The Linux-based Shared Computing Resources (primarily NOTS and virtual machines on ORION) can be accessed using SSH (secure shell) software. The related program SCP (secure copy) can be used to transfer files to or from such Resources.

Prerequisites

You must have an account

If you do not have an account on the desired Shared Computing Resource then you should apply for one. You will need a faculty sponsor for your account who is willing to pay the access fee.

Your computer must be connected to the Rice network

Please see CRC Access to Shared Computing Resources for details on establishing that connection.

How to Login with SSH

The following are valid SSH commands that can be used to login:

$ ssh netid@hostname.rice.edu

$ ssh hostname.rice.edu -l netid

Substitute the host name of the system you are logging in to (such as nots.rice.edu) in place of hostname.rice.edu and substitute your Rice NetID in place of netid.

The very first time you login, you will receive a reply from SSH similar to the following:

[anyuser@anyhost ~]$ ssh netid@hostname.rice.edu
The authenticity of host 'hostname.rice.edu (128.42.60.102)' can't be established.
DSA key fingerprint is 65:fe:78:0d:7e:6e:a3:9c:ec:63:cb:ae:7c:f6:40:4d.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
Warning: Permanently added 'hostname.rice.edu,128.42.60.102' (DSA) to the list of known hosts.
netid@hostname.rice.edu's password:

Future attempts to login will only result in you being prompted for your password unless you are using a different desktop system. Each time you change to a different desktop system, you will be greeted with this message from SSH.

How to Transfer Files with SCP

In order to transfer files, use the SCP (secure copy) command, which is a component of SSH. SCP uses SSH to create a secure connection to the remote computer, then copies files to or from that computer, depending on how the command was executed.

To copy a file from your local computer to a remote computer:

scp /path/to/local/file netid@hostname.rice.edu:/path/to/remote/destination/

To copy a file from the remote computer to your local computer:

scp netid@hostname.rice.edu:/path/to/remote/file /path/to/local/destination/

In the above commands, substitute the host name of the system you are transferring to/from in place of hostname.rice.edu and substitute your Rice NetID in place of netid. You should also substitute the correct paths to the desired files and directories, relative to the computer upon which they reside. For example, replace "/path/to/local/file" with a path to a file that already exists on your computer, and replace "/path/to/remote/destination/" with a path to a directory that already exists on the remote computer.

Once the secure connection is established, SCP will begin copying, and will display the progress of the file(s) being transferred, along with their size and transfer speed.

Obtaining SSH

The MacOS operating system on the Mac already has SSH as part of its default installation and will work the same way as described above from a terminal window.

The Windows operating system also includes a native SSH client, accessed via the PowerShell.  Basic operation of SSH and SCP are the same as explained above.  If you want a file transfer client GUI you can use filezilla from here https://filezilla-project.org/.