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Log into HPC

Overview

Connect to the HPC system using SSH from your local machine.


Before you begin

Make sure:

  • you have an HPC account
  • you know your HPC username
  • you have network access to the HPC system
  • you have an SSH client installed (Linux, macOS, or Windows with SSH support)

Steps

1. Open a terminal

On your local machine, open a terminal application.


2. Connect using SSH

Run the following command:

ssh <username>@hpc.uct.ac.za

Replace <username> with your HPC username.


3. Enter your password

When prompted:

  • enter your HPC password
  • press Enter

Note: - no characters will appear while typing the password - this is normal behaviour


4. Confirm login

After successful login, you should see:

  • a welcome message or system notice
  • a command prompt on the HPC system

Verify

Confirm that you are connected to the HPC system:

hostname

The output should show the name of an HPC login node.

You can also check your home directory:

pwd

Troubleshooting

Permission denied

Possible causes:

  • incorrect username
  • incorrect password
  • account not yet activated

Connection timed out

Possible causes:

  • no network access
  • VPN required but not connected
  • incorrect hostname

Command not found: ssh

Possible cause:

  • SSH client is not installed or not available in your environment