The two commonly used methods for logging in to Quest are using the FastX client and through a secure shell (SSH) terminal.
If you'll be working with GUI (graphical window) applications, FastX is recommended.
The Quest Analytics Nodes can be accessed directly via a web browser.
For a video tutorial please see Logging Into Quest.
Connecting with FastX
The FastX Desktop Client is an application for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X personal computers that makes a network connection to Quest using SSH. It gives you a connection to the Quest Linux servers with full graphics support via the Linux X Windows system, also called X11. Logging on using FastX is recommended if you will be using GUI-based applications. If you are running Linux on your personal computer, please connect to Quest with SSH via the terminal.
Connecting with an SSH Terminal
Please note that your netid/username is case-sensitive. For instance, using ABC123 instead of abc123 will not work in any of the methods below.
Mac or Linux computer
To login to Quest from a Linux or Mac computer, open a terminal and at the command line enter:
ssh -X <netid>@quest.northwestern.edu
Example
ssh -X abc123@quest.northwestern.edu
Windows computer
Windows users will first need to download an ssh client, such as PuTTY, which will allow you to interact with the remote Unix command line. Use the following information to set up your connection:
Hostname : quest.northwestern.edu
Username : your Northwestern NetID
Password : your Northwestern NetID password