Access Guide for ESA RSS in CloudToolbox using remote desktop 1) Introduction

2) Download and installation of the X2Go

3) Access to CloudToolbox Service portal

4) Start the VM

5) Getting the credentials

6) X2Go client configuration

7) Running X2Go client

8) Using SCP

9) Changing your Password on the CloudToolbox

10) Password-less login using SSH keys

1) Introduction. In order to improve CloudToolbox user experience we are now offering X2Go as an alternative solution to access CloudToolbox virtual machines. X2Go is a free, open source which offers many advantages over the previously used VNC: a. Improved speed, responsiveness and image quality. b. Multiple users and sessions, ability to resume disconnected sessions. . Desktop can be resized and made fullscreen to match the resolution of the client. d. Runs solely over SSH. Using putty to establish an SSH tunnel prior to connecting to the desktop is no longer necessary. e. Password-less authentication using SSH keys. f. Sharing folders from the client to the . Using a separate SCP software is no longer required although it is still advisable for transferring large files. g. Features for advanced users such as rootless mode – ability to run remote applications on local desktop.

2) Download and install the X2Go client for your . Download the client software and follow the instructions from the X2Go website: http://wiki.x2go.org/doku.php/doc:installation:x2goclient a. Windows users – follow the standard installation procedure. Requires administrator rights. b. Linux users – follow the instructions specific for your . i. Debian and users – make sure you add the X2Go repository to get the most up- to-date version of the client, as described on the web page. ii. CentOS and RedHat users – enable epel repository as described on the web page. iii. Users of other Linux distributions – refer to the documentation of your distribution and check if the x2goclient package is available in your software package manager. c. Mac users – install and configure the Xquartz X11 server first, as described on the web page. Make sure you download the the X2Go client suitable for your MacOS version.

3) Access to the Cloudtoolbox portal http://eogrid.esrin.esa.int/cloudtoolbox/ a. Log in and click in My VMs using the EO-SSO credentials.

Figure 1 - Welcome EOGRID CloudToolbox webpage

4) Start the virtual machine

Figure 2 - Starting the VM 5) Getting the credentials: See the information of the CloudToolbox by clicking at the VM name as see below, and write down credentials for accessing to the VM

Figure 3 - See VM information

Credentials : user:pi / password: piuser2017

IP: XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX

Figure 4 - Virtual Machine credentials

6) Configuring the X2Go client. Launch the X2Go client. From the “Session” menu select “New session…”. Configure your connection to the CloudToolbox VM: a. Session tab: i. Session name: Put any name meaningful to you ii. Host: IP address obtained from the VM information in the portal iii. Login: user name obtained from the VM information in the portal iv. SSH port: 443 v. Session type: MATE

Figure 5 - Configuring X2Go client to access VM, Session settings

b. Connection tab: i. Connection speed, Compression method and Image quality - try the default settings first, if the desktop is slow and unresponsive then reduce the speed or image quality

Figure 6 - Configuring X2Go client to access VM, Connection settings

c. Input/Output tab: i. Display: Fullscreen or select a custom resolution best matching your physical screen and requirements. ii. Set display DPI: 96 iii. Clipboard mode: bidirectional (to allow copy & paste both ways between local to virtual desktop) iv. Keyboard: auto-detect

Figure 7 - Configuring X2Go client to access VM, Input/Output settings d. Media tab: i. Sound support: off ii. Client side printing: off

Figure 8 - Configuring X2Go client to access VM, Media settings e. Shared folders tab: i. Leave the default settings or refer to the X2Go documentation to learn how to set up shared folders: http://wiki.x2go.org/doku.php/doc:howto:x2goclient-file-sharing

Figure 9 - Configuring X2Go client to access VM, Shared folders settings

7) Running X2Go client When the connection has been configured, a grey box will appear on the right-hand side of the X2Go client window. Click anywhere in the grey rectangle to initiate the connection. Enter your password, obtained previously from the VM information on the portal. Click OK. After several seconds your remote desktop will be displayed in a window or full screen – depending on session settings. If you get an error connecting to the VM, such as timeout, make sure that the VM is actually started in the portal.

8) Using SCP Even though X2Go offers shared folders feature, for transferring large amounts of data it is advisable to use SCP software. Get an SCP client for your operating system: a. Windows – WinSCP: http://winscp.net/eng/download.php WinSCP configuration only need to introduce the user/password and IP address. In case to change the port (from 22 to 443) , ensure that the final protocol selected is SCP since WinSCP usually changes.

Figure 10 - WinSCP configuration example

b. Linux – File managers of commonly used desktop environments (Gnome Files/Nautilus, KDE ) have the support for the SCP protocol built-in c. Mac – RBrowser http://www.rbrowser.com/

9) CloudToolbox password change For your privacy, we suggest to change the password of the CloudToolbox machine (VM). Please, do not try to change the password of the CloudToolbox service portal, since it is related to the EO-SSO, just the one related to the VM. This password change can be done after the first access in two different ways:  Desktop interface: Via pop-up  Command lines interface: using the command passwd

10) Password-less login using SSH keys The X2Go client can be configured to use SSH keys instead of a password. Not only it gives better security and privacy but is also more convenient since entering the password on each connection is no longer necessary. To enable password-less authentication a pair or public/private keys must be generated. The public key must be then placed on the VM and the private key set in the client settings: Session tab - Use RSA/DSA key for ssh connection. For more details about setting password-less login up please refer to the X2Go documentation: http://wiki.x2go.org/doku.php/wiki:advanced:authentication:passwordless-ssh