---
title: Connect to a Linux GPU Node
---

# Connect to a Linux GPU Node

Connecting to a Linux GPU node is the same SSH flow as a regular Linux node. The only addition is the post-login GPU check.

For the full SSH connect reference — finding the IP, choosing password vs key, host fingerprints, key rotation — follow [Connect to a Linux node](/docs/myaccount/node/connect-to-node/linux-node). This page only documents the GPU delta.

---

## Connect over SSH

Use the SSH command exactly as you would for a regular Linux node:

```bash
ssh <username>@<gpu-node-ip>
```

Or with an SSH key:

```bash
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/<private-key-file>
ssh -i ~/.ssh/<private-key-file> <username>@<gpu-node-ip>
```

The default user, password retrieval, and security group rules are identical to a regular node. See [Connect to a Linux node](/docs/myaccount/node/connect-to-node/linux-node).

---

## Verify the GPU with `nvidia-smi`

`nvidia-smi` is the canonical verification command. Run it as your first action after login:

```bash
nvidia-smi
```

A healthy node returns the card name, driver version, CUDA version, memory, and utilization. For example:

```text
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NVIDIA-SMI 570.86.10              Driver Version: 570.86.10      CUDA Version: 12.8     |
|-----------------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+
| GPU  Name                 Persistence-M | Bus-Id          Disp.A | Volatile Uncorr. ECC |
|=========================================+========================+======================|
|   0  NVIDIA A100-SXM4-80GB          On  | 00000000:00:1E.0 Off   |                    0 |
| N/A   32C    P0              63W / 400W |       0MiB / 81920MiB  |      0%      Default |
+-----------------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+
```

What to read from this output:

| Field            | What it tells you                                                                              |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Driver Version` | Installed NVIDIA datacenter driver.                                                            |
| `CUDA Version`   | The CUDA runtime version the driver supports. Your workload's CUDA must be ≤ this.             |
| `Name`           | The detected GPU model. Confirm it matches the card you ordered.                               |
| `Memory-Usage`   | Idle memory should be near `0MiB` on a fresh node.                                             |
| `GPU-Util`       | Should be `0%` on idle.                                                                        |
| `Persistence-M`  | `On` keeps the driver resident across application starts. Recommended for long-running jobs.   |

---

## Confirm CUDA with `nvcc` (Optional)

To confirm the CUDA toolkit (compiler and headers) is installed on the host:

```bash
nvcc --version
```

On container-based images, `nvcc` may only be available inside the container, not on the host. That is expected — the host only needs the driver.

---

## Everything Else

Tmux/screen for long-running sessions, SSH key rotation, security group hardening, and Access Console recovery work the same as on any Linux node — see [Connect to a Linux node](/docs/myaccount/node/connect-to-node/linux-node).

---

## Related Resources

| Resource                                                                             | Use it for                                                       |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Connect to a Linux node](/docs/myaccount/node/connect-to-node/linux-node)           | Canonical SSH connect reference (non-GPU steps).                 |
| [Create a GPU node](/docs/myaccount/gpu/getting-started/create-gpu-node)             | Launch a GPU node.                                               |
| [Choose a GPU card](/docs/myaccount/gpu/getting-started/choose-gpu-card)             | Pick the right card before you connect.                          |
| [Connect to a Windows GPU node](/docs/myaccount/gpu/connect-to-gpu/windows-gpu-node) | RDP into a Windows GPU node.                                     |
| [Troubleshoot GPU Nodes](/docs/myaccount/gpu/troubleshoot)                           | Fix `nvidia-smi` errors, missing cards, CUDA mismatch, and OOM.  |
| [SSH Key Management](/docs/myaccount/security/ssh_key_management)                    | Create and rotate SSH keys.                                      |