Accessing the OBCP Cluster

Accessing the OBCP Cluster

This section of the wiki is designed to help a user run programs though a command line and GUI interface as well as transfer files on the OBCP cluster. All actions on the cluster require a user account. Send any requests for a new user account to Joe Cora.

FTP Access

Introduction

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard interface used to transfer files over to the internet between two computers. There are many free FTP clients on any platform and most are easy to use. The OBCP Cluster accepts FTP transactions that are piped through SSH that is often known as Secure FTP.

Connecting and Transferring

Open up your FTP client and select an option to create a new account. Enter the host as obcp-server.biosci.ohio-state.edu and use your OBCP login credentials for username and password. Change the connection type to be SFTP, Secure FTP, SSH, or similar. Click connect and you should now have access to all of the directories in which you possess read permission. Typically, an FTP client will use a two pane layout with one side being the local files and the other side being the remote (cluster) files. Navigate to your directory of choice and transfer your desired files to and from the cluster. Folders that are not within your home directory will prevent you from adding or overwriting existing files.

Popular FTP Clients

Cross Platform Browser

• FireFTP: This is a well-made and convenient addon for the Firefox browser to integrate an FTP client into the browser.

Windows

• SmartFTP: A powerful, easy to use FTP client for Windows. SFTP appears to only be available in the professional edition.
• FileZilla: A useful, open-source FTP client that has cross platform support. A Windows only installer is available.

Mac OS X

• FileZilla: A useful, open-source FTP client that has cross platform support.

Command Line (SSH) Access

Introduction

Secure Shell (SSH) is a standard protocol for communicating with a remote computer over the internet. SSH allows remote access to the Unix shell, a text-based command line terminal for Linux operating systems, and is analogous to opening up a terminal window from the local machine.

Accessing the SSH terminal

Accessing the Unix shell through SSH is easy but may require a separate program SSH client in order to communicate with the OBCP cluster. Below are OS-specific connection options to the OBCP cluster through SSH.

Windows

Windows does not come with a native SSH client, so a separate SSH client program is necessary. View the guide on connecting to the OBCP cluster though the SSH client PuTTY

GUI Access

TODO