Interacting with a virtual computer

Overview

Questions

• How does a virtual computer get created?
• What are different ways researchers might interact with a virtual computer?
• What are some basic skills researchers use on virtual computers?

Objectives

• Log in to a remote computer using ssh
• Execute basic shell navigation commands such as cd, ls, cp, rm.
• Describe a command shell and its uses
• Log in to RStudio server running on a remote computer, via web browser

How do I “make” a virtual computer?

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First of all, a researcher would determine whether they need their own separate virtual computer, or whether they can share space on an existing virtual computer (for example, one shared by a research group).

Assuming they decide to create their own, they would might request one from their institution, or they might have an account with a commercial provider where they have full control to set up a virtual computer to suit their needs.

How would I log on to a virtual computer?

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Although it is possible to set up cloud computers with different operating systems such as Windows or MacOS, most researchers use a Linux-type operating system (of which there are several subtypes, such as Ubuntu).

TODO: How to connect

Key Points

• TODO