Key pairs

A key pair is a cryptographically signed public and private key set, which can be used as an alternative to a password. To access a virtual machine instand created on the Nectar Research Cloud, you will need to use Secure Shell (SSH) with a key pair.

If you have an existing key pair you’d like to use, you can import the public component of this key pair, otherwise a new one can be generated directly into your Nectar Research Cloud account.

Generating a new Key Pair

To generate a new key pair, go to Project > Compute > Key Pairs. You can click the Create Key Pair button to start the wizard.

Enter a memorable name for your new key pair, then click the Create Key Pair button. Your public key will be saved within your Research Cloud account, and you will be prompted to save your private key to your computer.

Save this somewhere safe.

Using your Key Pair

We will be using this new key pair to gain access the console of a virtual machine instance in the Using SSH step, but we’ll need to boot an Instance first.