Connecting to Aloe

There are a few methods for connecting to the supercomputer; each has their advantages and disadvantages.

Using SSH from the shell (also called the terminal) is the most versatile method, though it tends to be slower with interactive graphical applications. If you intend to use applications that rely on a point-and-click interface, we recommend the web portal “Aloe Desktop” for these cases.

Our webportal has become the standard for new users, as it provides a file system viewer and editor, the ability to view the job queue, and interactive applications like JupyterLab, and RStudio. In the file manager, uploading files is as easy as dragging-and-dropping through the interface!

This document also assumes you already have requested and been granted an account. If not, please see the Creating a User Account page.

Choosing a connection method

[RECOMMENDED]

The Web Portal: https://aloe.asre.rc.asu.edu/

[POWER USERS]

The Shell (Terminal)

[RECOMMENDED]

The Web Portal: https://aloe.asre.rc.asu.edu/

[POWER USERS]

The Shell (Terminal)

What is this?
•Familiar browser interface

•Well defined options for file system and job management

•Full documentation browser tab away

•Simplified access to modern interfaces like Jupyter/Rstudio/MATLAB/etc

What is this?
•Command-line interface

•Original supercomputing interface

Benefits:
•Easy to access

Benefits:
•Extremely powerful

•Provides superior file system and job submission, editing, processing, monitoring tools

Disadvantages:
•One size fits all

Disadvantages:
•Very steep learning curve

•Requires knowledge of available commands and some level of nuance