Example: You want to mount a directory on your CCB cluster. You can do so using existing ssh access, via sshfs.

See also

• Using CU's VPN

File mounting via ssh

Access to CCB's clusters (and other Linux-based servers) managed by ChemIT is done via SSH. That meets many researchers needs as-is.

However, sometimes a researcher would benefit from mounting the cluster to their desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux). As a courtesy, here are links to tools one can install on a desktop (Windows, Mac) to enable this:

• https://www.eldos.com/sftp-net-drive/comparison.php (Windows only. The free version is used by two researchers in CCB already, for this purpose)
  • http://linhost.info/2012/09/sshfs-in-windows/ (perhaps useful install how-to)
• http://osxfuse.github.io/ (Mac only; free. Must download both FUSE and SSHFS from this site.)
  • https://github.com/osxfuse/osxfuse/wiki/SSHFS
• sshfs(1) - Linux man page (Linux, Mac; via FUSE)
• http://www.webdrive.com/purchase/ (Mac and Windows; no free version)
• http://www.expandrive.com/expandrive (Mac and Windows (Linux coming?); no free version)
  • https://secure.expandrive.com/store
• http://panic.com/transmit/ (Mac only; no free version)
• http://dokan-dev.net/en/about/ (Windows only; free)
  • http://dokan-dev.net/en/download/
  • http://dokan-dev.net/en/2011/01/12/dokan-sshfs-0-6-0-released/ (This most recent post, as of 2/13/15, is from Jan 2011, re: v.0.6.0. Beware of obsolescence!)

Resources which relate to this type of access:

• https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-sshfs-to-mount-remote-file-systems-over-ssh
• http://www.vitki.net/book/page/webdrive-ssh-filesystem-mounter-windows
• The kernel module FUSE stands for "Filesystem in Userspace".

REQUEST, for the benefit of your colleagues:

• Please let ChemIT know how well the above referred-to tools work (or don't work!) for you so we can share your experience with other researchers.
• Also, please let us know know how this page can change. For example, add links to other tools or resources. Your colleagues and other researchers will thank you!

Examples from users in CCB

Ubuntu, Feb. 2015

Data point from one user using Ubuntu and successfully manual-mounting their home directory on their cluster's head node:

sudo gpasswd -a $USER fuse
sshfs -o idmap=user lgr48@[machine].chem.cornell.edu:/home/[NetID]/ /home/whateever/youwant

Thus, adding of his user to the group fuse, and no use of sudo whatsoever.

Desires auto-mount.
Questions from ChemIT regarding this need:

• If on a laptop, what is the expected failure mode when system tries to auto-mount when off-campus, before VPN has been started, following user logging into their laptop's account?
• And, is it OK to have user's cluster's p/w in clear text (within fstab), even if only accessible by root?

This is what user tried, but it did not work:
He tried adding the following line to /etc/fstab (for automatic mount):

sshfs#[NetID]@[machinename].chem.cornell.edu:/home/[NetID]/ /home/whateever/youwant fuse defaults,idmap=user 0 0

He reports having to run the "sudo mount -a" command (to execute mount of all of /etc/fstab). This method first asks for sol's password (i.e. it disregard the .ssh key), it then mounts the whole thing inaccurately, so that privileges show as "?".