Saicasm/cloudlab-vs-code

This repoisitory is aimed at setting up cloudlab within vs code

CloudLab Multi-Node Setup

This repository contains tools for managing SSH connections to multiple CloudLab nodes, particularly useful for VS Code remote development.

Table of Contents

• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
• File Structure
• Troubleshooting
• Advanced Usage

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• An active CloudLab account
• SSH keys generated and added to your CloudLab profile
• Visual Studio Code installed with the "Remote - SSH" extension
• Make utility installed on your system

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository to your local machine:

   git clone https://github.com/Saicasm/cloudlab-vs-code.git
   cd cloudlab-setup

2. Update the Makefile with your SSH key information:

   SSH_KEY_DIR := path_to_your_dir
   SSH_KEY_NAME := your_key_file  # without .pub extension

Configuration

Initial Setup

1. Generate the initial configuration:

   make

   This will create a nodes.conf file with example entries.

2. Edit nodes.conf to add your CloudLab nodes:

   # CloudLab Nodes Configuration
   NODE_1_HOST := rand123.utah.cloudlab.us
   NODE_1_USER := Username
   NODE_2_HOST := rand123.utah.cloudlab.us
   NODE_2_USER := Username

Adding Nodes

You can add nodes in two ways:

1. Interactively using make:

   make add-node

2. Manually by editing nodes.conf

Usage

Basic Commands

• Set up everything (recommended for first time):

  make

• Check SSH key configuration:

  make check-key

• Set up VS Code configuration:

  make setup-vscode

• Test connections to all nodes:

  make test-connection

• Add a new node interactively:

  make add-node

• Clean configuration:

  make clean-config

• Show help:

  make help

Using with VS Code

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P
3. Type "Remote-SSH: Connect to Host..."
4. Select your node (e.g., cloudlab-1, cloudlab-2, etc.)

File Structure

.
├── Makefile              # Main configuration and automation file
├── nodes.conf            # Node configuration file (generated)
└── README.md            # This documentation file

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Permission denied (publickey):

   • Verify your SSH key is correctly added to CloudLab
   • Check key permissions: chmod 600 for private key, chmod 644 for public key
   • Ensure correct username in nodes.conf

2. Connection timeout:

   • Verify the hostname is correct
   • Check if your CloudLab experiment is still active
   • Ensure you're connected to the internet

3. VS Code can't find the host:

   • Run make setup-vscode again
   • Check ~/.ssh/vscode/cloudlab-config exists
   • Restart VS Code

Debug Steps

1. Check SSH key configuration:

   make check-key

2. Test specific connection:

   ssh -i /path/to/your/key -vv username@hostname

3. Verify VS Code configuration:

   cat ~/.ssh/vscode/cloudlab-config

Advanced Usage

Multiple Key Support

To use different SSH keys for different nodes, modify nodes.conf:

NODE_1_HOST := host1.cloudlab.us
NODE_1_USER := user1
NODE_1_KEY := /path/to/key1

NODE_2_HOST := host2.cloudlab.us
NODE_2_USER := user2
NODE_2_KEY := /path/to/key2

Batch Operations

To perform operations on specific nodes:

# Test specific node
ssh -i $SSH_KEY_PATH $USER@$(NODE_1_HOST)

# Copy files to all nodes
for node in $(NODES); do
    scp -i $SSH_KEY_PATH files $USER@$node:~/
done