Getting started with dedicated server

PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE PACKAGES

Your dedicated machine (see MACHINE DETAILS) is already configured for neuroimaging processing, with common and popular tools as: freesurfer, mrtrix, fsl, ants, among others. Environment variables are also set-up in .bashrc file. transfer.sh alias is setup as a handy way to copy files to/from the virtual machine. You can apt-get to fetch further packages from neurodebian repository (already set up).

We have configured a Jupyter notebook server for your convenience as well. You will notice a folder ‘mint labs examples’ several notebooks showing examples of how to use it, already installed, QMENTA API to make use of simple data management (upload/download) and processing pipelines. For more details, check this tutorial and docs at: https://docs.qmenta.com/client/tutorial.html.

 

TO CONNECT

There are several ways to connect to your dedicated machine.

  • Login with SSH login/password

Simply access your account with your login/password

  • Login using SSH keys (recommended)

Generate your SSH keys, and share with us your public key. We will set up your account.

Login with your favorite ssh client using your keys.

  • For graphical interface, login with VNC

Use your favourite VNC client and access to your machine 104.196.181.6:1 (display 1) and provide password

  • For Jupyter notebook

You access the server at: https://104.196.181.6:9999 with password

 

MACHINE DETAILS

IP: 104.196.181.6

Machine type: 8 vCPUs, 52 GB memory, 300GB disk

Ask customer support for ID and Password

 

How To Set Up SSH Keys

About SSH Keys

SSH keys provide a more secure way of logging into a virtual private server with SSH than using a password alone. While a password can eventually be cracked with a brute force attack, SSH keys are nearly impossible to decipher by brute force alone. Generating a key pair provides you with two long string of characters: a public and a private key. You can place the public key on any server, and then unlock it by connecting to it with a client that already has the private key. When the two match up, the system unlocks without the need for a password. You can increase security even more by protecting the private key with a passphrase.

 

Step 1 —Create the RSA Key Pair

The first step is to create the key pair on the client machine (there is a good chance that this will just be your computer):

ssh-keygen -t rsa

 

Step 2 —Store the Keys and Passphrase

Once you have entered the Gen Key command, you will get a few more questions:

Enter file in which to save the key (/home/demo/.ssh/id_rsa):

You can press enter here, saving the file to the user home (in this case, my example user is called demo).

Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):

It's up to you whether you want to use a passphrase. Entering a passphrase does have its benefits: the security of a key, no matter how encrypted, still depends on the fact that it is not visible to anyone else. Should a passphrase-protected private key fall into an unauthorized user’s possession, they will be unable to log in to its associated accounts until they figure out the passphrase, buying the hacked user some extra time. The only downside, of course, to having a passphrase, is then having to type it in each time you use the Key Pair.

The public key is now located in /home/demo/.ssh/id_rsa.pub The private key (identification) is now located in /home/demo/.ssh/id_rsa

 

Step 3 —Copy the Public Key

Once the key pair is generated, it's time to place the public key on the virtual server that we want to use.

You can send us your SSH public key to setup your account for you.

 

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