FPGA Student Classroom tutorial

FPGA Student Classroom Access Tutorial

This is a guide that aims to show how to connect to the classroom resources remotely, in order to access the software and hardware resources (FPGAs) available at the university. The goal is to create a remote desktop session to one of the computers in the lab. This session can then be used to run software (e.g., Vivado) and to program hardware FPGAs.

Before you can connect to the classroom cluster, you will need to obtain the following from a system administrator:

• A VPN configuration file (e.g., a415-myname.conf)
• A username and password
• An assigned workstation and FPGA board (e.g., station07 & pynq07)

The connection process consists of the following steps:

1. Connect via VPN to the cluster network.
2. Connect to your workstation via SSH and create a remote desktop (VNC) instance.
3. Connect to the remote desktop instance.

Step 1 - VPN

To connect to the cluster network via VPN, you will need the provided VPN configuration file (e.g., a415-myname.conf) (ask your system administrator if you don't have it) and a WireGuard VPN client.

For a full guide on how to use the WireGuard VPN, check this page.

Step 2 - SSH

In order to connect to your workstation via SSH to open the remote desktop instance, you will need a terminal application or a dedicated SSH client.

• **Windows 11** comes with Windows Terminal. Windows 10 users can download the Windows Terminal from the Microsoft Store or use the older Command Prompt application.
• **macOS** has a pre-installed Terminal application. iTerm2 is a popular community alternative with more features.

First, connect to the workstation using the following command:

ssh myname@station07

If this is your first time logging in, you will be prompted to change your initial password:

(myname@station07) Password: 
Password expired. Change your password now.
(myname@station07) Current Password: 
(myname@station07) New password: 
(myname@station07) Retype new password:

myname@station07:~$

Replace `myname` and `station07` with your assigned username and workstation.

Once connected, launch a VNC instance with:

vncserver -localhost no

If this is your first time starting a VNC instance, you will be prompted to set a password. You will also need to note the **VNC port** and **X display number** from the output. If you forget these numbers, you can retrieve them with:

vncserver -list

To stop the VNC session, use:

vncserver -kill :3

Replace `:3` with your actual X display number.

Step 3 - VNC

To connect to your workstation using VNC, you will need a VNC client. **TigerVNC** is a popular choice, though others like RealVNC, TightVNC, and Remmina are also available.

• **Windows:** Download TigerVNC from here.
• **macOS:** Download TigerVNC from here.
• **Linux:** Install TigerVNC via Flatpak:

flatpak install flathub org.tigervnc.vncviewer

Once installed, enter your workstation name followed by a colon and the VNC port (e.g., `station07:5903`).

Click **Connect**, then enter your **VNC session password** (not your account password).

If successful, you will see your remote desktop.

You can now open a terminal and launch Vivado:

vivado

FAQ

Q: I cannot connect to my VNC session. A: Connect via SSH and check with `vncserver -list`. Ensure the VNC server was started with `-localhost no`.

Q: I cannot connect via SSH; my workstation appears to be powered off. A: Some students turn off the stations despite instructions. Contact a system administrator to power it on remotely.

Q: I can connect to VNC, but I see a login screen and an "Authentication error" message. A: This is a known bug in TigerVNC. While connected via VNC, open an SSH session and run:

loginctl unlock-sessions