# KLC OnDemand

KLC OnDemand is a browser-based interface for the Kellogg Linux Cluster, accessible through [Quest OnDemand](https://ondemand.quest.northwestern.edu) and built on the [Open OnDemand](https://openondemand.org/) platform. It lets you launch graphical applications, development environments, and a file manager directly in your browser — no SSH client or local software installation required.

## Getting Started

Navigate to [Quest OnDemand](https://ondemand.quest.northwestern.edu) and log in with your Northwestern NetID. From the top navigation bar, select **Help → Kellogg Linux Cluster**. 

![Selecting the Kellogg Linux Cluster profile from the Help dropdown menu](images/klc-ondemand-select-klc-profile.png)

 This switches the interface to a curated KLC-specific view. See the [Quest OnDemand documentation](https://rcdsdocs.it.northwestern.edu/systems/quest/ondemand/ondemand.html) for more on the underlying platform.

![KLC OnDemand landing page showing node availability tables](images/klc-ondemand-landing.png)

The landing page shows two live resource tables:

- **KLC Direct Access Resource Availability** — current available CPU cores and RAM on each KLC node. Use this to choose the most underutilized node when launching an app.
- **KLC Slurm Node Availability** — current availability of the Kellogg GPU nodes (A100, L40S, H100).

## Available Applications

Scroll down on the landing page to see the pinned apps available for KLC.

![KLC OnDemand pinned apps: GNOME Desktop, Jupyter, RStudio Server, VS Code Server](images/klc-ondemand-apps.png)

| App | Category | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| **KLC GNOME Desktop** | Desktop | Running graphical applications such as MATLAB, Stata, or SAS |
| **KLC Jupyter** | Server | Notebook-based interactive analysis |
| **KLC RStudio Server** | Server | R analysis in the browser |
| **KLC VS Code Server** | Server | Code editing, terminal access, and script development |

## Launching KLC VS Code Server

Click **KLC VS Code Server** from the landing page. You will see a configuration form with three settings:

![VS Code Server configuration form](images/klc-ondemand-vscode-config.png)

1. **Cluster (KLC Node)** — Select which KLC node to run on. Refer to the resource availability table on the landing page and choose a node with available CPU cores and RAM for your workload.

2. **Wall Clock Time** — How long you want the session to remain active, in hours. Unlike SLURM batch jobs, there is no enforced maximum on KLC direct-access nodes, so you can enter any value (e.g., `48` for a two-day session).

3. **Working Directory** *(optional)* — The folder VS Code will open on launch. Leave blank to start from your home directory. To open a specific Kellogg project directory, enter the full path here (e.g., `/kellogg/proj/your-netid/my-project`).

Click **Launch**. You will be taken to the **My Interactive Sessions** page where the session status shows as **Starting**.

![Session starting — waiting for VS Code Server to become ready](images/klc-ondemand-session-starting.png)

The session typically takes one to two minutes to start. When it is ready, a **Connect to VS Code** button will appear. Click it to open VS Code in your browser.

:::{note}
On first launch, VS Code will ask whether you trust the authors of the files in the working directory. Click **Yes, I trust the authors** to enable full editing and terminal functionality.
:::

VS Code Server behaves nearly identically to the [VS Code Remote SSH workflow](klc-vscode) — you get the same editor, terminal, and file explorer, all running directly on the KLC node.

![VS Code Server in the browser with an integrated terminal running on klc0302](images/klc-ondemand-vscode-terminal.png)

The integrated terminal is a shell session on the KLC node you selected. You can run scripts, load modules, activate conda environments, and use all the same commands you would in an SSH session.

## File Manager

The **Files** menu in the top navigation bar opens a browser-based file manager for your KLC storage.

![KLC OnDemand File Manager showing home directory contents](images/klc-ondemand-files.png)

The left sidebar provides quick links to your most common locations:

- **Home Directory** — your 80 GB personal home directory
- **Scratch 30 days** — temporary scratch storage
- **Kellogg Directory** — Kellogg Project Directories can be found here

From the file manager you can:

- **Browse** — navigate to any directory you have access to, including Kellogg project directories
- **View / Edit** — open and edit text files directly in the browser without launching a full IDE
- **Upload / Download** — transfer files between your local machine and KLC using the buttons in the top-right toolbar
- **New File / New Directory** — create files and folders
- **Copy/Move / Delete** — manage files in place
- **Open in Terminal** — open a shell session in the current directory

:::{note}
The file manager upload and download buttons work well for files up to approximately 1 GB. For larger transfers, use [Globus or scp/rsync](klc-transferfiles).
:::

## Managing Sessions

All running and queued sessions are listed under **My Interactive Sessions** in the top navigation bar. From there you can monitor session status, reconnect to a running session, or cancel a session you no longer need.

Sessions end automatically when the wall clock time you set expires. If you finish early, cancel the session from **My Interactive Sessions** to free up resources on the node for other users.