Accounts and System Login

Accounts and System Login#

This guide covers how to obtain an account on the NMT HPC cluster and how to connect to the system.

Requesting an Account#

Eligibility#

NMTHPC accounts are available to:

New Mexico Tech faculty, staff, and students
External collaborators working with NMT researchers (requires faculty sponsorship)

Account Request Process#

Visit the NMT HPC account request portal (contact IT Services for the link)
Fill out the account request form with:
- Your NMT credentials (if applicable)
- Project description and computational needs
- Faculty sponsor (for students and external collaborators)
Wait for approval notification via email
Once approved, you’ll receive your login credentials and connection instructions

Note

We will be onboarding users to the HPC systems individually during the Spring 2026 semester. If you have been given access to the system, please contact NMTHPC support (hpc@nmthpc.atlassian.net) for any questions regarding system access and usage. We will begin a more general onboarding process over the course of the summer 2026 semester.

Connecting to NMTHPC#

NMTHPC is accessed via SSH (Secure Shell). The login process differs slightly between operating systems.

From Linux or macOS#

Open a terminal and use the ssh command:

$ ssh username@nmthpc.id.nmt.edu

Replace username with your actual 900 number. You will be prompted for your password.

From Windows#

Windows users have several options:

Option 1: Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt (Windows 10/11)#

Modern Windows versions include OpenSSH:

$ ssh username@nmthpc.id.nmt.edu

Option 2: PuTTY#

Download and install PuTTY
Launch PuTTY
Enter the hostname: nmthpc.id.nmt.edu
Click “Open”
Enter your username and password when prompted

Option 3: Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)#

If you have WSL installed, use the same commands as Linux:

$ ssh username@nmthpc.id.nmt.edu

SSH Keys (Recommended)#

SSH keys provide a more secure and convenient authentication method than passwords.

Generating SSH Keys#

On Linux/macOS/WSL:

$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@nmt.edu"

Press Enter to accept the default file location, then optionally enter a passphrase.

On Windows (PowerShell):

$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@nmt.edu"

Copying Your Public Key to NMTHPC#

Method 1: Using ssh-copy-id (Linux/macOS/WSL):

$ ssh-copy-id username@nmthpc.id.nmt.edu

Method 2: Manual copy:

Display your public key:
```
$ cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
```
Log in to NMTHPC with your password

Add the key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys:

$ mkdir -p ~/.ssh
$ chmod 700 ~/.ssh
$ echo "your-public-key-content" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
$ chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

After setting up SSH keys, you can log in without entering your password each time.

First Login#

Upon your first login, you’ll be in the home directory and you will see a welcome message with recent announcements or system information.

Initial Setup#

Check your environment:

$ pwd  # Print working directory
$ ls -la  # List files

Verify available modules:
```
$ module avail
```

Check filesystem access:

$ df -h ~  # Check home directory quota

Login Nodes vs. Compute Nodes#

Warning

Important: Login nodes are for light tasks only (editing files, submitting jobs, compiling code). Do NOT run computationally intensive jobs on login nodes. Use SLURM to submit jobs to compute nodes.

See Running Interactive Jobs and Running Batch Jobs for how to use compute resources properly.

Troubleshooting Connection Issues#

Connection Refused or Timeout#

Verify you’re on the NMT network or connected via VPN
Check if you’re using the correct hostname
Ensure your account has been activated

Permission Denied#

Double-check your username and password
Verify your account hasn’t expired
If using SSH keys, ensure permissions are correct (chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519)

Too Many Authentication Failures#

If you have many SSH keys, specify which one to use:

$ ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 username@nmthpc.id.nmt.edu

Getting Help#

If you encounter issues logging in:

Contact HPC support at hpc@nmthpc.atlassian.net
Include error messages and what you’ve tried
Specify your operating system and connection method