Documentation
Everything about reserving a machine, connecting to it and what happens around your reservation. All times are UTC.
Getting started
Concepts
- Instance typesThe machine configurations you can reserve: Mac Studio M5 Max and M5 Ultra, and NVIDIA DGX Spark.
- Plans and periodsA plan is how you reserve an instance type: its period, its price per period and its booking rules.
- Lead time, window and limitsThe rules on when a reservation can start, how far ahead you can book, how long it can be and how many you can hold.
- AvailabilityHow the calendar decides a day is free, why a reservation stays on one machine, and how double-booking is prevented.
Reserving
- Using the calendarHow to pick your days on the reservation page: what the colours mean and what each tap does.
- Payment, currencies and VATHow and when you pay for a reservation, which currency you pay in, and when VAT is added.
- No cancellationsReservations can't be cancelled, moved or shortened once paid. Here's why, and the one case where you're refunded.
SSH keys
- Generating a keyCreate an SSH key pair on macOS, Linux or Windows, and add the public key to your account.
- ConnectingLog in to your machine over SSH on its own port once it's ready, reach servers on it, and keep long jobs running when you disconnect.
- Using ~/.ssh/configGive your machine a short name in your SSH config, with its host, port and user, so ssh, scp, rsync and VS Code work without long commands.
- Copying filesMove data to and from your machine with scp and rsync on its SSH port, and download models directly on the machine.
- VS Code and JupyterWork on your machine from VS Code with Remote-SSH, and open Jupyter and other web UIs on your computer through SSH port forwarding.
Startup scripts
- How startup scripts runA startup script runs once, as renter, when your machine is ready: the one-hour and 64 KB limits, ~/startup.log, checking its state and running it again.
- TemplatesThe ready-made startup scripts for Mac Studio (MLX) and DGX Spark (CUDA), what each one does, and how to customise them.
- Keeping secrets out of scriptsStartup scripts are stored with your reservation. Here's how to use tokens and keys without putting them in one.
Instance environments
- Mac Studio environmentWhat's on a Mac Studio when you log in: macOS, Homebrew's git, Python and uv, what you can install in your home folder, MLX, and the remote desktop.
- DGX Spark environmentWhat's on an NVIDIA DGX Spark: DGX OS, CUDA and nvcc, a docker command that runs rootless Podman with GPU access, a vLLM example and the memory limit.
- Remote desktop on a Mac StudioUse the Mac Studio's desktop through Screen Sharing (VNC), carried inside your SSH connection: the password, the tunnel and a viewer for macOS, Windows or Linux.
- What's allowed on the machineWhat you can and can't do on a rented machine: the SSH port only, no outbound email on port 25, no admin rights, acceptable use, and what's erased at the end.