In PHYS1655 we will work on a Linux cluster called rivanna. rivanna is composed of a number of PCs (a cluster) running a version of the GNU/Linux operating system. rivanna is a powerful high performance computing (hpc) cluster for use in research at UVA. You can learn more here: https://arcs.virginia.edu/rivanna. You should make yourself familiar with what documentation is linked from that page, it is good to look around for answers to Rivanna questions here if you are having trouble with, or want to learn more, about Rivanna.
Each student will have an account – check your email for initial login information – that allows you to connect/logon to rivanna to do your classwork.
After you log into rivanna, see the 5 minute Linux guide for an overview of basic commands you will need.
NOTE: If you are having trouble connecting to Rivanna for the first time, it is usually a password issue. Reset your NetBadge password and try again. Sometimes it takes sometime (~1 hour?) for the changed password to make it through the system.
Logging into your account on Rivanna:
Our primary interface to Rivanna will be the On Demand Desktop option linked here: https://rivanna-portal.hpc.virginia.edu. On this page you will see several tabs on the top of the page - to login click on the "Interactive Apps". A drop-down menu will appear. Click on "Desktop". In the allocation box type "phys_python". Change other options only if needed. Click the "Launch" button at the bottom of the screen. On Demand is awesome, because no VPN is required to connect - even when off Grounds!
Web-based file interface (for getting your files off of Rivanna):
Note that for copying files to and from rivanna you may use the web-based file browser:
https://rivanna-portal.hpc.virginia.edu
Secondary modes of access to Rivanna:
You may connect to the rivanna cluster using a terminal emulator program that supports the secure shell (SSH) protocol. A terminal emulator provides a text-based interface to a remote computer. SSH is a network protocol that allows two computers to communicate securely over an Internet connection. This prevents sensitive data, like passwords, from being intercepted as they pass through the network.
Using the Fastx web interface:
(if off campus, it requires a VPN):
Point your browser window to https://rivanna-desktop.hpc.virginia.edu
Click “Launch Session” and enter your login information. Select “Mate” session and your browser should now display the desktop. In order to get the terminal, click the picture of the screen on the top toolbar.
Note that this may be another link to access FastX: https://rivanna-viz.hpc.virginia.edu:8000/auth/ssh/
For the VPN, for off campus, the details are here: https://virginia.service-now.com/its?id=itsweb_kb_article&sys_id=f24e5cdfdb3acb804f32fb671d9619d0
Other web-based tools:
The about web-based tools and others are available from:
https://rivanna-portal.hpc.virginia.edu/pun/sys/dashboard
Connecting via ssh
From that window you can connect to Rivanna using the following command:
ssh -Y username@rivanna.hpc.virginia.edu or equivalently ssh -Y -l username rivanna.hpc.virginia.edu
enter your password when prompted. Now your window is connected to your account on rivanna. Note: you can connect using the ssh command above from any computer running the Linux or MAC operating system as long as it has an Internet connection.
Connecting from your home computer
From a personal Windows PC or Mac there are a number of options listed under the software information page for this class. To connect from your personal computer, it is likely that you will need to download and install additional software.