Configure X2Go

X2Go

X2Go [1] is an open source terminal server project providing remote access to your desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux etc) and applications.

PDF Guide

 You can download the steps for configuring X2Go as a PDF from this link.

Important Notes

• You need to have HPC access

  • It is recommended to click on "power" icon on X2Go client window to properly turn off the session.

  • The suspend button helps you to suspend the session. Even if you close your PC and open it from another PC or another location, you can resume your session. If you are frequently suspending and resuming your X2Go sessions, it would be suggested to specify the server (e.g hpc8) as the host rather than forwarder (e.g. pioneer) so that you will always be getting the same server.

  • Interactive job in the visual head node should be limited to single processor and/or short multiprocessor jobs if necessary. It is still recommended to do interactive job submission once you are in the visual head nodes.

    • srun --x11 --pty bash 

Installation

Choose the appropriate X2Go client for your PC from [2] and install it

(Note: MAC needs XQuartz and need to reboot after installing XQuartz before installing X2GO Client)

Open X2Go Session

For Linux:

Type:

x2goclient &

(Note: Need to have X-Forwarding enabled)

Others:

Open x2goclient by clicking on the icon

You will see the X2Go Window for a session

Configuration

Do the following in the session Menu of the new session:

Session tab:

• Session Name: choose the name e.g. pioneer. It is better to choose one of the login nodes e.g. hpc4 or hpc5 for pioneer or markov01 or class-login for markov.

  • Under Server: host: pioneer.case.edu

  • login: <CaseID>

• Session Type: You can choose three flavors - KDE (default), Xfce, and Mate

• Note: Switch the flavor in case of failure

•            We have currently experienced issue using KDE. Users need to load StdEnv module using "module load StdEnv".

Connection tab:

• • Connection Speed -> bring the slider to LAN

Input/Output tab:

• • Set the custom display size (default is 800X600)

Media tab:

• • Select "Enable sound support"  and indicate "PulseAudio"

  • Unselect "Client side printing support"

Shared folders tab:

• Ensure that "Use SSH port forwarding..." is selected.

Click OK to save the settings

IN CASE the session is already created, you can manage it

• • On the X2Go Client window, click on Session -> Session Mgmt -> select your session e.g. hpctransfer -> Session Preferences

On th X2Go Client window, click on Options Menu -> Settings  

• • Under Printing tab, choose "View as PDF"

  • Under Pulseaudio settings, check the box "disable audio input"

Click OK

Note: You need to change the option settings ONLY one time.

Logging In

• • Find your session on the right of X2Go session window and click it to get the prompt to enter the password. You can also change few settings from this session block as well.

  • Press Yes, if prompted for "Server is unknown ..."  and see the Running status

  • If you get any warning just cancel it.

  • You can right click on the desktop window and open the terminal (e.g. for KDE, right click and then select Konsole).

• (Imp) In the terminal, you may need to load the StdEnv module:

module load StdEnv

Performance Test

Test Matlab and other visualization Software in HPC Software Guide.

Want to Keep your session Alive ?

Click on the suspend button which helps you to suspend the session. Now, you can close your PC and open it from another PC or from other locations. You just need to logged in via X2Go selecting that session.

Note: Please make sure to include the same host (e.g. hpc8) when you are opening the session from another computer. The host pioneer.case.edu can direct you to different nodes.

Troubleshooting

Note: You may want to test your issues using the X2Go app in https://myapps.case.edu.

Issue: A session shows running and completed but the GUI doesn't open

Solution: Most probably you hit the hard quota limit. Check your storage violations emails and manage it.

Issue: A session is established, but keyboard mapping is badly wrong or encountered other x2Go connection issues

Solution: Try one or more of these steps. Try also for other connection issues

1. Delete the cached directories (e.g. ~/.kde/), ~/.x2go and others x2go related cached from the cluster and ~/.x2goclient/ from your PC. 2 (Windows: C\Users\<user>). Switch flavors - KDE (default), GNOME, MATE, and Xfce. 

3. Make sure that your ~/.bashrc file doesn't have personalized environments. Create personalized modules instead - https://sites.google.com/a/case.edu/hpcc/hpc-tutorials/user-modules. 

4. Try killing all your processes from login nodes (e.g. hpclogin, hpc3) issuing the following command:

kill -9 `ps -ef | grep <caseID> | grep -v grep | awk '{print $2}'`

(Note: This will delete all the processes in the login nodes)

Issue: In Mac, keep connecting but doesn't get connected

Solution: need to reboot after the installation of XQuartz.

Contact us at hpc-supportATcase.edu

References:

[1] X2GoHome: 

[2] Download & Install