Connecting to the server_11436068

TheNessLab : Connecting to the server

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Created by Robert Ness, last modified by Jimmy Issa on Jan 09, 2023

A lot of the computation research in the Ness lab is done on our Lab’s high performance computer. This computer is housed in the I ITS data centre. To access it we use a variety of methods. The most common ways are using SSH or FTP

## `ssh`

`ssh` stands for Secure SHell - it is a way of logging into a remote computer from the command line. It will make a BASH shell that is running on the server rather than your own computer. Once you’ve logged in you will be able to work on the server as if you’re on your own computer.

To connect to a remote computer you need to open a new shell on your own computer (Mac or Linux). Then you type:

ssh utorid@hpcnode1.utm.utoronto.ca

Obviously replace `utorid` with your own utorid. It will prompt you for your password. There are ways of logging in without typing your password every time, but you can google that on our own if you want.

If you are on Windows there is no terminal/shell built in, so there are a number of programs dedicated to SSH from Windows to Mac/Linux computers.

## FTP

FTP (and SFTP) are methods for transferring files from one computer to another. You will most commonly use FTP programs to do these operations (although you can use it in a web browser or command line). Some common FTP clients for Mac are:

- Transmit

• Filezilla
• Cyberduck

One convenience is that these programs will allow you to edit text files on the server within your local text editor (on your own computer) and the changes are automatically saved on the server.

## `scp`
scp or secure copy is a command-line based method for copying files over the network - in other words it lets you transfer files from one computer to another

e.g.
copy file from the server to your computer:

scp utorid@hpcnode1.utm.utoronto.ca:/path/to/my/file /where/you/want/the/file

copy your file to the server

scp /where/you/want/the/file utorid@hpcnode1.utm.utoronto.ca:/path/to/my/file

##tmux

`tmux` is a command-line tool that allows your command-line sessions to persist even after you disconnect from the server. There are many conveniences of tmux, but primarily it means that if you lose your connection to the server, your work will not be affected.

I do all my commandline work on the server through tmux and I highly recommend you do the same

Here is a tmux [tutorial](https://danielmiessler.com/study/tmux/) and [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHhA_ZKjyxo)

## UTORVPN

To connect to the server in anyway you need to be logged into the University’s VPN. It’s more or less routes all your internet traffic through the university and provides an extra layer of security for our computer. Only graduate students and staff have access by default so undergrads will need to request an account through Rob Ness.
Instructions can be found here:
Getting the VPN

Document generated by Confluence on May 22, 2024 11:44

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