Farm Account Set Up

This guide will get you started as you first begin using Farm. It will cover authentication, installing programs, and give a few examples.

Creating an SSH Key and Farm Account

In order to create an account on farm you need to have an SSH public key. This key is a file created on your local computer (not Farm) that allows you to authenticate with Farm.

1. Generate your key with ssh-keygen. Be sure to use a passphrase.

    $ ssh-keygen -b 2048
    Generating public/private rsa key pair.
    Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/username/.ssh/id_rsa):
    Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
    Enter same passphrase again:
    Your identification has been saved in /Users/username/.ssh/id_rsa.
    Your public key has been saved in /Users/username/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
    The key fingerprint is:
    e1:1e:3d:01:e1:a3:ed:2b:6b:fe:c1:8e:73:7f:1f:f0 
    The key's randomart image is:
    +--[ RSA 2048]----+
    |.o... ...        |
    |  .  .   o       |
    | .     *         |
    |  .  o +         |
    | .   S .         |
    |  o   E          |
    |   +     .       |
    |oo+..  . .       |
    |+=oo... o.       |
    +-----------------+
   

WARNING: There are two keys generated: private and public. The public key is sent to the Farm (or any other servers you have access to) and the private key stays where it is. Never share or transfer your private key -- keep it safe and private. Any computer with your private key can log in to your account. Treat your private key like a password.

2. Your keys are located in the ~/.ssh/ directory:

    /Users/[username]/.ssh
   

Your public key is in a file called id_rsa.pub.

3. Attach id_rsa.pub to the application form for an account. Make sure to ask to be part of the Ross-Ibarra group. Note that the admins and Jeff have access to log into your account if needed; signing up for an account on the cluster constitutes permission to allow this access.