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Elastic High Performance Computing:Access a cluster desktop with VNCViewer

Last Updated:Aug 19, 2026

VNCViewer is a remote desktop tool that uses the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) protocol, letting you view and interact with a remote desktop from your local computer. This topic describes how to use VNCViewer to access a cluster's desktop environment to manage files and visualize job results.

Prerequisites

Ensure the cluster is in the Running state.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the E-HPC Portal.

    For more information, see Log on to the E-HPC Portal.

  2. Run VNCViewer.

    1. In the top navigation bar, select Tasks.

    2. At the top of the page, click VNCViewer.

    3. Enter the job information and click Submit.

      The following table describes the parameters:

      Parameter

      Description

      Username

      If you use a SLURM cluster and are logged on to the E-HPC Portal as the root user, you can submit the job as root or as another specified user.

      Important

      If you specify a non-root user, ensure that user has previously logged on to the E-HPC Portal and submitted at least one job.

      Session name

      A name for the VNC session.

      SpecNode

      The node on which VNCViewer runs.

      • If you select a queue, a node in that queue is automatically assigned.

      • If you select a node, only the localhost node is supported, which is the current node.

      Cores per node

      The number of CPU cores to allocate for the VNCViewer job.

      Resolution

      The display resolution for the VNC session.

  3. Open the VNC interface.

    1. In the top navigation bar, select Session Management.

    2. Find your VNC session and click its name.

    3. The cluster's desktop environment opens.

      A Linux desktop environment (XFCE) appears. The desktop contains folder icons such as ehpcdata, home, and opt. Right-click a blank area on the desktop to open a context menu with options such as Open Terminal Here and Create Folder....

Related topics

To view your VNCViewer session history, see Manage cluster sessions.