Logging into your new instance “in the cloud” (Mac or Linux version)

OK, so you’ve created a running computer. How do you get to it?

The main thing you’ll need is the network name of your new computer. To retrieve this, go to the instance view and click on the instance, and find the “Public DNS”. This is the public name of your computer on the Internet.

Copy this name, and connect to that computer with ssh under the username ‘ubuntu’, as follows:

First we need a private key file to log in; it is the .pem file we already created during the setup of amazon instance. For convience of managing the shared account, we want you all to use the same .pem file, which can be downloaded from:

http://lyorn.idyll.org/~gjr/public/QB2014/QB2014.pem

If your browser is firefox with default settings, it should be downloaded into your “Downloads” folder. Move it onto “Desktop”.

If your browser is chrome with default settings, the above link will be shown as a page with text. right click and select “Save As”. In the pop up window, change the directory to “Desktop” and the file name is still “QB2014.pem”

Other browsers should be similar to either of the above two case.

Next, start Terminal:

  • in Applications... Utilities... for mac
  • use shortcut “CTRL+ATL+T” for linux

and then type:

chmod og-rwx ~/Desktop/QB2014.pem

to set the permissions on the private key file to “closed to all evildoers”.

Then type:

ssh -i ~/Desktop/QB2014.pem ubuntu@ec2-???-???-???-???.compute-1.amazonaws.com

(but you have to replace the stuff after the ‘@’ sign with the name of the host).

Here, you’re logging in as user ‘ubuntu’ to the machine ‘ec2-174-129-122-189.compute-1.amazonaws.com’ using the authentication key located in ‘QB2014.pem’ on your Desktop.

You should now see a text line that starts with something like ubuntu@ip-10-235-34-223:~$. You’re in! Now type:

sudo bash
cd /root

to switch into superuser mode (see: http://xkcd.com/149/) and go to your home directory.

This is where the rest of the tutorials will start!

You might also want to read about Terminating (shutting down) your EC2 instance.

To log out, type:

exit
logout

or just close the window.