Open OnDemand (OOD) Overview - JHPCE/JASPER Cluster

The JHPCE OOD server is not yet available

We hope to bring one into service during the beginning of 2027.

This document will serve as a launch point for instructions on how to use OOD on the JHPCE (aka JASPER) cluster.

This document will not contain all of the information about OOD, only an overview.

About OOD

Open OnDemand provides remote access to a cluster via web browsers rather than SSH applications. No client software needs to be installed on users' computers. Work can be done using a Graphic User Interface (GUI) as well as a terminal for Command Line Interface (CLI) work.

JHPCE-specific details

An additional MFA code just for JHPCE OOD

How OOD will work for JHPCE is not yet known

The JHPCE/JASPER cluster requires one of two forms of MFA: a One Time Password or SSH public keys. As of 10/2026 we do not yet know if SSH public keys will be supported during OOD logins. They probably will not be used.

Two different OTP for JHPCE

To use JHPCE's OOD server, you need to use a dedicated OOD One Time Password (OTP). This is in addition to the OTP that you use when logging into the jhpce01.jhsph.edu or jhpce03.jhsph.edu servers using SSH. You need to maintain access to two OTP "accounts" to be able to log in via SSH and OOD. When logging in with SSH and OOD, you use the same username & password, but the OTP's are different.

The JHPCE cluster's security model requires the use of a multi-factor credential during login. When you use SSH, you need to provide a username, password and a One Time Password (OTP) (technically it is a Time-based One Time Password (TOTP)). The OTP is also called a verification code. Users configure applications like Google or Microsoft Authenticator using a user-specific "secret"

On JHPCE, we use a software package called Keycloak to handle the MFA credential component.

Instructions will follow on the web site about working with OTP changes.