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HiPerGator-RV How-to

Prerequisites

  • A tiCrypt Connect client (downloaded from the HiPerGator-RV Download page.).
  • Your RV password (different from your GatorLink ID).
  • Administrative rights on your workstation to kill processes.
  • A modern web browser (Chrome/Firefox).

Tip

tiCrypt Manual

The full documentation for tiCrypt software can be found at tiCrypt.com. This page describes specific steps required for the University of Florida.

tiCrypt Connect - Installation (first-time install)

  1. Download the launcher

    Go to the HiPerGator‑RV Download page and fetch the installer for your OS, and the UF deployment file.

  2. Run the installer

    • Windows – double‑click Connect Application.exe
    • macOS – open the downloaded .pkg

    For Linux and video walkthroughs visit tiCrypt Connect Application documentation.

  3. Verify the installation

    Once the installation is finished, run the client.

    • Windows – press Windows key and search for tiCrypt Connect
    • macOS – navigate to Applications and click on tiCrypt Connect

Note

Windows version does not have icon for tiCrypt Connect unlike Mac. Do not worry, it is correctly installed. It is highly suggested to search and pin the application to taskbar for easy future access.

Screenshot of Windows menu and searching for tiCrypt Connect in search and arrow for "Pin to Taskbar"

tiCrypt Connect- Updating existing installation

Tip

Updating is safe, but the old launcher must be removed first so that the new files are not written over a running program.

  1. Ensure no instances of tiCrypt currently running

    Check by opening tiCrypt Connect and selecting the User Menu, Exit HiperGatorRV

  2. Delete the old launcher

    • Windows – Delete tiCryptConnect.exe and the accompanying uninstaller.exe
    • Mac - Drag tiCrypt Connect.app from the /Applications folder to the Trash. Empty the Trash to ensure the old binary is fully removed.

  3. Re‑download the latest installer from the download page and repeat the Installation steps above.

ResVault Login

  1. Launch the tiCrypt Connect client.

  2. Click on the latest HyperGatorRV deployment or add a new deployment. Screenshot of where to add and manage deployment on Resvault

  3. If you see “You have no keys loaded.” click LOAD KEY and select the <filename>.key.json file.

  4. Enter your ResVault password (not your GatorLinkID password).
  5. Setup or access your virtual machine (VM) as described in the training sessions.

VM Setup

Tip

Data stored in My Vault can be processed with the RV VM. Windows and Linux options are available. Follow these steps to set up a VM:

Setup Drives

Screenshot of ResVault highlighting the Virtual Machines tab

  1. Click the Virtual Machines main tab → Drives.

  2. Add a drive for each of the following:

    • Home – at least 10 GB (stores your OS and temporary files).
    • Data – any size you need for long‑term storage.

  3. Choose Team → Production Realm → “Default” as the protection level.

Setup a new Virtual Machine (VM)

The steps shown here follows the latest tiCrypt documentation please visit Virtual Machine Table for more infomation.

  1. Open the Virtual Machines pane
    In ResVault click the Virtual Machines tab on the left‑hand navigation bar.

  2. Create a new VM configuration

    • Click the + Create Configuration button at the top‑left of the pane.
    • In the pop‑up fill in the required fields:
      • VM name – a short, descriptive name (e.g., rv‑data‑analysis).
      • Team / Project – select the appropriate team/project from the dropdowns.
      • VM owners (optional) – add additional owners if you want them to have full control.
      • Description – a brief note about the VM’s purpose (helps teammates).

  3. Select hardware setup and the drives to attach

    • Home - OS, temporary files, software installs ≥ 10 GB This drive is wiped when the VM is deleted.

    • Data - Persistent user data, results, large datasets. This drive is stored in ResVault and survives VM termination.

      • Click Add Drive → choose Home and/or Data from the list.
      • For each drive you can set Read‑Only or Read‑Write.

Danger

Important: Never store long‑term data on the default C:\ drive – it is lost when the VM shuts down.

  1. Confirm the VM settings
    Review the summary panel, then click Create. The VM configuration is now saved.

  2. Launch the VM

  3. In the VM list select the newly created VM and click Open.
  4. The first time the VM starts you will be asked to format the attached drives – accept the defaults.
  5. A progress bar appears in the bottom‑right corner; wait until it reaches 100 %.

Transfer Data from/to RV

For file management help, please visit the following resources:

Inbox and SFTP

ResVault Files Directories

Software in ResVault

As of April 2022, all HiPerGator software is available on Linux VMs under the /apps/ directory. You can load modules from a command line using the command $ module load (AppName), or search for modules using $ module spider (AppName). For a full list of available HiPerGator apps, please see this page.

Using RStudio in ResVault

To launch RStudio on ResVault use the command $ rstudio --no-sandbox and if you have additional drives linked to your VM, bind mount those drives with the flag -B /drives/drive_name

If you have a specific software installation request, please contact our support team via the Helpdesk.

How to run Jupyter on Linux VMs in ResVault

You can use the same kernels that are available on HiPerGator within ResVault VMs by following the steps outlined in this guide.

Transfer drive ownership

Transferring drive ownership allows a different user to be the VM owner. VMs cannot be transferred, but the drives mounted in the VMs can be. The process requires assistance from the ResVault administrators and cannot be completed by users alone.

  1. Shut down any VMs with the drive(s) to be transferred mounted.
  2. In the Virtual Machine, Drives sub-panel, select the drive and click the Share icon.
  3. You need to share the drive with Read-Write Access. Start typing the name of the user you want to transfer the drive to and select the user from the list.
  4. Click Accept.
  5. Once the drive has been shared with the desired new owner, contact Research Computing support and request that drive ownership be transferred.
  6. Staff will transfer ownership, and the new owner can configure a VM using the drives that they now own and will be the owner of the VM.
  7. Old user will still have access to the drives.

Troubleshooting Issues

To address technical issues regarding ResVault, please contact our support team via the Helpdesk.