In a previous post we discussed one way to resolve the problem where your DNS server is not able to find one of our login nodes. We now present a new method which requires some initial setup but tends to be easier.
Assuming you are connected to the USC VPN, there is a delay between when you connect and when the DNS cache refreshes. You can manually assign names to an IP address on your computer by modifying the /etc/hosts file. You will need to add these lines:
# IP host "nickname"
10.72.0.13 d1
10.72.0.14 d2
10.72.0.15 e1
10.72.0.16 e2
These are the IP addresses for discovery1, discovery2, endeavour1 and endeavour2. You can provide a “nickname” such that you can connect with
ssh d1
instead of
ssh discovery1.usc.edu
If you have a Windows computer, the equivalent file is C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts and the syntax is still the same.
Using this method you will not need to wait for your cache to refresh, it will always work as long as you are on the USC network.