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. This page only documents the GPU delta.
Connect over SSH
Use the SSH command exactly as you would for a regular Linux node:
ssh <username>@<gpu-node-ip>
Or with an SSH key:
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.
Verify the GPU with nvidia-smi
nvidia-smi is the canonical verification command. Run it as your first action after login:
nvidia-smi
A healthy node returns the card name, driver version, CUDA version, memory, and utilization. For example:
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 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:
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.
Related Resources
| Resource | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Connect to a Linux node | Canonical SSH connect reference (non-GPU steps). |
| Create a GPU node | Launch a GPU node. |
| Choose a GPU card | Pick the right card before you connect. |
| Connect to a Windows GPU node | RDP into a Windows GPU node. |
| Troubleshoot GPU Nodes | Fix nvidia-smi errors, missing cards, CUDA mismatch, and OOM. |
| SSH Key Management | Create and rotate SSH keys. |