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Connect via SSH

You can register your own SSH key and connect to a server from your laptop in a few minutes. You do this yourself in the portal, so there is no need to send your key to anyone.

An SSH key has two halves: a private key that stays secret on your laptop, and a public key that is safe to share. You add the public key to your account, and you connect with the private key. Never share the private key.

1. Make your key

Section titled “1. Make your key”

On macOS (Terminal) or Windows (PowerShell), run:

Terminal window
ssh-keygen -t ed25519

Press Enter a few times to accept the defaults. On Windows, if ssh-keygen is missing, add the OpenSSH Client under Settings → Apps → Optional Features, then try again.

2. Copy your public key

Section titled “2. Copy your public key”

macOS (copies it to your clipboard):

Terminal window
pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Windows (PowerShell):

Terminal window
Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | clip

Your public key is one line that starts with ssh-ed25519 AAAA….

3. Add the key in the portal

Section titled “3. Add the key in the portal”
  1. Sign in at portal.navon.africa.
  2. Open Settings and find the SSH keys section.
  3. Click Add key, give it a name (for example “My laptop”), paste your public key, and save.

You can add as many keys as you like from the same place.

4. Assign the key to a server

Section titled “4. Assign the key to a server”

From the SSH keys section in Settings, or from a server’s own SSH access option, assign the key to the server you want to use. A single server can hold several keys, so a whole team can share one server.

If you do not see a server yet, ask your administrator to share the grid with your account.

5. Connect

Section titled “5. Connect”

Open Terminal (macOS) or PowerShell (Windows) and use the address, username and port shown for the server:

Terminal window
ssh USERNAME@SERVER-ADDRESS -p PORT

You are now on the Navon Cloud server, with the GPU ready to use.

Prefer VS Code? Install the Remote - SSH extension, choose Connect to Host, and enter the same USERNAME@SERVER-ADDRESS (and port). You will be editing and running right on the server.

Tips

Section titled “Tips”
  • Keep your private key private. Never share the file without .pub, and never paste it into any website.
  • One key is enough. It works for every server you are given access to.
  • New laptop or lost key? Redo step 1 and add the new public key.