Skip to main content

User Onboarding

This guide covers the complete process of onboarding new users to our server infrastructure, from initial setup to first login.

Prerequisites​

VPN Access​

Before you can access the servers, you must be connected to the VPN.

Important: You need to set up VPN access first. Follow the instructions at: Northeastern VPN Setup Guide

Once VPN is configured and connected, proceed with the steps below.

Step 1: Generate SSH Key Pair​

Each user needs to generate an SSH key pair on their local machine. The public key will be shared with the developer team for server access setup.

For macOS Users​

  1. Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal)

  2. Check if SSH key already exists:

    ls -la ~/.ssh

    If you see files like id_rsa and id_rsa.pub, you may already have a key pair. You can either use the existing one or generate a new one.

  3. Generate a new SSH key pair:

    ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"
    • When prompted, press Enter to accept the default file location (~/.ssh/id_rsa)
    • Optionally, enter a passphrase for extra security (recommended)
    • Confirm the passphrase if you entered one

  4. Display your public key:

    cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

    Copy the entire output (it starts with ssh-rsa and ends with your email).

  5. Share the public key with the developer team (via email, Slack, or your preferred communication channel).

For Windows Users​

Option A: Using PowerShell (Windows 10/11)​

  1. Open PowerShell (Right-click Start → Windows PowerShell or search for PowerShell)

  2. Check if SSH key already exists:

    ls ~/.ssh

    If you see files like id_rsa and id_rsa.pub, you may already have a key pair.

  3. Generate a new SSH key pair:

    ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"
    • When prompted, press Enter to accept the default file location (C:\Users\YourUsername\.ssh\id_rsa)
    • Optionally, enter a passphrase for extra security (recommended)
    • Confirm the passphrase if you entered one

  4. Display your public key:

    cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

    Copy the entire output (it starts with ssh-rsa and ends with your email).

  5. Share the public key with the developer team.

Option B: Using Git Bash (Alternative)​

If you have Git for Windows installed:

  1. Open Git Bash

  2. Generate SSH key:

    ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

  3. Display public key:

    cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

  4. Share the public key with the developer team.

Step 2: Developer Setup (Server-Side)​

After receiving the user's public SSH key, a developer needs to set up the user account on the server. Follow these steps:

Prerequisites for Developer​

  • SSH access to the target server
  • Sudo privileges on the server

Setup Commands​

Replace test_user with the actual username (e.g., ra_user, john_doe, etc.)

  1. SSH into the server:

    ssh developer@<server_ip>

  2. Create the user account:

    sudo adduser test_user
    • Follow the prompts to set a password (this will be used for sudo operations)
    • Fill in user information as needed

  3. Create SSH directory:

    sudo mkdir -p /home/test_user/.ssh

  4. Set proper permissions on .ssh directory:

    sudo chmod 700 /home/test_user/.ssh

  5. Add the public key to authorized_keys:

    sudo nano /home/test_user/.ssh/authorized_keys
    • Paste the user's public SSH key (the one they shared)
    • Save and exit (Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter)

  6. Set proper permissions on authorized_keys:

    sudo chmod 600 /home/test_user/.ssh/authorized_keys

  7. Change ownership of .ssh directory:

    sudo chown -R test_user:test_user /home/test_user/.ssh

  8. Add user to docker group (if Docker access is needed):

    sudo usermod -aG docker test_user

Adding User to Groups​

To add a user to additional groups, use the following command:

sudo usermod -aG <group_name> test_user

Common Groups:

GroupPurpose
dockerAllows running Docker commands without sudo
sudoGrants sudo privileges to the user
www-dataWeb server access (for Apache/Nginx)

Add user to multiple groups at once:

sudo usermod -aG docker,sudo test_user

View user's current groups:

groups test_user

Note: The user needs to log out and log back in for group changes to take effect.

Verification​

The developer should verify the setup by testing SSH access (if possible) or confirming the file permissions:

ls -la /home/test_user/.ssh

Expected output should show:

  • .ssh directory with permissions drwx------
  • authorized_keys file with permissions -rw-------
  • Both owned by test_user:test_user

Step 3: User Login Instructions​

Once the developer has completed the server setup, you can connect to the server using SSH.

General Server Login​

Important: Make sure you are connected to the VPN before attempting to connect.

ssh test_user@<server_ip>

Example:

ssh ra_user@129.10.156.97

On first connection, you'll be prompted to verify the server's fingerprint. Type yes to continue.

SSH Tunnel for LLM Model Access​

If you need to access an LLM model running on the server from your local machine, use SSH port forwarding:

ssh -L <local_port>:localhost:<server_port> test_user@<server_ip>

Example:

ssh -L 8000:localhost:8000 ra_user@129.10.156.97

This command:

  • Creates a tunnel from your local port 8000 to the server's port 8000
  • After connecting, you can access the LLM service at http://localhost:8000 on your local machine
  • Replace 8000 with the actual port number if different

Troubleshooting​

Connection Refused​

  • Check VPN connection: Ensure you're connected to the VPN
  • Verify server IP: Confirm the server IP address with the developer
  • Check firewall: Contact the infrastructure team if firewall rules might be blocking access

Permission Denied (publickey)​

  • Verify public key: Ensure the developer added the correct public key
  • Check key file: Make sure you're using the correct private key
  • Key permissions: On macOS/Linux, ensure your private key has correct permissions: 
    chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa

SSH Key Not Found​

  • Specify key explicitly: 
    ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa test_user@<server_ip>

Port Already in Use (SSH Tunnel)​

If you get an error that the local port is already in use:

  • Use a different port: 
    ssh -L 8001:localhost:8000 test_user@<server_ip>
  • Find and kill the process using the port (macOS/Linux): 
    lsof -ti:8000 | xargs kill -9

Next Steps​

After successfully logging in:

  1. Verify Docker access (if applicable):

    docker ps

  2. Check your home directory:

    ls -la ~

  3. Read the A6000 Server Guide for working with LLMs on the A6000 server

  4. Read the Blackwell Server Guide for working with LLMs on the Blackwell server

Support​

If you encounter any issues during onboarding, contact the development team or infrastructure support.