Using the lsst-dev Server

lsst-dev is a set of servers run by NCSA for Rubin Observatory development work. The cname lsst-dev.ncsa.illinois.edu directs to lsst-dev01.ncsa.illinois.edu and this system serves as the primary development server for the team. There are currently 3 identical development servers to choose from:

  • lsst-dev01.ncsa.illinois.edu
  • lsst-dev02.ncsa.illinois.edu
  • lsst-dev03.ncsa.illinois.edu

To get an account, see the Onboarding Checklist.

This page is designed to assist developers in their work on the lsst-dev servers:

  1. Overview of Cluster Resources
  2. Account Password
  3. Set up SSH Keys
  4. Select Appropriate Developer Tools
  5. Load the LSST Environment
  6. Validation/Test Data Sets
  7. Configure Git LFS
  8. Configure Remote Display with xpra

Overview of Cluster Resources

Refer to Overview for a general overview of LDF cluster resources.

  • All of the lsst-dev systems have access to the GPFS Directory Spaces, including:
    • Reference/test data from SDSS DR7 for Stripe82, which is located at /datasets/sdss/preprocessed/dr7.
    • Several other datasets available in /datasets. See README files in each dataset.

Account Password

You can log into Rubin development servers at NCSA with your NCSA account and password. You can reset your NCSA password at the following URL:

Set up SSH Keys

You can establish public/private keys to access NCSA development machines via SSH. Here’s how to set up your SSH client to use keys:

1. Generate a key pair

If you haven’t already, generate your key pair on your local machine (you should always use a strong password for your passphrase). On most machines, you can use OpenSSH:

mkdir ~/.ssh
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
ssh-keygen -t rsa

Enter your passphrase at the prompts:

Generating public/private rsa key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/username/.ssh/id_rsa):
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in /home/username/.ssh/id_rsa.
Your public key has been saved in /home/username/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
a1:b2:c3:45:67:89:d1:e2:f3:54:76:98:00:aa:bb:01 username@hostname.lsstcorp.org

Note

If you used a program other than OpenSSH for this step, make sure your public key is formatted as a single line (most SSH clients provide it as an option). Otherwise, the next step will not work.

2. Install the public key on lsst-dev01

Install the public key on the remote server, ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub, to lsst-dev01.ncsa.illinois.edu:

scp .ssh/id_rsa.pub lsst-dev01.ncsa.illinois.edu:mymachine_rsa.pub
ssh lsst-dev01.ncsa.illinois.edu

On lsst-dev01.ncsa.illinois.edu:

touch ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
cat mydevmachine_rsa.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
exit

3. Login

Login without a password to lsst-dev01:

ssh lsst-dev01.ncsa.illinois.edu
Enter passphrase for key '/home/username/.ssh/id_rsa': # type your key passphrase

For more information on using SSH public/private keys:

Select Appropriate Developer Tools

Refer to Select Appropriate Developer Tools for general notes on setting up software collection developer tools.

Load the LSST Environment

Refer to Load the LSST Environment for notes on loading the LSST environment.

Validation/Test Data Sets

Refer to Validation/Test Data Sets for notes on our validation and test data sets.

Configure Git LFS

Refer to Configure Git LFS for notes on configuring Git LFS.

Configure Remote Display with xpra

Refer to Configure Remote Display with xpra for notes on configuring remote display with xpra.