Getting Started on Improv

Accessing Improv

Due to updated security requirements, direct SSH access to Improv is no longer permitted. All inbound access must now go through the CELS login nodes using a jump host configuration.

You cannot SSH directly into the CELS login nodes. Instead, connect using the command below (replacing <username> and <ssh_private_key> accordingly):

ssh -o ProxyCommand="ssh -i ~/.ssh/<ssh_private_key> -W %h:%p <username>@logins.lcrc.anl.gov" -i ~/.ssh/<ssh_private_key> <username>@improv.lcrc.anl.gov

Alternatively, you can simplify future connections by adding the following block to your ~/.ssh/config:

Host logins.lcrc.anl.gov
  HostName logins.lcrc.anl.gov
  User <username>
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/<ssh_private_key>

Host improv.lcrc.anl.gov improv
  HostName improv.lcrc.anl.gov
  ProxyJump logins.lcrc.anl.gov
  User <username>
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/<ssh_private_key>

After configuring this, you can connect with either:

ssh improv.lcrc.anl.gov

or simply:

ssh improv

Note: The logins.lcrc.anl.gov alias is provided as part of LCRC's integration with CELS login infrastructure.

System Architecture

For a detailed overview of the Improv system, including the compute node architecture, refer to the Hardware Overview page.

Job Execution

For information on how to run jobs on Improv, refer to the Running Jobs page.