0.3 Introduction to NCAR Supercomputing

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0.3 Introduction to NCAR Supercomputing#

Tutorials at the 2026 paleoCAMP | June 15–June 29, 2026

Jiang Zhu
jiangzhu@ucar.edu
Climate & Global Dynamics Laboratory
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research

Learning Objectives#

By the end of this notebook, you will be able to:

  • Identify the main NSF NCAR resources used in this tutorial sequence

  • Log in to Derecho from a terminal using ssh

  • Sign in to NSF NCAR JupyterHub with DUO authentication

  • Launch a Python notebook server on Casper using the paleoCAMP project account

Time to learn: 10 minutes

NSF NCAR Advanced Research Computing#

The NSF NCAR Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) provides several resources that you will use in this tutorial sequence:

  • Derecho for high-performance computing

  • JupyterHub for interactive analysis

  • Campaign Storage and GDEX for data storage and access

Before you can use these resources, make sure you have:

  • an active NSF NCAR account

  • a CIT password

  • Duo two-factor authentication set up (Duo Mobile app or a landline phone)

If you do not yet have an account, let Jiang know.

If you do not have a CIT password, call 303-497-2000 or email cislhelp@ucar.edu.

For Duo setup help, see Authenticating with DUO.

For this tutorial, the paleoCAMP project number is UAZN0052. You will need it when launching JupyterHub. This project expires on June 30, 2026.

For longer-term access after paleoCAMP, see allocation opportunities, such as the “Data Analysis Allocation (University).”

Connect to Derecho via Terminal#

Most of the users use terminal to remotely access the NCAR HPC and run CESM there.

A terminal is a text-based interface used to control a Unix computer. It is widely considered the most efficient method to accomplish a given task or maintenance operation.

Launch a terminal from your system (Mac or PC)#

If on a Mac, open a terminal#

Go to the search spotlight (magnifying glass icon) and type in terminal.

  • Terminal is automatically built into the macOS and clicking on it will open a terminal window.

  • iTerm is a third-party software that was installed by the user on their laptop and is another option for opening a terminal.

terminal mac

Figure: terminal mac

If on a PC, open a terminal#

Go to the start menu and type in terminal.

  • Terminal will open a terminal window.

  • Command Prompt will open a terminal window.

terminal PC

Figure: terminal PC

Log in to Derecho at the NSF NCAR using ssh#

Run:

ssh -XY YOUR_USERNAME@derecho.hpc.ucar.edu

Then enter your CIT password and complete Duo authentication.

  • ssh starts a secure remote login session

  • -XY enables X11 forwarding for graphical applications when needed

  • Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your NSF NCAR username

terminal SSH

Figure: terminal SSH

Use the NCAR JupyterHub#

Go to NCAR JupyterHub.

Sign in#

Enter:

  • your username

  • your password,passcode

Here:

  • password is your CIT password

  • passcode is the 6-digit code from Duo

  • the comma is required between them

For later logins, you may be able to use your username and password with a Duo push, but the password,passcode format is useful when many users are logging in at once.

JupyterHub login0

Figure: JupyterHub login0

JupyterHub login1

Figure: JupyterHub login1

JupyterHub login

Figure: DUO passcode

Start a notebook server#

From the dropdown menus, select:

  • Casper PBS Batch under Resource Selection

  • casper under Queue or Reservation

  • UAZN0052 under Project Account

  • 06:00:00 under Wall Time

These settings are sufficient for the tutorial notebooks and help avoid requesting more resources than you need.

Jupyterhub Derecho

Figure: Jupyterhub Derecho

Launch a Notebook with Python#

  • Select NPL 2026a as the kernel from the top-right corner, or use another recent NPL version.

  • NPL (NCAR Python Library) usually includes the needed Python packages, so extra installation is typically unnecessary.

Launch Notebook

Figure: Launch notebook

Common issues#

  • Login fails immediately: Check that your CIT password is correct and that DUO is set up.

  • password,passcode does not work: Make sure the comma is included and the DUO code is current.

  • Server takes a long time to start: Wait a minute or two; batch-backed launches can take time.

  • Wrong project account: Confirm that UAZN0052 is selected.

  • Still stuck: ask for help!

How to log out of JupyterHub?#

  • Click the File tab and find and click Log Out at the bottom

More learning resources#

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