figure 5 - DSYS operator ID and password
3. Type your PASSWORD (three characters).
If you need help with the DSYS or STARS logon, contact the SCO Computer Service Center Help Desk: Phone: (208) 334-4808, Email: servicedesk@sco.idaho.gov
4. Review the STARS News Display for important information.
Figure 6 - STARS News
5. After reviewing the News Display, press ENTER to open the STARS Main Menu.
Figure 7 - STARS menu
If you accidentally exit STARS, clear your screen (press PAUSE). On some keyboards you may need to press the Function key (Fn) and Pause simultaneously. On some laptops, using your emulation software, you may have an Edit command and then Clear.
Type DSYS, then press ENTER. This will open the STARS banner screen and you can continue to sign on.
On some laptops, there is no Pause button. To clear the screen. Using your emulation software, you may have an Edit command and then Clear.
In addition, some keyboards may use a different key other than PAUSE to clear the screen. On some keyboards (e.g., laptop keyboards) you may need to press the Function key (Fn) and Pause simultaneously.
Some keyboards (such as a Microsoft Natural Multimedia keyboard) have a Function Lock key that must be "on" in order to use the function keys.
If you cannot clear your screen, you may have a special keyboard-mapping configuration. See your local computer support person to identify the correct key to use when you want to clear the screen.