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Log in to a remote desktop environment

Learning objectives

  • Practice using the UPPMAX documentation
  • Can log in to the Rackham remote desktop environment using the website
  • (optional) Can log in to the Rackham remote desktop environment using a local ThinLinc client
For teachers

Teaching goals are:

  • Learners have practiced using the UPPMAX documentation
  • Learners haved logged in to the Rackham remote desktop environment using the website
  • (optional) Learners have logged in to the Rackham remote desktop environment using a local ThinLinc client

Lesson plan:

gantt
  title Login to remote desktop via website
  dateFormat X
  axisFormat %s
  section First hour
  Prior : prior, 0, 5s
  Present: present, after prior, 2s
  %% It took me 5 mins, here I do that time x2
  Challenge: crit, challenge, after present, 10s
  %% Here I use the same time it took me to give feedback
  Feedback: feedback, after challenge, 5s

Prior questions:

  • What is a desktop environment?
  • How does a desktop environment look like?
  • What is a remote desktop environment?
  • How does a remote desktop environment look like?
  • Who has already logged in to a remote desktop environment?
  • Why would one use a remote desktop environment?
  • What are disadvantages of a remote desktop environment?

The Rackham remote desktop environment

The Rackham remote desktop environment.

Why?

You want to use an HPC cluster with a visual and familiar user interface.

The UPPMAX clusters provide for a remote desktop environment. It is a remote environment, as we need to log in to a cluster remotely, i.e. we do not plug in our keyboard and monitor to a node.

There are two ways to access the remote remote desktop environment of Rackham:

  • use a website
  • use a program

In this session, we will at least access the Rackham remote desktop environment using a website, as this is easier to do.

Exercises

Need a video?

Here is a video that shows the solution of these exercises

There are two exercises, of which the second is optional.

Exercise 1: login via website

Go to the UPPMAX documentation at https://docs.uppmax.uu.se, then answer these questions:

  • Find the page where it is documented to log in to Rackham's remote desktop via a webbrowser.
Answer

The page is here.

  • Follow the procedure

(optional) Exercise 2: login via a program

Go to the UPPMAX documentation at https://docs.uppmax.uu.se, then answer these questions:

  • Find the page where it is documented to log in to Rackham's remote desktop using a program. What is that program called?
Answer

It is hard to search for which program that is. However, using the 'log in to Rackham' page shows the login via 'a local ThinLinc client'.

That is the program's name: ThinLinc

How to log in to Rackham's remote desktop environment using a local ThinLinc client is documented here

  • Follow the procedure