Getting Connected

All interaction with gruffalo is handled via an encrypted communication channel, using the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol which enables a terminal prompt on gruffalo from which you can run commands, transfer files, submit jobs, or even run some graphical programs when used in conjunction with an X client.

If using Linux or macOS, then you’ll already have an SSH client installed that you can access via a local terminal. If using Windows, then you may want to install one or more new programs in order to connect, good options include MobaXterm, WSL (Windows 10+ only), Cygwin/mintty or PuTTY. Since 2018 there has also been a built-in ssh client in Windows 10 and above which can be run from the Command Prompt or Windows Power Shell, by simply using the command ssh much like Linux or Mac.

Authentication options

Regardless of the client you use to connect, we support two primary methods of SSH authentication:

• password authentication

• key authentication (with 2FA)

Using passwords is only possible if connecting from one of our Supported Organisations, either directly while onsite or via VPN, whereas you can use keys to connect from any location, although it does involve additional initial setup.

We recommend - where possible - that you first establish a working connection using your password before attempting key-based authentication.

Note

With many staff working from home due to the COVID pandemic, you may need to skip straight to the key-based remote access instructions.

Password authentication

The following links will guide you through getting connected to gruffalo using password authentication. Pick the guide most appropriate to the type of SSH client you’re using (either terminal/command-line or graphical):

• Terminal Clients Connection Guide (Passwords)

• Graphical Clients Connection Guide (Passwords)

Key authentication (with 2FA)

To connect from remote addresses, we require using a strong cryptographic authentication instead of a password. For this authentication method you need to generate an SSH key pair.

Note

SSH key-based authentication also requires occasional two-factor authentication (2FA) verification via the use of one-time codes. Information on registering an app to generate these codes will have been sent to you with your account details.

Again, we have seperate guides depending on the client type you’re using:

• Terminal Clients Connection Guide (Keys)

• Graphical Clients Connection Guide (Keys)

Important

You can see why it’s critical that we enforce key use for remote access by looking at last seven days’ worth of rogue access attempts on our login tracker: https://cropdiversity.ac.uk/botplot