Overview

One of the most basic ways of driving a computer, whether virtual or physical is using the command line. The command line of remote computers (including Nectar virtual machines), can be accessed using a Secure Shell (or ssh) connection.

We can also access our instance using a webpage in the Nectar dashboard through a web-based vnc-console. The vnc-console gives us access to our instance command line, without the need for separate terminal software.

In this tutorial you will learn how to connect to your instance using terminal software and SSH. We’ll set up a user account password to enable access to our vnc-console, and then connect using the vnc-console.

Cloud Starter
This tutorial is part of the Nectar Cloud Starter curriculum. Only the bare essentials of SSH-connecting are explained here. The vnc-console is optional in the cloud starter curriculum, but it can be useful in the unlikely event of troubleshooting your instance.

What you’ll learn

• Connecting to our instance using SSH
• Changing a User account password using passwd
• Connecting to our instance using the vnc console in the Nectar Dashboard

What you’ll need

• Terminal software
• A running instance in the Nectar Cloud, with your public key and an SSH security group applied