MobaXterm

MobaXterm enables Windows users to execute basic Linux/Unix commands on their local machine, connect to Hazel with SSH (X11 enabled), and to transfer files with SCP/SFTP.

Download the Installer edition of the MobaXterm Home Edition.

Video Tutorial: Installing, configuring, and using MobaXterm

Installation instructions

These instructions were tested on Windows 10.
  • Go to the download page for the free Home Edition of MobaXterm.
    • Download the Installer edition - save the file to the local computer. In this example, the saved file name is MobaXterm_Installer_v12.1.zip.
  • Extract all the files of the zip file.
    • Right click on the file and select Extract All. After the extraction there will be a file named MobaXterm_installer_12.1.msi.
  • Double click on the file MobaXterm_installer_12.1.msi to start the installation.
    • Accept the defaults and complete the installation. After the installation, there will be an icon for MobaXterm on the desktop. Double click the icon to launch MobaXterm.
Video Tutorial: Installing MobaXterm

Open a terminal

  • After launching MobaXterm, click Start local terminal to open a terminal.

Customize the Workspace

  • After clicking on Start local terminal, the terminal will be a tab embedded in the MobaXterm window.
  • Click on the plus sign + in the tab area to open more terminals.
  • To have a free floating terminal window, drag a terminal out of the MobaXterm window.
  • There are several additional features in MobaXterm including additional options to customize the environment.
Video Tutorial: Jump to Customizing the Workspace in MobaXterm

Customize the home directory

  • After opening a terminal, the default home directory corresponds to the local folder of
    This PC\Documents\MobaXterm\home
  • The directory /drives in the terminal corresponds to the root folder of the local disk which is This PC.
  • Assuming there are no external drives attached to the PC such as a USB stick, then typing ls /drives in the terminal shows that there is only a c subdirectory there which corresponds to the OS (C:) folder on the PC. Knowing this is important when transferring files between the PC and the HPC system.
  • For convenience and to simplify file transfers between the PC and Hazel, set the home directory of the terminal to be the local folder where HPC related files are stored. For example, a user Dian stores all of his HPC related files in the following directory on his PC:
    This PC\OS (C:)\Dian\HPC
    The home directory of his terminal may be set to that folder by doing the following:
    • Launch MobaXterm.
    • Click on the Settings tab, then choose Configurations.
    • Click on the yellow folder icon in the line of Persistent home directory. Browse to the desired folder and click on OK.
    • Click on OK.
    • Let MobaXterm restart to make the settings effective.
Video Tutorial: Jump to Setting the Home Directory in MobaXterm

Enable X11 Forwarding

  • By default, X11 is enabled when using SSH.
Video Tutorial: Jump to X11 Forwarding in MobaXterm
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