Helix/Login
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Access to bwForCluster Helix is only possible from IP addresses within the BelWü network which connects universities and other scientific institutions in Baden-Württemberg. If your computer is in your University network (e.g. at your office), you should be able to connect to bwForCluster Helix without restrictions. If you are outside the BelWü network (e.g. at home), a VPN (virtual private network) connection to your University network must be established first. Please consult the VPN documentation of your University. |
Prerequisites for successful login:
You need to have
- completed the 3-step bwForCluster registration procedure.
- set a service password for bwForCluster Helix.
- registered a token for the two factor authentication (2FA).
Login with SSH client
Access to bwForCluster Helix is only possible with a Secure Shell (SSH) client for which you must know your username on the cluster and a hostname of the login nodes. For a more detailed information on SSH clients, visit the SSH clients Wiki page.
Username
Your username on bwForCluster Helix consists of a prefix and your local username. For prefixes please refer to the Username Wiki.
Example: If your local username at your University is ab123 and you are a user from Heidelberg University, your username on the cluster is: hd_ab123.
Hostnames
The system has two login nodes and we use so-called DNS round-robin scheduling to load-balance the incoming connections between the nodes. If you open multiple SSH sessions, these sessions may be established to different login nodes, so processes started in one session might not be visible in other sessions.
| Hostname | Node type |
|---|---|
| helix.bwservices.uni-heidelberg.de | login to one of the two login nodes |
Login with OpenSSH (Linux, Mac, Windows)
Most Unix and Unix-like operating systems like Linux or MacOS come with a built-in SSH client provided by the OpenSSH project. More recent versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 using the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) also come with a built-in OpenSSH client.
For login us the command:
ssh <username>@helix.bwservices.uni-heidelberg.de ssh -l <username> helix.bwservices.uni-heidelberg.de
To run graphical applications, you need to enable X11 forwarding with the -X flag:
ssh -X -l <username> helix.bwservices.uni-heidelberg.de
Login MobaXterm (Windows)
For Windows we suggest using MobaXterm for login and file transfer.
Start MobaXterm and fill in the following fields:
Remote name : helix.bwservices.uni-heidelberg.de Specify user name : <username> Port : 22
After that click on 'ok'. Then a terminal will open where you can enter your credentials.
Login Example
To log into bwForCluster Helix, you must provide your service password. Proceed as follows:
- Use an SSH client as shown above.
- The system will ask for a one-time password
Your OTP:. Please enter your OTP and confirm it with Enter/Return. The OTP is not displayed when typing. If you do not have a second factor yet, please create one (see Registration/2FA). - The system will ask you for your service password
Password:. Please enter it and confirm it with Enter/Return. The password is not displayed when typing. If you do not have a service password yet or have forgotten it, please create one (see Registration/Password). - You will be greeted by the cluster, followed by a shell.
$ ssh -l hd_ab123 helix.bwservices.uni-heidelberg.de Your OTP: Password:
Allowed Activities on Login Nodes
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To guarantee usability for all the users of clusters you must not run your compute jobs on the login nodes. Compute jobs must be submitted to the queuing system. Any compute job running on the login nodes will be terminated without any notice. Any long-running compilation or any long-running pre- or post-processing of batch jobs must also be submitted to the queuing system. |
The login nodes of the bwHPC clusters are the access points to the compute system, your $HOME directory and your workspaces.
These nodes are shared with all the users therefore, your activities on the login nodes are limited to primarily set up your batch jobs.
Your activities may also be:
- short compilation of your program code and
- short pre- and post-processing of your batch jobs.
We advise users to use interactive jobs for compute and memory intensive tasks like compiling.
Password Reset
See Password Guide.
De-registration
SSH Keys
In contrast to many other HPC systems it is no longer possible to self-manage your SSH Keys by adding them to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file. Existing files will no longer be evaluated. SSH Keys have to be managed via bwServices instead. Please refer to the user guide for this functionality:
Login to bwForCluster Helix
A To run graphical applications, you need to enable X11 forwarding with the -X option:
ssh -X <UserID>@helix.bwservices.uni-heidelberg.de
For SSH client programs with graphical user interfaces, fill in UserID and login server name accordingly. For Windows you can use PuTTY or MobaXterm. The later comes with an integrated X11 server which is necessary for the work with graphical applications.
The bwForCluster Helix has serveral login nodes. The selection of the login node is done automatically. If you log in multiple times, different sessions might run on different login nodes. In general, you should use the generic hostname given above to allow us to balance the load over the login nodes.
Allowed activities on login nodes
The login nodes are the access point to the compute system and to your $HOME directory. The login nodes are shared with all the users of the cluster. Therefore, your activities on the login nodes are limited to primarily set up your batch jobs. Your activities may also be:
- compilation of your program code and
- short pre- and postprocessing of your batch jobs.
To guarantee usability for all the users of the bwForCluster you must not run your compute jobs on the login nodes. Compute jobs must be submitted as Batch Jobs. Any compute job running on the login nodes will be terminated without notice.