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====== Beginner Tutorial: How to Log In to a Server and Upload/Download Files with MobaXterm ======

<wrap em>This page is a step-by-step "hand-holding" tutorial written specifically for beginners who have never used a terminal tool before. If you already know how to log in to a server with xshell / MobaXterm / PuTTY, feel free to skip this page.</wrap>

Throughout the whole PWstudio installation process — and afterward — you'll need a tool that does two things:

  - **Log in** to your Linux server (workstation) so you can run the various commands in the installation guide
  - **Transfer files** between your own Windows/Mac computer and the server (e.g. uploading a downloaded GPU driver or Docker installer to the server)

**MobaXterm** can handle both of these with a single piece of software, which is why we use it as the example here. (If you're more used to xshell + xftp, or PuTTY + WinSCP, the underlying idea is exactly the same — feel free to skip this page.)

----

===== 1. Download and install MobaXterm =====

  - Open your browser and go to the official download page: [[https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/download.html|MobaXterm official download]]
  - Under **Home Edition (free)**, choose the **Installer edition** (installs with a double-click, low hassle; the Portable edition is a no-install "green" version and works too)
  - Once downloaded, double-click the installer and click "Next" all the way through, using the default options

===== 2. Create a new SSH connection (log in to the server) =====

After opening MobaXterm:

  - Click the **Session** button in the top-left corner
  - Choose **SSH** in the dialog that pops up
  - In **Remote host**, enter the server's IP address (this is given in your installation guide or by your administrator; the guide usually writes it as ''[host IP]'' — replace it with the real IP, e.g. ''192.168.1.100'')
  - Check **Specify username** and enter the username after it (e.g. the username provided by the PWstudio container, ''pwmat'' or ''root'' — see the table in the [[en:pwstudio:quickstart_gpu#Logging into the container, uploading/downloading files|Logging into the container, uploading/downloading files]] section for details)
  - If the guide mentions a port other than the default 22 (e.g. the PWstudio container uses port ''2297''), click the **Advanced SSH settings** tab and change **Port** to the correct number (e.g. 2297)
  - Click **OK**

The first time you connect, a security prompt will appear, roughly saying "The authenticity of this host can't be established, do you want to continue connecting?" This is normal (every server shows this prompt the first time you connect) — just click **Accept**, or type **yes**.

You'll then be asked for a password — enter the password given in the installation guide (**note: while typing, the terminal usually won't show any characters at all, not even asterisks — this is normal security behavior, not a broken computer; just type it and press Enter**).

Once logged in, you'll see a file browser panel appear on the left (showing the server's file directory) and a command-line terminal window on the right — that means the login succeeded.

<wrap tip>
Tip: after a successful login, MobaXterm will ask if you want to save this session so you can open it directly next time — we recommend saving it, so you don't have to re-enter the address, username, and port every time.
</wrap>

===== 3. Running commands in the terminal (how to copy and paste) =====

Once logged in, the window on the right is a standard Linux command-line terminal. Everything inside the ''<code bash>...</code>'' boxes in the installation guide is a command meant to be run in this terminal.

Recommended workflow:

  - Use your mouse to select the entire command line on the web page, then press ''Ctrl+C'' to copy it (''Cmd+C'' on Mac)
  - Switch to the MobaXterm terminal window, and **simply right-click inside the terminal window** — MobaXterm will automatically paste whatever you just copied at the cursor position (this is MobaXterm's default behavior)
  - Once you've confirmed the pasted content is correct, press Enter to run it

<wrap important>
The short piece of text at the very start of a command line, something like ''[pwmat@localhost ~]$'', is called the "prompt." **It is not part of the command** — don't select it when copying a command, or you'll get an error.
</wrap>

===== 4. Uploading / downloading files (drag-and-drop, the easiest way) =====

Once you're logged into MobaXterm, a file browser panel appears on the left side (if you don't see it, click the small arrow on the left edge of the window to expand it). This panel shows the file listing of the current directory on the server, and works much like Windows Explorer:

  - **Uploading a file (from your computer to the server)**: simply drag a file from your Windows machine (e.g. the ''.run'' driver file you just downloaded from NVIDIA's site, or the Docker offline installer) into this left-hand panel and drop it — the upload will start automatically. You can also click the upload icon (an upward arrow) in the panel's toolbar and select a local file to upload.
  - **Downloading a file (from the server to your computer)**: simply drag a file from the left-hand panel onto your Windows desktop or any folder to download it locally.

<wrap tip>
If you need to switch to a specific directory first (e.g. the guide says "first ''cd'' into a directory"), just type the corresponding ''cd'' command in the terminal — the file browser panel on the left will automatically jump to the same directory too, which is quite convenient.
</wrap>

===== 5. Common questions =====

  * **It says the password is wrong, but I'm sure it's correct?** Check whether you accidentally copied an extra space or line break; also check for typos in upper/lower case. Some browsers add invisible characters when copying a password — try typing the password manually instead.
  * **The window suddenly disconnected?** After the server reboots (e.g. installing a driver requires a reboot), the MobaXterm connection will drop — this is expected. Once the server has finished rebooting (usually 1-2 minutes), double-click the saved session on the left again to reconnect (remember to re-enter the password).
  * **Right-click paste isn't doing anything?** Go to the MobaXterm menu **Settings → Configuration → Terminal** and make sure the "right-click paste" option is enabled; or just use the keyboard shortcut ''Shift+Insert'' to paste instead.
  * **Garbled Chinese/non-English text?** This usually doesn't affect running commands. If it really bothers you, you can change the encoding to UTF-8 under Settings → Configuration → Terminal.

Once you've done the steps above, you now have everything you need to follow the rest of the installation guide and operate a Linux server step by step. Next, you can go back to [[en:pwstudio:readme|Read this before installing PWstudio]] and continue following the guide.

~~DISCUSSION:off~~