The graphical versions of the stats programs on the SCS machines use a system called X or X11 to do the graphical display. For this to work on your desktop, you must be running an X package on the desktop. When you run X-based applications on the SCS hosts, those applications will make forwarding connections from the SCS hosts to the X server on your desktop.
X11 Forwarding in Linux/Mac OS X – For Macs, your best option is to download xQuartz from xQuartz.org. This is free software which will allow you to forward X11 on a Mac. Download the xQuartz DMG, open it, and follow the installation instructions. How do I set up X11 forwarding? You can now start X11 GUI applications from the command line. X11 on OS X is provided by XQuartz. You can now start X11 GUI applications from the command line. Xming is the recommended application for X11 forwarding on Windows.
For example, if you have X11 forwarding enabled and you run the xstata command on one of the SCS machines, a graphical Stata window will appear on your local desktop. You can use it as if it were running on your computer, though all data will still be in your AFS space or on the disk of the SCS machine you're using to run the program.
How to do this depends on what kind of computer you're using. See below for use on Windows, Mac (OSX), and Linux/UNIX desktops.
Windows PCs
To use X11 forwarding on Windows, you must have an X11 package installed and must properly configure your communications to forward the X connection.
X11 Packages for Windows
X11 Forwarding Mac Sierra
There are a number of packages for X11 on Windows. This is not a complete list, but describes the most popular usage at U-M.
Exceed/Hummingbird Exceed
You can purchase a copy of Exceed (formerly known as Hummingbird Exceed). Exceed is an X server for Windows that will allow you to do X11 forwarding directly to your desktop. Please note that we do not officially support Exceed and cannot provide help in its configuration.
Cygwin X
You can download a copy of Cygwin 1.7 or later from the Cygwin website. This includes an X11 client and server. Google chrome safari or firefox for macbook. As with Exceed, we do not officially support Cygwin and cannot provide help in its installation or configuration.
ITS Virtual Sites
Rather than installing and configuring software on your desktop, you can use Virtual Sites to connect to the Statistics and Computation service. This has the advantage of being officially supported, saves you any licensing costs, and doesn't require you to do any special configuration or commands.
X11 Forwarding on Windows
If you are using a local X11 installation, there are two popular methods to make X-based connections to the stats servers.
Be sure your X package is running before attempting forwarding.
Forwarding With PuTTY
Download and install a copy of PuTTY. Once installed, you will need to take additional steps as follows to configure it for X11 forwarding.
Run PuTTY and look for the field labelled 'Host Name (or IP Address)'. In it type scs.dsc.umich.edu. Then, in the menu on the left-hand side of the PuTTY window, select through the menus Connection > SSH > X11. Select the box labelled Enable X11 forwarding. Then click on the open button at the bottom of the PuTTY window.
You will be prompted for your uniqname and password, and then logged into one of the SCS machines. Any graphical programs you run on the SCS will now appear on your screen.
Forwarding Using Xterms and ssh
Most X client installations include the xterm application. Open an xterm and you will see a terminal-like window. In that window, type the command ssh -X scs.dsc.umich.edu.
You will be prompted for your password, and then logged into one of the SCS machines. Any graphical programs you run on the SCS will now appear on your screen.
Mac (OSX)
To enable X11 forwarding on a Mac, you must have an X11 package installed and give the proper commands in a Mac terminal window.
X11 Packages For OSX/Macs
Which X11 package to install depends on which version of Mac OSX you are using.
OSX 10.8 and newer
Apple has dropped support for X11 and is instead using a freely available version of X11 called XQuartz. You will need to install that on your Mac to use X11.
You will not need to manually start XQuartz; the ssh command given below will do this for you automatically.
Macs with OSX 10.7 through 10.5
As of December 2015, XQuartz is available for OSX 10.6.3 and later, and OSX 10.7 and later. If you choose not to use it or have OSX 10.5, you must use Apples X11 package.
Apples X11 is an optional add-on. It may have already been installed on your Mac. If present, you will find it by opening Applications and look for X11 in the Utilities folder.
If it is not installed, you should be able to do so from your OS X installation DVD. If you do not have one, please contact your desktop support staff to have it installed.
As of OSX 10.11 (and possibly earlier?) you will not need to manually start X11; the ssh command given below will do this for you automatically. If you have a version of OSX which does not do this, you will need to manually start your OSX versions' flavor of X11.
Macs with OSX 10.4 or earlier
If you are running OSX 10.4 or earlier, follow the instructions for 10.7 through 10.5 above to see if Apples X11 is installed. If it is not, follow the instructions in that section to install it.
X11 Forwarding Virtual Machine
Unlike 10.5 and later, you will have to manually start X11 before opening a connection to the stats servers. To start it, open Applications and then the Utilites folder, then double-click on the X application. It will usually open an xterm window for you automatically.
X11 Forwarding on the Mac
If you are running OSX 10.4 or earlier, be sure your X11 package is running. Later versions will start X11 automatically when you give the ssh command below.
You can make a forwarding connection to the SCS servers by opening a terminal window of any type (Mac Terminal, xterm, iTerm) and giving the command
If your Mac login ID is the same as your uniqname, you do not have to specify the uniqname.
You will be prompted for a password by the SCS server. Once logged in, any graphical program you run on the SCS server will open a window on your screen.
UNIX and Linux Desktops
X11 Forwarding From Mac To Windows
Pretty much all UNIX and Linux desktops come with X11 installed and running. If you're running a graphical interface on your desktop, you're using X11. To connect to the SCS hosts for with forwarding, open a terminal window and type the command ssh -X scs.dsc.umich.edu.
You will be prompted for your password by the SCS server. Once logged in, any graphical programs you run on the SCS server will open a window on your screen.
SSH Keys and Login/SCS Access
Note that for technical reasons relating to the use of AFS, you cannot use ssh keys for password-less logins.
Overview
The X Window System (also known as X11, or just X) is a software package and network protocol that lets you interact locally, using your personal computer's display, mouse, and keyboard, with the graphical user interface (GUI) of an application running on a remote networked computer.
You can use X forwarding in an SSH session on your personal computer to securely run graphical applications (X clients) installed on the Indiana University research supercomputers.
Requirements
For X forwarding in SSH to work, your personal computer must be running an X server program. The X server program manages the interaction between the remote application (the X client) and your computer's hardware.
Most Linux distributions have the X server installed, but if your personal computer is running Windows or macOS, you will most likely need to install and run an X server application. For example:
- For Windows, download and install Xming. For X forwarding to work, you'll need to start Xming before connecting to the remote system with your SSH client (for example, PuTTY).
- For macOS, download and install XQuartz. For X forwarding to work, you'll need to start XQuartz before making an SSH connection to the remote system. Once XQuartz launches, you can use X forwarding with SSH from the Terminal or from the
xterm
application in XQuartz.
Additionally, your personal computer's SSH terminal application must have X11 forwarding enabled:
- In Linux, the SSH terminal supports X forwarding by default.
- In macOS, you may need to edit your
ssh_config
file (typically found at/etc/ssh/ssh_config
or~/.ssh/config
) if you have trouble using X forwarding. Ifssh_config
includes#X11Forwardingno
(or justX11Forwarding no
), uncomment out the line (remove the leading#
), and change it toX11Forwarding yes
. - In PuTTY for Windows, you can enable X forwarding in new or saved SSH sessions by selecting Enable X11 forwarding in the 'PuTTY Configuration' window (Connection > SSH > X11).
Also, the remote computer's SSH application must be configured to accept X server connections. Outlook imap for mac os. The IU research supercomputers all have SSH configured to allow X forwarding (trusted mode only).
Use SSH with X forwarding
Linux or macOS
To use SSH with X forwarding on your Linux or macOS personal computer to run an X client application installed on an IU research supercomputer:
- Open your SSH terminal client.
- On the command line, enter (replacing
username
with your IU username):- For Big Red 3:
- For Carbonate:
- For Karst:
- Log in with your IU passphrase.
To test if X forwarding is working, try running
xclock
; on the command line, enter: The world's best games for Mac OS X. Come and enjoy games for mac presented FREE and available for all macOS computers. PES 2020 Mac OS X – Download & Play on Macbook/iMac – The best period of the year for soccer lovers is September. Action, Shooter. World War Z Mac OS X – 2019 TOP Zombie Game FREE. World War Z Mac OS X Inspired. Sillysoft Games has put together this page listing some of our favorite Mac OS X games. They are fun to play, and you can download them for free!!! Updated in 2010 with some of the newest fun cool mac games. Find games for macOS like Therapy with Dr. Albert Krueger, Bewitched Hearts, Dim - Playable Demo, Delta-Gal, Dweller's Empty Path on itch.io, the indie game hosting marketplace. Games for mac os x free download. Play free games for Mac. Big Fish is the #1 place to find casual games! Free game downloads. Helpful customer service!
If X forwarding is working, the
xclock
graphical clock will appear on your personal computer's desktop.PuTTY for Windows
To use SSH with X forwarding in PuTTY for Windows:
- Launch your X server application (for example, Xming).
- Make sure your connection settings for the remote system have Enable X11 forwarding selected; in the 'PuTTY Configuration' window, see Connection > SSH > X11.
- Open an SSH session to the desired remote system:
System Hostname Big Red 3 bigred3.uits.iu.edu
Carbonate carbonate.uits.iu.edu
Karst karst.uits.iu.edu
- Log in normally with your IU username and passphrase.
To test if X forwarding is working, try running
xclock
; on the command line, enter: If X forwarding is working, the
xclock
graphical clock will appear on your personal computer's desktop.Use X forwarding for interactive sessions
On Carbonate or Karst
On Carbonate or Karst, if your interactive session requires:
- Less than 20 minutes of processor time: Connect via SSH with X forwarding enabled, and then launch the X client from the command line.
- More than 20 minutes of processor time: Submit a request for an interactive job via the batch system. To do so, connect via SSH with X forwarding enabled, and then:
- Use the TORQUE
qsub
command to submit an interactive job request. Add the-I
(for interactive) and-X
(for X forwarding) flags; for example (on Karst): - If the X client is not already added to your user environment, load the appropriate module; for example:
- From the command prompt, launch the X client; for example:
- Use the TORQUE
On Big Red 3
On Big Red 3, submit a request for an interactive job with X11 forwarding in the debug or general partition, and then launch your X application from a compute node:
- SSH to Big Red 3 with X forwarding enabled.
- On the command line, use the Slurm
srun
command with the--x11
flag to request an X11-enabled interactive session in the debug or general partition; for example:For more about using the Slurmsrun
command, see Use Slurm to submit and manage jobs on high performance computing systems. - Once you are placed on a compute node, you can launch graphical X applications (for example,
xterm
), as well as your own binaries, from the command line. Depending on the application and your~/.modules
file, you may need to load the module for the desired X client before launching the application.
Get help
Support for IU research supercomputers, software, and services is provided by the Research Technologies division of UITS. To ask a question or get help, contact UITS Research Technologies.
For more about using Modules to configure your user environment, see Use Modules to manage your software environment on IU's research supercomputers.