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SISSA VPN ​

Use SISSA VPN to access internal resources (High-Performance Computing) when you are outside the SISSA network.

IMPORTANT

You need an active SISSA account and 2FA enabled. You cannot be connected to another VPN at the same time.

Installation ​

Install Cisco Secure Client following the official SISSA instructions:

https://www.itcs.sissa.it/services/network/internal/vpnclient-win

If you are unsure which installer to use for your OS, check with ITCS before proceeding.

Connect To SISSA VPN ​

  1. Open Cisco Secure Client.
  2. In the VPN address field, enter vpn.sissa.it/sso.
  3. Click Connect.
  4. Complete SISSA login and 2FA (password + phone code/app confirmation).

When the connection is active, you can access internal hosts via SSH.

Connect to HPC ​

Currently, there are two available HPCs, Penelope and Telemaco. You can connect either from a terminal or from VS Code.

Option 1: Terminal (SSH) ​

Use:

sh
ssh your_name@machine_name.ma.sissa.it

Example:

sh
ssh mrossi@penelope.ma.sissa.it

Useful commands:

sh
passwd   # change your password
exit     # logout from remote shell
  1. Install these extensions:
    • Remote - SSH
    • Remote Explorer
  2. Open Remote Explorer from the left sidebar.
  3. Add a new SSH target with:
sh
ssh your_name@machine_name.ma.sissa.it
  1. Select the host and click Connect.

After first setup, the host will appear in the SSH targets list so you can reconnect quickly.

TIP

Use /home/$(whoami)/storage as your main working directory on remote machines.

Environment Management ​

The HPC machines run Rocky Linux. If you need to confirm the system version, run:

sh
cat /etc/os-release

For Python projects, use isolated environments. Prefer micromamba or uv.

WARNING

You do not have root permissions on these machines.

Before installing anything manually, check whether the package is already available through spack:

sh
spack find package_name

If it is available, load it with:

sh
spack load package_name

If the package you need is not available, ask in the fast_servers channel.

Transfer Files ​

Use rsync to move files between your local machine and the HPC systems. It is usually the safest choice because it is resumable and efficient.

Upload from local to remote. Run this on your local machine:

sh
rsync -avz --progress --update /path/to/local/storage/ user@remote.host:/path/to/save/

Download from remote to local. Run this on your local machine:

sh
rsync -avz --progress --update user@remote.host:/path/to/copy/ /path/to/local/storage/

Replace the example paths with your own local and remote directories.

Full rsync documentation: https://download.samba.org/pub/rsync/rsync.1

Troubleshooting ​

  • If VPN login fails, verify your SISSA password and 2FA status.
  • If SSH fails, confirm VPN is connected and host name is correct.
  • If you need access support, contact ITCS (VPN issues) or ask for help in the fast_servers Slack channel (machine access and packages).