SSH Configuration Setup for NLU

Once you have your NLU password, follow these steps to configure your SSH access:

1. Check for an existing config file:

   • First, check if a .ssh/config file already exists by running:

   cat ~/.ssh/config
   

   • If you receive a no such file exists error, create the file using:

   touch ~/.ssh/config
   

   • Then follow the steps below.

2. Open your terminal and navigate to the .ssh directory:

   cd ~/.ssh
   

3. Edit the .ssh/config file using any text editor. vim is commonly used for terminal purposes. To open the file with vim, run:

   vim config
   

4. Copy and paste the following content into your .ssh/config file. Make sure to replace the NLUGvlsz with your actual CCI account username (replace "NLUG(xxxx)" with your CCI account):

   Host cci01
       HostName blp01.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ControlPersist yes
   
   Host cci02
       HostName blp02.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ControlPersist yes
   
   Host cci03
       HostName blp03.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ControlPersist yes
   
   Host cci04
       HostName blp04.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ControlPersist yes
   
   Host fen01
       HostName dcsfen01.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPersist yes
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ProxyCommand ssh -q -W %h:%p cci01
   
   Host fen02
       HostName dcsfen02.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPersist yes
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ProxyCommand ssh -q -W %h:%p cci02
   
   Host fen03
       HostName dcsfen03.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPersist yes
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ProxyCommand ssh -q -W %h:%p cci03
   
   Host fen04
       HostName dcsfen04.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPersist yes
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ProxyCommand ssh -q -W %h:%p cci04
   
   Host npl01
       HostName nplfen01.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPersist yes
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ProxyCommand ssh -q -W %h:%p cci01
   
   Host drp01
       HostName drpfen01.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPersist yes
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ProxyCommand ssh -q -W %h:%p cci01
   
   Host drp02
       HostName drpfen02.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPersist yes
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ProxyCommand ssh -q -W %h:%p cci02
   
   Host erp01
       HostName erpfen01.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPersist yes
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ProxyCommand ssh -q -W %h:%p cci01
   
   Host erp02
       HostName erpfen02.ccni.rpi.edu
       User NLUGvlsz
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPersist yes
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/control:%h:%p:%r
       ProxyCommand ssh -q -W %h:%p cci02
   

5. Save and exit the editor. If using vim, type :wq and press Enter.

Once this is set up, you should be able to connect to the desired hosts using your CCI account credentials.

Alternative Solution Using the setup_ssh_config.sh Script

If you prefer an automated approach, you can use the setup_ssh_config.sh script available in this repository.

Steps to Use the Script:

1. Make the script executable:

   In your terminal, run the following command to give the script execution permissions:

   chmod +x setup_ssh_config.sh
   

2. Run the script:

   Once the script is executable, run it by typing:

   ./setup_ssh_config.sh
   

The script will guide you through the configuration process, prompting you for your NLUG (CCI) account username and setting up the necessary SSH configuration.

Accessing AiMos Files in VSCode

This guide will help you mount your AiMos home directory locally and access files directly through VSCode.

Installation

For Ubuntu/Debian

Install sshfs using:

sudo apt-get install sshfs

For macOS

Install macfuse and sshfs using Homebrew:

brew install macfuse sshfs

If you don’t have Homebrew installed, use this command:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Setup

	1.	Create a main directory for your mount points:

mkdir ~/mounts
cd ~/mounts
mkdir home


	2.	Use sshfs to mount the desired directory. The usage pattern is:

sshfs [email protected]:/gpfs/u/home/NLUG/NLUGvlsz ~/mounts/cci-home -o follow_symlinks,allow_other
- replace (NLUG)vlsv with your appropriate NLUG account username.

	3.	To disconnect the mount, close any open files or editors and run:

sudo umount ~/mounts/home



SSH Multiplexing Revisited

If you’ve set up SSH multiplexing, you can avoid repeated authentication prompts when using sshfs. With SSH multiplexing configured, use:

sshfs cci01:/gpfs/u/home/NLUG/NLUGvlsv ~/mounts/home -o follow_symlinks

This command will use the existing SSH control socket, reducing the need for additional authentication.

Accessing Files in VSCode

To open the mounted directory directly in VSCode, use:

code ~/mounts/cci-home

This command will launch VSCode with the AiMos files accessible as if they were local files.

Simply copy this text and paste it into your GitHub wiki editor.