Connect to the head node through Amazon DCV

Amazon DCV is a remote visualization technology that enables users to securely connect to graphic-intensive 3D applications that are hosted on a remote high-performance server. For more information, see Amazon DCV.

Amazon DCV software is automatically installed on the head node when using base_os = alinux2, base_os = centos7, base_os = ubuntu1804 or base_os = ubuntu2004.

If the head node is an ARM instance, the Amazon DCV software is automatically installed on it when using base_os = alinux2, base_os = centos7, or base_os = ubuntu1804.

To enable Amazon DCV on the head node, dcv_settings must contain the name of a [dcv] section that has enable = master and base_os must be set to alinux2, centos7, ubuntu1804, or ubuntu2004. If the head node is an ARM instance, base_os must be set to alinux2, centos7, or ubuntu1804. This way, AWS ParallelCluster sets the cluster configuration parameter shared_dir to the DCV server storage folder.

[cluster custom-cluster]
...
dcv_settings = custom-dcv
...
[dcv custom-dcv]
enable = master

For more information about Amazon DCV configuration parameters, see dcv_settings. To connect to the Amazon DCV session, use the pcluster dcv command.

Amazon DCV HTTPS certificate

Amazon DCV automatically generates a self-signed certificate to secure traffic between the Amazon DCV client and Amazon DCV server.

To replace the default self-signed Amazon DCV certificate with another certificate, first connect to the head node. Then, copy both the certificate and key to the /etc/dcv folder before running the pcluster dcv command.

For more information, see Changing the TLS certificate in the Amazon DCV Administrator Guide.

Licensing Amazon DCV

The Amazon DCV server doesn't require a license server when running on Amazon EC2 instances. However, the Amazon DCV server must periodically connect to an Amazon S3 bucket to determine if a valid license is available.

AWS ParallelCluster automatically adds the required permissions to the ParallelClusterInstancePolicy. When using a custom IAM Instance Policy, use the permissions described in Amazon DCV on Amazon EC2 in the Amazon DCV Administrator Guide.

For troubleshooting tips, see Troubleshooting issues in Amazon DCV.