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Request an account

This page explains who can request an account on chispa, what to prepare, and how to submit your request.

Who can request an account directly

You can request your own account if you are one of the following:

  • An IAFE researcher
  • IAFE support staff
  • An IAFE postdoc
  • An IAFE Ph.D. student

You need a valid @iafe.uba.ar email address. You validate it as part of the request.

Who needs a sponsor

Master's students and external collaborators can't request an account directly. Instead, an IAFE researcher must sponsor you by sending you an invitation.

Your usage counts against your sponsor's share of compute resources.

Allowed use

Use chispa only for IAFE-affiliated work:

  • Astrophysics research
  • Thesis and dissertation work

When you request your account, you give a short summary of your intended use.

Warning

Don't use the server for personal, commercial, or unrelated projects.

Before you start

Gather these two things before you request an account.

A GitHub account

You need a GitHub account to request an account on chispa. GitHub serves two purposes:

  • It gives you access to the issue tracker, where you can ask questions or report problems.
  • It stores your SSH public keys. The server fetches these keys straight from your GitHub account, so you don't have to paste them anywhere.

If you don't have a GitHub account, create one before you continue.

Warning

You get access to the issue tracker only after an admin approves your account. If you have questions or problems while your request is pending, email chispa@iafe.uba.ar.

An SSH key pair

You log in to chispa with an SSH key, not a password. If you don't already have a key pair, generate one:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

This command creates two files: a private key, which you keep secret, and a public key ending in .pub, which you share.

Add your public key to your GitHub account, under Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key. The server fetches all your GitHub keys automatically, so you can add more than one — for example, one for each computer you connect from.

See Adding a new SSH key to your GitHub account.

Warning

Add at least one SSH key to your GitHub account before you request an account on chispa.

Submit your request

If you have a valid @iafe.uba.ar email address

  1. Go to the account request app.
  2. Sign in with your GitHub account.
  3. Fill in the request form.
  4. Submit the request.
  5. Validate your @iafe.uba.ar email address.

If you received an invitation

  1. Follow the URL in your invitation email.
  2. Sign in with your GitHub account.
  3. Fill in the request form.
  4. Submit the request.

An admin reviews and approves every request before your account is created.

Info

The account request app goes to sleep when nobody is using it. If it's been a while since the last request, it can take about 50 seconds to wake up.

Once an admin approves your request, continue to Connect to chispa over SSH.

Invite external collaborators

If you are an IAFE researcher, you can invite an external collaborator to request their own account. Other account holders can't create invitations.

To create an invitation:

  1. Go to the account request app → My invitations → Create an invitation.
  2. Enter the invitee's email address.

Your invitee gets an email with a link to continue their account request.

Warning

Every invitee's usage counts against your share of compute resources.