Connecting
The information below shows how a user of the KU Community Cluster can connect to the submit nodes via using SSH, X11 Forwarding, and X2Go
- SSH: Terminal window accepting only keyboard input using the command line. The best and preferred way to use the cluster.
- X11 Forwarding: Allows graphics using the X11 window system over SSH. Easy to use if using Mac/Linux.
- X2Go: Uses compression to display graphics over SSH resulting in better performance off-campus.
Windows
SSH
There are several SSH client applications for Windows that you can use. We recommend using PuTTY
- Open PuTTY. In the
Host Name
field, enterhpc.crc.ku.edu
, and then pressOpen
.
- Click on
Yes
to accept the Security Alert.
- Enter your
KU Online ID
at the login as: prompt, press enter, then type yourpassword
.
Password
PuTTY will not show the characters as you type for security reasons.
You should now have a prompt, ready to accept commands
X11 Forwarding
To use X11 Forwarding, you must install a X11 server on your computer to use alongside PuTTY. Xming is a popular one to use. Download and install the program and leave it running.
Using the steps described above, after step 1, enable X11 forwarding within PuTTY as seen below, then continue with step 2.
To test your X11 setup, after login, type command xeyes
and press enter.
X2Go
- Download and install the X2Go Client.
- Create a new session with details below, then press OK.
- Host: hpc.crc.ku.edu
- Login: KU Online ID
- Session type: Single Application
- Command: xterm
- On the right-hand side, click the session you just created.
- Enter Password, then press Ok.
- Click Yes to trust the host key
This will launch a terminal window from which you can launch any GUI application. Run the command xeyes
to test it out.
Mac
SSH
Use the system program Terminal to connect to the KU Community Cluster submit nodes.
In the terminal prompt, type ssh <username>@hpc.crc.ku.edu
and the corresponding password to obtain access to the cluster. Replace <username>
with KU Online ID.
$ ssh <username>@hpc.crc.ku.edu $ <password>
X11 Forwarding
OS Version
Check the OS version of your Mac
If <10.8, then in the terminal, simply type ssh -Y <username>@hpc.crc.ku.edu
If >10.8, do the following:
- Download and install XQuartz.
- Open terminal, and type
ssh -Y <username>@hpc.crc.ku.edu
and press enter
To test your X11 setup, after login, type command xeyes
and press enter.
X2Go
OS Version
Must be running version greater than 10.8
- XQuartz is required for X2Go using a Mac.
- Download and install the X2Go Clientone closest to your operating system version number without using one greater than your version.
- Follow the steps 2-5 on the Windows -> X2Go instructions.
Linux
SSH
Use the system program Terminal to connect to the KU Community Cluster submit nodes.
In the terminal prompt, type ssh <username>@hpc.crc.ku.edu
and the corresponding password to obtain access to the cluster. Replace <username>
with KU Online ID.
$ ssh <username>@hpc.crc.ku.edu $ <password>
X11 Forwarding
Linux comes natively with X11 support. In the terminal, type ssh -Y <username>@hpc.crc.ku.edu
and press enter
X2Go
Below are instructions on how to install for the more popular distros of Linux. After installation, follow the steps 2-5 on the Windows -> X2Go instructions.
Ubuntu
X2Go Client is part of Ubuntu 12.04 & later, as well as Debian Wheezy & Jessie. Install it using the software center or by following command:
apt-get install x2goclient
Centos/Redhat
You need to add the EPEL repository to your installation
yum install x2goclient