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Federated Account Request

Users at institutions that participate in InCommon Federation may request an account using the Federated Account request system. You can verify that your institution provides federated authentication by visiting the InCommon Community Organization Directory page and looking for the "Federation" tag for your institution.

For technical details of federated authentication at UF, see the InCommon Federated Authentication requirements page.

This page will help you complete the steps to apply for a federated account to access HiPerGator. This video may help by demonstrating the steps: watch the walkthrough video. Play Video

Step 1: Create an SSH key pair

Even if you do not intend to connect to HiPerGator via SSH you must have an SSH key ready to upload as a part of the account creation process. The steps below should work in most cases, but see Using SSH Keys To Access HPG for details of creating an SSH key pair. You will not have to use the key if you only intend to use web interfaces like JupyterHub, Open OnDemand, or Galaxy to access HiPerGator, but must still upload the public key as part of the account creation process.

The steps below will create an SSH keypair on Mac, Linux or Windows using the Terminal application. Note that most modern Windows versions have the Terminal application, but the Command Prompt application will also work.

Type: ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "My HiPerGator Key"

Follow the prompts, accepting the defaults. Do not use any special characters, especially the <> characters, in your key!

Expand to see example. 
C:\> ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "My HiPerGator Key"
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (C:\Users\USER/.ssh/id_ed25519): <Enter to accept default>
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase): <Enter for no passphrase>
Enter same passphrase again: <Enter for no passphrase>
Your identification has been saved in C:\Users\USER/.ssh/id_ed25519.
Your public key has been saved in C:\Users\USER/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
SHA256:XIK768VqKVSA2qwPEjQ8CIJq6sCrr9uj09cjr9Gagd0 My HiPerGator Key
The key's randomart image is:
+--[ED25519 256]--+
|B  .             |
|+=. .  .         |
|o+o  .. . .      |
|+.o   .o o       |
|+o   .. S        |
|*. o.o o         |
|++o.+.E.o        |
|.++ +==+         |
|**oo+B=.         |
+----[SHA256]-----+

C:\>

Step 2: Account Request Form

Request Form Timeout

You must finish the entire process and submit the form in a single web browser session. If you close your session or if it times out you will not be able to recover it. When this happens you'll need to contact RC support staff to have your form reset.

  • Go to the COmanage registration form here: https://federation.it.ufl.edu/registry/co_petitions/start/coef:6 (Opens in a new tab).

  • Select your institution, which will forward you to your institution's identity provider for authentication.

  • After logging in, you will be presented with a form, where you need to fill out the following:

    1. Given Name
    2. Family Name
    3. Email
    4. Organization (i.e. institution name)
    5. Sponsor (Select a sponsor from the drop down menu).

    6. Add any comments that would be helpful for UFRC staff.

      If you are a new sponsor, make sure to indicate that on the form.

  • Click the Submit button

Step 3: Accept invitation and upload SSH key

An email will be sent to you for the next steps to confirm your email address. (Please be sure to check your SPAM/Junk folder)

  • After receiving the email invitation, click the link in the email.
  • Review the Terms and Conditions, select "I Agree" and click on the "Submit" button.
  • Click Choose File, select the prepared public SSH key from Step 1 (ends in .pub) and click "Upload".

Locating your public SSH key file

Because SSH keys are stored in system folders that are often hidden by default, visually navigating to them in a standard file upload window can be tricky.

The easiest way to upload the file on any operating system is to use folder shortcuts directly inside the web browser's file upload dialog.

Here is how to find and upload the .pub file on each operating system once you click the "Upload" or "Choose File" button on the page:

By default, the Mac Finder hides the .ssh folder. You can bypass this using a keyboard shortcut.

  1. Click the Upload button on the page to open the Finder dialog.
  2. Press Cmd + Shift + G on your keyboard to open the "Go to Folder" search bar.
  3. Type ~/.ssh and press Return.
  4. This will jump you directly into the hidden SSH folder. Select your public key file (e.g., id_ed25519.pub) and click Open.

Windows stores SSH keys in your user profile folder, but it's faster to use an environment shortcut than clicking through your C:\ drive.

  1. Click the Upload button on the web form to open the File Explorer dialog.
  2. Click directly into the Address bar at the top of the window (or press Alt + D).
  3. Type %USERPROFILE%\.ssh and press Enter.
  4. You will immediately see your SSH files. Select your public key file (e.g., id_ed25519.pub) and click Open.

On Linux, any folder starting with a dot (like .ssh) is treated as a hidden folder and usually won't show up in the file picker by default.

  1. Click the Upload button on the web form.
  2. In the file chooser window, make sure you are looking at your Home directory.
  3. Press Ctrl + H on your keyboard to reveal hidden files and folders.
  4. Scroll down, locate the .ssh folder, and open it.
  5. Select your public key file (e.g., id_ed25519.pub) and click Open.

Note for Linux: If Ctrl + H doesn't work in your specific desktop environment, you can usually press Ctrl + L to open the path location bar, type ~/.ssh, and press Enter.

Final account creation

Once the SSH key has been uploaded, the account request process will proceed. The sponsor will be notified of the account request and will need to approve the request. At that point, the HiPerGator account can be created. Once your HiPerGator account has been created you will receive an email. At this point you will be able to connect to HiPerGator.