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For more information on NX, please see www.nomachine.com/documents.php/.
How to connect using a web browser
The easiest way to connect to ECMWF using the NX service is simply to go to: http://ecaccess.ecmwf.int/. You will get to a page like:
Using various drop down menus in the bottom part of the page you will be able to select the type of NX session you want to establish. Please note that your web browser needs to be Java enabled. You can connect to both ecgate and the supercomputer using the drop down menu "ECMWF server". You can select the type of network link you are using with the menu "Network link speed". This will select a number of options which should by optimal for your configuration. You can select the type of window you want to have using the "Window option" menu: if you select "floating window" you will get a single X Window application like xterm or Metview (you can choose the application using the next menu). If, instead, you select "virtual desktop" you will get a fully working desktop using the WindowMaker window manager. In this case you can select the "Virtual desktop resolution" to be either "available area" or "full screen".
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In this case you need to select "cca" as "ECMWF server", specify your type of network link (you can leave this to the default "adsl"), then select "floating window" as "Window option, leave the default "Floating window application" to "xterm" and press "Log on". This, after some windows warning about certificates and ssh key which you need to accept, will display the following page:
You will need to click on the "Continue" button to start the NX connection. The following window will appear:
This window allows you to enter your userid and corresponding passcode generated by your security token. After entering the appropriate information click on "Login" to proceed. The Java applet in the web browser will display various messages detailing the progress of the connection to ECMWF (depending on your firewall setup you may get various warning messages: you will need to authorise all sessions from anything related to NX - nxclient, nxauth, nxssh, etc) until this will be displayed in your browser:
The application you have requested to start, in this case an "xterm", should also start as a separate X based window. You can now minimise (or even close) your web browser and start using your xterm.
Example of session starting a virtual desktop on ecgate
In this case select the following (for the link speed you can leave the default "adsl"):
and press "Log on". The login process will be the same as the one described in the previous example but at the end the following window will appear:
Figure 1: Virtual desktop on ecgate started using NX.
The window manager available on this desktop is called WindowMaker. By right clicking on the mouse you will get an Application Menu which allows you to start an xterm or other X based applications. The main desktop window is a standalone X Window and can be minimised. If you prefer, you can start a virtual desktop in full screen mode by choosing the "Virtual desktop resolution" option "full screen". See WindowMaker Overview below for more details.
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In addition to using the web browser based access to ECMWF via NX described previously, you can also download a standalone NX client. To do this, go to www.nomachine.com/download.php and select the NX client for your platform. The installation is quite straightforward and is described in more detail at www.nomachine.com/documents/client/install.php. You can then use the "Download session file" option available through the web interface:
This URL allows you to download a complete configuration file which can be used with your standalone NX client. You can have multiple configuration files, say one for a standalone xterm on ecgate and another one for a full virtual desktop still on ecgate, and then select the appropriate one from your NX client. Alternatively, you can use the NX client "Wizard" to setup your own configuration as described in the NX client documentation available at www.nomachine.com/documents/configuration/client-guide.php We recommend using this option for advanced users only. We also recommend that you first look at one of the configuration files which you can obtain by downloading the "session file". The first time you start the NX client the following window will appear: You will have to click "Next" where you will be asked to enter the name of your NX session (in the example <your session>) and the host to connect to. You will have to enter the ECaccess host name "ecaccess.ecmwf.int" as host: You will then get the following window where you can choose you type of desktop. You will need to choose "Unix" and "Custom": Click on "Next" to get the following window: Check the "Show the Advanced Configuration dialog" box and click the Finish button. You will get the following window: If you then click "Ok" you will be able to start your session. In this case you will get a standalone xterm on ecgate. Depending on your firewall setup you may get various warning messages. You will need to authorise all sessions from anything related to NX (nxclient, nxauth, nxssh, etc).
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