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FastX is a program for connecting to the HPC systems with a GUI desktop environment. It is similar to /wiki/spaces/hpcdocs/pages/76514725 connections but is newer and a little more robust when using Duo 2 factor authentication. Please see the FastX documentation site for detailed information on how to use FastX. FastX will send an automatic authentication request to your registered device if using the Duo app. Otherwise it will make a phone call to your registered number. Unlike No Machine though there is a much longer time out so it is more forgiving of slow push response times or the latency of a phone call for authentication. Another benefit that FastX has over No Machine is that you can close a remote desktop session but as long as the FastX program and the connection to the server was not disconnected the underlying ssh session is still active. This means that sessions can be started and stopped on the same server without triggering additional authentication requests from Duo.
Install FastX
You can download the FastX client from the ITS software download page. After signing in with your HawkID find the FastX link and click on it. On the next page that opens up you will see buttons to download a client. Select the one that is appropriate for your system. Notice that there is also a listing of the license server and port. Take note of these as they will have to be entered after the program is installed. The installation procedures are fairly standard but for more details see the FastX page on the Engineering Wiki. Note that you will need to connect to a VPN for off-campus access. Unless you already have access to the Engineering VPN use the UI Anywhere VPN service.
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