VSCode

Attention

VSCode (Visual Studio Code) is a popular IDE used by a number of developers. These instructions are intended for users who are already familiar with VSCode, but are not familiar with using it in the RDHPCS environment. This section assumes that you have installed this code on your local client.

Setting up VSCode for use on RDHPCS systems

Set up the install directory

VSCode installs the VSCode server and other plugins on the remote system (on Hera/Jet for example). Since there is limited space in home directory, we recommend that you install all VSCode software in your project space.

Create a directory for installation of the VSCode server. Issue the following commands on each remote host:

mkdir -p /in/your/project/dir/$USER/vscode-server
ln -s    /in/your/project/dir/$USER/vscode-server ~/.vscode-server

Set up Port Forwarding on your Local client

Note

Each user on the system is assigned a specific Local port number that is different for each host. Your assigned Local port on Hera is different from the one Jet, but will remain fixed.

On your local machine:

Get your assigned Local port number. If you already know your port number you may skip this step.
Login to the appropriate host Hera/Jet/Mercury. In the welcome message look for the following line:

Local port <assigned-port-number> forwarded to remote host

The number after “Local port” is your assigned port number. Note down this number and log out of the system.

Create a session with the tunnel and keep this session open

Note

Windows users please use PowerShell instead of other clients such as putty. Linux users can use the usual ssh command.

Example

This example uses hera as our host and 12345 as our assigned Local port number, with a username of First.Last.

ssh                                  -L12345:localhost:12345 First.Last@hera-rsa.boulder.rdhpcs.noaa.gov    (Linux/Mac users)
ssh -m hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com -L12345:localhost:12345 First.Last@hera-rsa.boulder.rdhpcs.noaa.gov    (Windows users)

Login, and keep this session open.

Test to make sure the tunnel is working

In another local window, type

ssh -p 12345 First.Last@localhost

Enter your PIN+Token at the prompt. If you are successful, your port tunnel is all set up and will work long as your session you created is kept alive.

Login with your VSCode client

Note

We will assume the following: * You have set up the tunnels as mentioned above. * You have installed VSCode on your local machine. * You have installed the “Remote-SSH” plugin in your VSCode client. * Before you start VSCode, remove any entry containing localhost in your ~/.ssh/known_hosts file

After you start VSCode, you can select the following menu items:

View | Command Palette | Remote-SSH:Connect to host

When prompted for host, enter:

First.Last@localhost:12345

Note

Remember to replace First.Last with your user name, and to specify your actual Local Port Number.

Note

VSCode asks you to select the OS of the remote system after you enter this information. Select Linux and it will proceed to establish a connection.

The first time you do this, it takes a while (about 2-5 min) to install the server.

Note

If you are already familiar with setting up ~/.ssh/config file, it should be possible select an entry from the displayed list of options!

Caution

While VSCode has a plethora of plugins available to help with programming tasks, it your responsibility to use them responsibly. In particular, watch out for malicious plugins masquerading as genuine plugins!

When searching for a plugin to install, please be sure to check the spelling and make sure you are installing the plugin you think you want before confirming the install!