Create shortcut log-in command

It can be very tedious to have to type full command to log into a remote machine using the secure shell (ssh) when a remote machine is used often.

Add a custom command to the .bashrc

A simple solution is to add a custom command to the .basrc. Open the .bashrc (which is in the root of home directory) using any plain text editor. E.g.: <source lang='bash'> vi $HOME/.bashrc </source>

Then, using the alias function, define a new function derived from the ssh command and your personal credentials: <source lang='bash'> alias lx7="ssh username@scomp1095.wurnet.nl" alias hpc="ssh username@login.anunna.wur.nl" </source>

The new function will be available from next login, therefore log out of the active terminal and log back in. From the freshly opened terminal, issuing the following command: <source lang='bash'> lx7 </source> should give you direct access to scomp1095, for instance. If you do this in combination with a passwordless setup, you will not even be prompted for a password.

Using a ssh config file

Instead of using the alias function, it is possible to use a ssh config file. The ssh config file can be found at $HOME/.ssh/config . If the ssh config file does not exist, you can create it with, e.g.,: <source lang='bash'> touch $HOME/.ssh.config </source> If the ssh config file exists, you can add the different options you use to log in of the different servers/clusters. For example, for Anunna, you can add:

<source lang='bash'> Host hpc

Hostname login.anunna.wur.nl
User username
IdentityFile PATH_TO_PRIVATE_KEY (if applicable)
ForwardX11 yes (if applicable)

</source>

After the addition to the ssh congig file, you can log in as follows: <source lang='bash'> ssh hpc </source>

You may add to the ssh config file several configurations for the same or several clusters. For example, for the two aliases in the section Add a custom command to the .bashrc , you can add the following lines to your ssh config file: <source lang='bash'> Host scomp

HostName scomp1095.wurnet.nl
User username

Host hpc

Hostname login.anunna.wur.nl
User username

</source>

For more information on the possible different options for the ssh config file, you may consult the man page.

See also

• ssh without password
• Lx6 and Lx7 compute nodes
• Logging into cluster using ssh and file transfer