HPC via WinSCP/PuTTY

Access files and the HPCs command line by using a combination of WinSCP and Putty. WinSCP allows you to view the filesystem, download/edit files directly on the HPC, and track file changes. Putty is like any other terminal, and can be used to execute commands on the HPC.

Note: If you do not wish to use WinSCP for file-viewing, you can directly use VS Code to access the HPC.

Setup your WinSCP configuration

• Step 1: Download and install WinSCP

• Step 2: Create a configuration to login to a specific HPC. This includes providing the URL for the HPC such as crossover.lcrc.anl.gov, as well as a username and password to allow automated login into the HPC Most HPC systems require using an SSH keypair for login and will not accept a password. This can be set by selecting Advanced > SSH > Authentication while creating the configuration, and pointing WinSCP to the correct private key for the specific HPC URL selected.

  Once the configuration is setup and saved, the login window should appear as follows:

Using PuTTY

If you have already setup WinSCP to connect to an HPC, then you can reuse that connection for a terminal by using the Putty terminal shortcut in WinSCP.