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OSC Basics

What this section covers

Everything you need to get on the Ohio Supercomputer Center and start working. What clusters exist, how to request an account, how to SSH in, how to edit code remotely in VS Code, how to move files, and the web portal option if the terminal isn't your thing.

By the end you'll have a working account, a stable SSH connection, and a way to open any OSC file from your laptop. The Working on OSC section then covers actually running jobs.

Suggested order

  • 1. Clusters Overview

    Pitzer, Cardinal, Ascend — specs, GPU availability, partitions, memory limits. Read this first so you understand what you're picking when you submit a job.

    Tour the clusters

  • 2. Account Setup

    How to request an OSC account under the lab's allocation. PI approval workflow, what to expect, first-login steps.

    Request access

  • 3. SSH Connection

    Generate keys, upload to OSC, configure ~/.ssh/config so ssh osc just works. The foundation for everything else in this section.

    Set up SSH

  • 4. Remote Development

    VS Code Remote-SSH — edit OSC files from your laptop as if they were local. The daily-driver workflow for most lab work.

    Go remote

  • 5. File Transfer

    scp, rsync, Globus, OnDemand upload. When to use each, and how to sync large datasets without wasting an allocation.

    Move files

  • 6. OnDemand Portal

    Browser access to OSC — no SSH required. Launch Jupyter, RStudio, or a full desktop. Useful as a fallback and for quick visual tasks.

    Use the portal

After this section

You're connected and can move files — next up is Working on OSC for SLURM jobs, environments, and orchestration.