Troubleshooting¶

Job Won't Start¶

• Check queue status: squeue -u $USER
• Check available resources: sinfo
• Verify your account has hours: curc-quota

Can't Connect via SSH¶

• Ensure SSH config was added to your local ~/.ssh/config (not on the cluster)
• Verify the job is running: squeue -u $USER
• Check the log file for the correct hostname and job ID
• Verify your local SSH public key is on the cluster (re-run setup)

Connection Drops¶

SSH connections may timeout if idle. The job itself continues running — just reconnect using the same SSH host entry.

The SSH config generated by the script includes ServerAliveInterval and ServerAliveCountMax to reduce idle timeouts.

Connection Fails After Updating Positron¶

The Positron client and server must be exactly the same version. If you update Positron on your local machine, the remote ~/.positron-server may have an old version.

Delete the remote server and reconnect:

rm -rf /scratch/alpine/${USER}/.positron-server

rm -rf ~/.positron-server

Positron will automatically reinstall the correct server version on reconnect.

Extensions Missing in Remote Session¶

Extensions installed on your local machine are not automatically available on the remote host. After connecting, install any needed extensions from the Extensions panel — they will be installed on the remote server.

R Interpreter Not Discovered¶

R interpreter discovery can be unreliable on remote systems. If you don't see R under "Start Session" (even though Python interpreters appear):

1. Install R through mamba/conda on the remote system:

   mamba install -c conda-forge r-base
   

2. Enable conda discovery in Positron settings (on your local machine):

   Search for "Positron R Interpreters Conda Discovery" and enable it, or add to settings.json:

   {
       "positron.r.interpreters.condaDiscovery": true
   }
   

3. Manually trigger interpreter discovery:

   Press ++cmd+shift+p++ (Mac) or ++ctrl+shift+p++ (Windows/Linux) and select Interpreter: Discover all interpreters.