Logging In
System Access
Account creation is necessary to log in
If you have not yet done so, you will need to register for an account to log in. See our registration documentation for steps.
Login issues
If you experience any issues during the login process, see our FAQs for common problems.
Do not run computations on the login nodes.
See Running Jobs for detailed instructions on the proper way to run computationally intensive tasks.
Once you've successfully registered for an HPC account, you're ready to log in. There are two main methods to access the HPC system
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Open OnDemand
This is a browser-based application that provides users with a graphical interface to access the HPC filesystem, run software that requires a graphical component, or access an interactive desktop environment. The login portal for Open OnDemand uses the familiar UArizona WebAuth login screen. HPC accounts are tied to university accounts, so use your standard NetID and password (i.e. the one used for your email).
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Terminal
The terminal is a text-based command interpreter provided by the operating system on your local machine. Mac and Linux users can access the "Secure SHell" (SSH) command by default, and Windows users will either have to use the Linux subsystem for Windows, or a program called PuTTY. Using these tools, users can access a command-line environment on the HPC, which can be used to manage files, write code, install software, and submit jobs. See our Bash Cheat Sheet for an overview of common commands.
System Layout
The inner workings of HPC systems may be somewhat obscured to new users. In this section, we'll give you an idea of how the system is laid out so you understand exactly where you are at each stage of the login process and what activities are performed where.
The bastion host
In another browser window, open our instructions on logging in from the command line. Start by following the first step shown that's specific to your operating system. Stop when your terminal displays
Success. Logging you in...
Last login:
This is a bastion host used to access the rest of the RT/HPC environment.
Type "shell" to access the job submission hosts for all environments
The bastion host is the first computer you land on when you log in using the hostname hpc.arizona.edu. This machine is only used to validate your credentials and provide a gateway to the rest of the HPC environment. It is not used for storing files and has no software installed so no computational work is done at this stage. As a test, try running the command hostname:
[user@gatekeeper 14:50:49 ~]$ hostname
gatekeeper.hpc.arizona.edu
The output shows gatekeeper which is the name of this node and is how you can tell you're connected to the bastion.
Next, to advance from the bastion host, type the command shell.
The login nodes
After you type shell on the bastion host, you're connected to a computer called a login node.
We have two of these available and you will be assigned one at random. If you run the hostname command as you did on the bastion host, you should see either wentletrap or junonia.
A login node is a shared workspace with minimal computational capabilities and very little software installed. This is not the place where computational work is done so users should not run their analyses, compile their software, or perform computationally intensive work in this location. Instead, the login nodes are meant for activities such as managing files, writing scripts, submitting and monitoring jobs, and viewing system resources.