Getting Connected¶
SSH¶
SSH provides a secure, remote terminal connection to the login nodes. To connect, use the load-balanced name, login.farmshare.stanford.edu, which will automatically select one of the several login nodes based on load and utilization.
FarmShare conforms to Stanford’s Minimum Security Standards, which require both a password (or equivalent credentials, like a Kerberos ticket) and two-step authentication. Public-key authentication is not supported.
Host Keys¶
The following fingerprints can be used to verify FarmShare host keys when connecting.
Host Key Fingerprints
SHA256:bKb1Znir/1tOg+TMyALDYWeK0lclsulriDN8aOvWteU (ED25519)
SHA256:o5E5OOkaxwF+CzKT5A2/DNSmDzljTYs/a1V7Fm6ssSw (RSA)
When connecting for the first time, compare these to the fingerprint reported by ssh, and/or provide the corresponding fingerprint as an argument when prompted.
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:bKb1Znir/1tOg+TMyALDYWeK0lclsulriDN8aOvWteU.
This key is not known by any other names.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? SHA256:bKb1Znir/1tOg+TMyALDYWeK0lclsulriDN8aOvWteU
OpenSSH¶
Users on Linux, macOS, and Windows can use the terminal applications built into these operating systems and connect using the ssh command. If your local user name differs from your SUNet ID you must specify your own ID when connecting.
$ ssh sunetid@login.farmshare.stanford.edu
Windows Subsystem for Linux
On Windows, the Windows Subsystem for Linux is another option for a terminal interface.
A terminal session can be ended by running exit (or logout).
$ ssh sunetid@login.farmshare.stanford.edu
sunetid@login.farmshare.stanford.edu's password:
(sunetid@login.farmshare.stanford.edu) Duo two-factor login for sunetid
Enter a passcode or select one of the following options:
1. Duo Push to XXX-XXX-XXXX
2. Phone call to XXX-XXX-XXXX
3. SMS passcodes to XXX-XXX-XXXX
Passcode or option (1-3): 1
Success. Logging you in...
Welcome to Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS (GNU/Linux 7.0.0-29-generic x86_64)
...
sunetid@rice-01$ exit
logout
Shared connection to login.farmshare.stanford.edu closed.
GSSAPI Authentication¶
FarmShare supports Kerberos/GSSAPI authentication (on operating systems and with clients that support it). Run kinit to authenticate.
$ kinit sunetid@stanford.edu
sunetid@stanford.edu's password:
Succesful authentication results in persistent credentials (a Kerberos “ticket”) that can be used in place of a password when connecting. Run klist to examine existing credentials. Because Kerberos tickets have an extended lifetime (25 hours in the stanford.edu realm) and can be renewed (for up to 7 days) they can be more convenient than a password, which must be provided on every new connection.
GSSAPI authentication may need to be enabled on some platforms.
# ~/.ssh/config
Host login.farmshare.stanford.edu
GSSAPIKeyExchange yes
GSSAPIAuthentication yes
GSSAPIRenewalForcesRekey yes
PreferredAuthentications gssapi-with-mic,publickey,keyboard-interactive,password
Other SSH clients¶
PuTTY¶
PuTTY is a popular, freely available SSH client for Windows. The default settings are appropriate for most users; specify the login.farmshare.stanford.edu as the host name and click the Open button to connect.
MobaXterm¶
MobaXterm is an SSH client with a built-in X server, making remote display extremely convenient. The Home Edition is free for personal use.
SecureCRT¶
SecureCRT is a commercial SSH client for Windows and macOS that is licensed by the University as part of the Essential Stanford Software suite.
Mobile Shell (Mosh)¶
Mosh is an alternative to SSH for Linux and macOS clients. It uses OpenSSH for authentication but closes the SSH session and manages its own, encrypted connection after successful authentication. Mosh has some advantages, including predictive display (useful on high-latency connections) and improved network resiliency. Mosh connections can persist even when a computer’s network location changes or a computer goes to sleep.
Open OnDemand¶
Open OnDemand provides a browser-based interface to HPC clusters. The local instance, FarmShare OnDemand, offers a terminal, file manager, editor, desktop, and even GUI applications right from a web browser!
Invalid account or account/partition combination specified
Some important setup happens the very first time a user connects to a FarmShare login node; this error can indicate that setup has not yet occurred when you access FarmShare first using OnDemand. Before attempting to submit another job (or start an OnDemand app) first select FarmShare Shell Access from the Clusters menu to satisfy the login requirement.