To access XSEDE resources, generate a private/public key pair for each machine you'll use to access those resources. A private key is secret, so don't share it or else anyone would be able to log in as you.
Let's say that you want to access resources from your laptop. To create the private/public key pair, first open a terminal window and type (on Linux/Unix systems)
ssh-keygen
You'll be asked some questions. In response to the questions, choose the default location ($HOME/.ssh/id_rsa) and then choose a password. You will obtain a public key, which will be stored in the file id_rsa.pub, and a private (secret) key, that will be stored in id_rsa (both reside in $HOME).
Next, log on to portal.xsede.org using the password provided in the letter you received from XSEDE.
Go to the "My XSEDE" tab, and from there click on "View and login to your acounts" on the left hand side. Click on the Login link to the right of the entry for the machine you wish to log into (e.g. Trestles). Only the blue links are valid, which for this course correspond to Trestles and Forge. A ssh terminal will then open up on the machine you selected.
In the newly-opened ssh terminal window, edit the file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys (e.g. nano or vim). Copy the contents of the id_rsa.pub file on your own computer into a new line in this file. Save the file, and you're done. You can now log on to Trestles from your laptop using
ssh username@trestles.sdsc.edu
Make sure there are no line endings in the middle of your public key. Best to copy the file over rather than using the cut and paste method, whic although faster is prone to error. Make sure no permissions are set improperly and that files in .ssh are writable only by you, on both machines, and non-executable by anyone.
For more details, read this Discussion.
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[Thu Jan 12 10:19:30 PST 2012]