Squiggles research computer server

Introduction

"Squiggles" is a dedicated research computer server for the analysis and storage of MEG, Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy data. Users can connect to it using either the FastX connection (recommended) or the older VNC method. This guide provides detailed steps for both methods.

Access Requirements

RCC account

To access the "Squiggles" server, an RCC (research computer server) account is required. Submit requests to MCW-Infoscope (https://infoscope.mcw.edu/RCC/Research-Computing-Center.htm). If prompted, select "others" and "squiggles" to specify the desired server. Follow the subsequent steps to initiate a new session, log in (using Putty or SSH tunneling), and remotely access Squiggles via VNC Viewer (https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer/).

Before accessing "Squiggles", users need an RCC (Research Computer Server) account.

• Submit requests at MCW-Infoscope[[1]].
• If prompted, select "others" and "squiggles" to specify the server.
• Follow the subsequent instructions to initiate a new session and remotely access Squiggles.

VNC User Ports:

(Make sure to log in under your port number)

User	Port
Jeff Stout	5910,5911
Joe Heffernan	5912
Candida Ustine	5914
Manoj Raghavan	5913
Chad Carlson	5915
Chris Anderson	5916
Serena Thompson	5917
Patrick Bauer	5918
Jeff Binder	5919
Leo Fernandino	5920
Lisa Conant	5921
Aqil Izadysadr	5922
Nick Guzowski	5923
Zack Harper	5924
Bill Gross	5925
Michelle Kassel	5926
Greg McQuestion	5927
Monica Keith	5928
Priyanka Shah	5929
Vahab Youssofzadeh	5931
Songhee Kim	5935
Cameron J Stewart	5992

Connecting to Squiggles

For Mac or Linux

From a bash shell / terminal type the following. This will open a tunnel over ssh to log into VNC Viewer (see below). /ssh -N -L 59**:localhost:59** squiggles.rcc.mcw.edu

For Windows

An SSH tunnel must be performed using Putty or with windows 10 you can use the ssh command above.

Download Putty: https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/

Logging into VNC session

Once connected to squiggles over ssh

Creating a VNC session

VNC sessions will be created at bootup using the port numbers above If the VNC session fails or is not working: vncserver :## -geometry 1900x1200 (This will open a vnc session on port 59## with a resolution of 1900x1200) The ## must match your port number for this to work.

Connecting to a VNC session

Use realvnc viewer to log into your VNC session.

VNC viewer download

Realvnc has been tested to work - https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer/

Log in using RealVNC

Open vncviewer In the top bar that accepts a VNC Server address
type localhost:## (where ## are the last two digits of your port number 59##)

Log into the VNC session using your VNC password
Once the VNC window is open, log into the server using your RCC password

Killing a VNC session

From the terminal try,

vncserver -kill :xx/

For a manual kill (if asked) try,

rm -f /tmp/.Xxx-lock
rm -f /tmp/.X11-unix/Xxx

List of users

From the terminal try,
ls -l /tmp/.X11-unix

Common issues & Solutions

FastX is an alternative to VNC viewer

• Before a VNC session is created, anaconda python must be deactivated. Enter conda deactivate into the terminal. If the user does not deactivate anaconda python, VNC will start, but a black screen is shown after logging in.

FastX Connection (alternative connection)

FastX is an alternative to VNC connect. It provides a more straightforward connection than VNC. Previously, we had an issue with a large number of users logging in at once using the VNC. FastX resolves this issue.

The FastX server is installed on squiggles. You will need to download the client - https://www.starnet.com/fastx/current-client

Steps to setup the connection:
1. Open fastX
2. Click the plus to start a new connection
3. Enter the Connection Name, host (squiggles.rcc.mcw.edu), and user (rcc username)
4. Click the plus to enter a session. Use /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc for the command