Connecting Machines - Revision history

Drc71 at 10:16, 25 March 2026

2026-03-25T10:16:28Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:16, 25 March 2026
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	You can now log straight into barbical with ''ssh barbican'' or straight into your machine with ''ssh machinename''. The last two commands stop the ssh being killed if you are idle for too long. The ''ServerAliveInterval'' is how many seconds to ping a null packet, and the ''ServerAliveCountMax'' are how many consecutive times it needs to fail for the ssh to be killed.		You can now log straight into barbical with ''ssh barbican'' or straight into your machine with ''ssh machinename''. The last two commands stop the ssh being killed if you are idle for too long. The ''ServerAliveInterval'' is how many seconds to ping a null packet, and the ''ServerAliveCountMax'' are how many consecutive times it needs to fail for the ssh to be killed.

	==File Transfer Protocol==		=File Transfer Protocol=

	You may want to transfer files between department machines and your computer. The standard way is to ''scp'' via the terminal with commands :		You may want to transfer files between department machines and your computer. The standard way is to ''scp'' via the terminal with commands :
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	However, a more convenient way is to set up a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) between machines. It can come with a graphic user interface, where you can drag and drop files from the department machine to your computer.		However, a more convenient way is to set up a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) between machines. It can come with a graphic user interface, where you can drag and drop files from the department machine to your computer.

	==Windows==		==Windows FTP==

	I recommend the WinSCP software. You can download it from [https://winscp.net/eng/download.php here].		I recommend the WinSCP software. You can download it from [https://winscp.net/eng/download.php here].
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	You can now navigate in the directories of the remote machine on the right tab, and of your local computer on the left tab, and you can transfer files between the two with a drag and drop. Enjoy !		You can now navigate in the directories of the remote machine on the right tab, and of your local computer on the left tab, and you can transfer files between the two with a drag and drop. Enjoy !

		⚫	==Mac/Linux FTP==


⚫	====Mac/Linux====

	You can download FileZilla for [https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?platform=osx MacOS] or [https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?platform=linux64 linux].		You can download FileZilla for [https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?platform=osx MacOS] or [https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?platform=linux64 linux].
Line 100:		Line 98:
	You can now navigate in the directories of the remote machine on the right tab, and of your local computer on the left tab, and you can transfer files between the two with a drag and drop. Enjoy !		You can now navigate in the directories of the remote machine on the right tab, and of your local computer on the left tab, and you can transfer files between the two with a drag and drop. Enjoy !

	==Using VSCode Remote==		=Using VSCode Remote=

	===Windows===		==Windows==
	# Find your wsl ssh config file as a Windows path, for example ''''\\wsl.localhost\Ubuntu\home\<name>\.ssh\config'''''		# Find your wsl ssh config file as a Windows path, for example ''''\\wsl.localhost\Ubuntu\home\<name>\.ssh\config'''''
	# Make sure you have the 'Remote SSH' extension installed in VSCode		# Make sure you have the 'Remote SSH' extension installed in VSCode

Drc71: /* How to connect to department machines */

2026-03-25T10:13:42Z

How to connect to department machines

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:13, 25 March 2026
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		⚫	=On Mac/WSL=
	= How to connect to department machines =

⚫	===On Mac/WSL===

	# Check you have an Admitto account and collect your password from https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/computing/admitto-service		# Check you have an Admitto account and collect your password from https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/computing/admitto-service
Line 36:		Line 34:
	You can now log straight into barbical with ''ssh barbican'' or straight into your machine with ''ssh machinename''. The last two commands stop the ssh being killed if you are idle for too long. The ''ServerAliveInterval'' is how many seconds to ping a null packet, and the ''ServerAliveCountMax'' are how many consecutive times it needs to fail for the ssh to be killed.		You can now log straight into barbical with ''ssh barbican'' or straight into your machine with ''ssh machinename''. The last two commands stop the ssh being killed if you are idle for too long. The ''ServerAliveInterval'' is how many seconds to ping a null packet, and the ''ServerAliveCountMax'' are how many consecutive times it needs to fail for the ssh to be killed.

	===File Transfer Protocol===		==File Transfer Protocol==

	You may want to transfer files between department machines and your computer. The standard way is to ''scp'' via the terminal with commands :		You may want to transfer files between department machines and your computer. The standard way is to ''scp'' via the terminal with commands :
Line 46:		Line 44:
	However, a more convenient way is to set up a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) between machines. It can come with a graphic user interface, where you can drag and drop files from the department machine to your computer.		However, a more convenient way is to set up a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) between machines. It can come with a graphic user interface, where you can drag and drop files from the department machine to your computer.

	====Windows====		==Windows==

	I recommend the WinSCP software. You can download it from [https://winscp.net/eng/download.php here].		I recommend the WinSCP software. You can download it from [https://winscp.net/eng/download.php here].
Line 102:		Line 100:
	You can now navigate in the directories of the remote machine on the right tab, and of your local computer on the left tab, and you can transfer files between the two with a drag and drop. Enjoy !		You can now navigate in the directories of the remote machine on the right tab, and of your local computer on the left tab, and you can transfer files between the two with a drag and drop. Enjoy !

	=== Using VSCode Remote ===		==Using VSCode Remote==
	====Windows====		===Windows===
	# Find your wsl ssh config file as a Windows path, for example ''''\\wsl.localhost\Ubuntu\home\<name>\.ssh\config'''''		# Find your wsl ssh config file as a Windows path, for example ''''\\wsl.localhost\Ubuntu\home\<name>\.ssh\config'''''
	# Make sure you have the 'Remote SSH' extension installed in VSCode		# Make sure you have the 'Remote SSH' extension installed in VSCode

Drc71: Created page with "= How to connect to department machines = ===On Mac/WSL=== # Check you have an Admitto account and collect your password from https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/computing/admitto-service # The bastion host barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk requires ssh keys and an MFA token to log in. Instructions can be found here: https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/computing/network-bastion-host # In the terminal run the command ''ssh -X crsid@barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk'' # When prompted input your Admitto username (crs..."

2026-03-24T10:16:30Z

Created page with "= How to connect to department machines = ===On Mac/WSL=== # Check you have an Admitto account and collect your password from https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/computing/admitto-service # The bastion host barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk requires ssh keys and an MFA token to log in. Instructions can be found here: https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/computing/network-bastion-host # In the terminal run the command ''ssh -X crsid@barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk'' # When prompted input your Admitto username (crs..."

New page

= How to connect to department machines =

===On Mac/WSL===

# Check you have an Admitto account and collect your password from https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/computing/admitto-service
# The bastion host barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk requires ssh keys and an MFA token to log in. Instructions can be found here: https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/computing/network-bastion-host
# In the terminal run the command ''ssh -X crsid@barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk''
# When prompted input your Admitto username (crsid) and password
# Once this has worked run the command ''ssh -X crsid@machinename'' in the terminal to log into a particular machine

Set up logging in without a password:

# Generate an ssh key by running the command ''ssh-keygen'' in the terminal, as described in detail in the section "Introduction to basic shell commands"
# Use ''cd ~/.ssh'' to navigate to the directory holding the keys, and copy the text from the file "id_rsa.pub" beginning with ssh-rsa. This is your public ssh key
# Log into the department barbican machine, and create / navigate to a directory called .ssh
# Use ''chmod 700 .ssh'' to set permissions for the directory
# Input ''vi authorized_keys'' to open up the vi text editor. Press i, then paste in your public ssh key. Press escape, then type '':wq'' and press enter to write and quit the editor
# Log into the particular machine you want to ssh to, and repeat steps 3 to 5
# Exit back to your machine and navigate to the home directory
# Input ''vi .ssh/config'' to open the vi text editor. Press i, then paste in the following, with your crsid and machine name in the places given:
Host barbican
User crsid
Hostname barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk
ForwardAgent yes
ProxyCommand none
Host machinename
Hostname machinename
ProxyCommand ssh barbican -W %h:%p
User crsid
ForwardAgent yes
ServerAliveInterval 60
ServerAliveCountMax 10

Press escape, then input '':wq'' followed by enter to exit the editor.
You can now log straight into barbical with ''ssh barbican'' or straight into your machine with ''ssh machinename''. The last two commands stop the ssh being killed if you are idle for too long. The ''ServerAliveInterval'' is how many seconds to ping a null packet, and the ''ServerAliveCountMax'' are how many consecutive times it needs to fail for the ssh to be killed.

===File Transfer Protocol===

You may want to transfer files between department machines and your computer. The standard way is to ''scp'' via the terminal with commands :
UPLOAD :
scp -o ProxyCommand="ssh crsid@barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk nc machinename 22" LocalPath/FileName crsid@machinename.ch.cam.ac.uk:/RemotePath
DOWNLOAD :
scp -o ProxyCommand="ssh crsid@barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk nc machinename 22" crsid@machinename.ch.cam.ac.uk:/RemotePath/FileName LocalPath

However, a more convenient way is to set up a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) between machines. It can come with a graphic user interface, where you can drag and drop files from the department machine to your computer.

====Windows====

I recommend the WinSCP software. You can download it from [https://winscp.net/eng/download.php here].
Once installed, click ''New Session'', and choose ''SFTP'' protocol with :
Hostname = machinename
Port number = 22
Username = crsid
Leave 'Password' entry empty.
Then click on ''Advanced...'', ''Tunnel'' tab, check the ''Connect through SSH tunnel'' tickbox and enter:
Hostname = barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk
Port number = 22
Username = crsid
Leave 'Password' entry empty.
Click ''OK'' and click ''Save'', and finally ''Login''. Enter your admitto password twice.
You can now navigate in the directories of the remote machine on the right tab, and of your local computer on the left tab, and you can transfer files between the two with a drag and drop. Enjoy !

====Mac/Linux====

You can download FileZilla for [https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?platform=osx MacOS] or [https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?platform=linux64 linux].
The problem is that FileZilla does not support tunnel ssh. To open the connection, you need to use a ssh client like puTTY.
On MacOS please follow [https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-putty-on-mac this guide].

On Linux you can do :
sudo apt-get install -y putty
Open it by typing ''putty'' on the terminal. The interface should open.
Type the following entries :

in the ''SSH/Tunnels'' tab :
Source Port = 3111
Destination = machinename:22
local
auto
and click ''Add''. (source port can be any number > 1024)

in the ''session'' tab :
Host Name = barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk
port = 22
connection type = SSH
Enter a name for this connection in the ''saved sessions'' entry, and click ''Save''.

Now click ''Open''.
A terminal should open, type your crsid and your admitto password, you're now logged into Barbican (it's normal that it's not your machine).

Now open FileZilla, and enter :
Host = sftp://localhost
username = crsid
password = admitto password
port = 3111
and click ''Quickconnect''. (port needs to be the same as source port in puTTY).

A window will open (Unknown host key), click ''OK''. Hopefully the connection is successful.

You can now navigate in the directories of the remote machine on the right tab, and of your local computer on the left tab, and you can transfer files between the two with a drag and drop. Enjoy !

=== Using VSCode Remote ===
====Windows====
# Find your wsl ssh config file as a Windows path, for example ''''\\wsl.localhost\Ubuntu\home\<name>\.ssh\config'''''
# Make sure you have the 'Remote SSH' extension installed in VSCode
# In your config file, instead of using the layout above, change it to
Host barbican
User <crsid>
Hostname barbican.ch.cam.ac.uk
ForwardAgent yes
ProxyCommand none
Host <machinename>
Hostname <machinename>
ProxyJump barbican
User <crsid>
ServerAliveInterval 60
ServerAliveCountMax 10
(this has removed the ForwardAgent and ProxyCommand lines and replaced with ProxyJump instead)

# <li value="4">In VSCode, set your ssh config file manually to your path. Your wsl ssh folder can be copied into a Windows path (C:\Users\<user>\<blah>)if VSCode is not happy with the wsl path.</li>
# At the bottom left, the green arrows is where you will be able to connect to remote machines. Click on it, and it should recognise all the hosts in your config file
# Select your host, and you will need to enter your password twice