5. Connect an Allocation

After updating your profile, you can connect an allocation to the VC3 service. An allocation, in VC3, is defined as combination of a username and resource target that consumes some type of compute unit - regardless of whether it is billed as Service Units (many HPC centers), dollars (AWS, GCE), or priority (HTCondor and other opportunistic systems).

Clicking My Allocations on the left shows all allocations currently associated with your account. You may select a new one by clicking Connect Allocation.

You will be able to select a resource target from the drop down menu, and enter an account name for the resource. This is the same account name that you use to SSH to the remote system. .. image:: /image/screenshot_278.png

Once you’ve connected your allocation, the system will validate it. .. image:: /image/screenshot_279.png

In order to create a virtual cluster, the VC3 software needs to be able to SSH to the remote resource. If you click your allocation, you should see a section titled Public Token.

You will need to add this token to your Unix account, in the file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys. You can either edit this file with your favorite editor (such as nano, vim, or emacs), or use the echo command to append it to the authorized keys file.

This token allows the VC3 system to SSH into a cluster _as you_ and submit jobs on your, or your project’s, behalf.