Overview

In order to do anything on the Shared Computing Cluster (SCC) from your local computer, you first need to connect to the SCC using an SSH (Secure SHell) client. This task varies greatly based on your local operating system; please select your operating system below for instructions.

There is also an alternate method to access the SCC using just your web browser. Simply go to http://scc-ondemand.bu.edu/ in your web browser. This does require using Duo Two-Factor Authentication. This will take you to SCC Open OnDemand, another way to use the SCC. Documentation on OnDemand is available.

There are four login nodes for the general Shared Computing Cluster. The fifth node below, scc-lite.bu.edu, is intended to be used only by those with Linux Virtual Lab/scc-lite accounts.

Hostname Note
scc1.bu.edu General purpose login node, accessible from the general internet.
scc2.bu.edu General purpose login node, accessible from the general internet.
geo.bu.edu Earth and Environment department node, accessible from the general internet.
scc4.bu.edu BUMC node. Access to /restricted data partitions. Requires VPN or first logging in through another node, such as scc1.bu.edu.
scc-lite.bu.edu Linux Virtual Lab node for users of the scc-lite project. In following the instructions on these pages, these users should:
1) Replace scc1 or scc1.bu.edu in the provided examples with scc-lite or scc-lite.bu.edu as appropriate.
2) Ignore references to Project Disk Space such as /project.
3) Ignore references to batch processing or compute nodes.

Select your operating system

Connecting to the SCC from Microsoft Windows

There are multiple SSH clients available for Microsoft Windows, each will connect to the SCC using the same protocol. These instructions are based on MobaXterm because this application provides functionality you may find useful for other tasks; other application suggestions are below.

SSH Clients

Using MobaXterm to Connect to the SCC

  1. Download the zip file containing the program. It is recommended to download the “Installer Edition”, not the “Portable Edition”.
  2. Unzip the file.
  3. For the “Installer Edition”, double click the “msi” file to start the installation wizard.
  4. Navigate through the installation wizard until the program is installed.
  5. Launch MobaXterm
  6. In the toolbar, click on “Session” button:
  7. Select “SSH” as the session type:
  8. Specify “scc1.bu.edu” as the remote host and click “OK”:
  9. Your connection will be saved on the left sidebar, so the next time you can start your session by clicking the “scc1.bu.edu [SSH]” link.
  10. In the terminal window you will get a prompt to enter your BU login information and password (Note that the characters in your password will not be displayed when you type them as a security precaution):
  11. Complete the DUO authentication. Either type in the passcode or type in a number that corresponds to an authentication option listed:
  12. If the connection is successful, the BU header output will be visible, like the one shown below:
You can edit, delete, and move sessions by right clicking on them in the left MobaXterm sidebar.

Connecting to the SCC from Apple OS X

The Secure SHell (SSH) is built into the Apple OS X operating system. To connect to the SCC, we will leverage this utility using the Terminal application.

Using Terminal to Connect to the SCC

  1. Open the Terminal application, which is found in Applications >> Utilities >> Terminal. Alternatively, press <command> and <space> simultaneously to open Spotlight, search for Terminal and press <return>.
  2. In the terminal, type ssh username@scc1.bu.edu.
  3. Enter your BU Kerberos password when requested. Note that the characters in your password will not be displayed when you type them as a security precaution.
  4. Type exit in the terminal when you are done working on the SCC.

Connecting to the SCC from Linux

The Secure SHell (SSH) is built into the Linux operating system. To connect to the SCC, we will leverage this utility using the Terminal application.

Connecting to the SCC

  1. Open a Terminal. This can be done by opening the terminal application in Systems >> Accessories >> Terminal or by using the hot-key Ctrl + Alt + T
  2. Use ssh to connect to the SCC with your login credentials, using a command similar to this example: 
    your_local_machine% ssh yourBULoginName@scc1.bu.edu
  3. Enter your BU Kerberos password when prompted. Note that the characters in your password will not be displayed when you type them as a security precaution.
  4. When finished, type exit to close the session.

Note: For graphical user interface (GUI) based applications, please see the X-Forwarding guide.