ParaView 6.0.0 Client/Server On Euler

Goal: use the ParaView GUI locally while Euler reads and processes the data inside a CPU Slurm allocation.

Prerequisites: Euler access and SSH works, the data is in an approved Euler storage location, and ParaView 6.0.0 is installed on the local computer.

Execution context: ParaView runs on the local computer. The ETH launcher opens a local terminal, connects to an Euler login node, submits pvserver through Slurm, and builds the required SSH tunnels. Do not run ParaView or pvserver directly on an Euler login node.

Why This Is The Interim GUI Workflow#

The local ParaView application provides the interface. pvserver on an Euler compute node accesses Euler files and performs processing and off-screen rendering. This is ParaView client/server communication through SSH tunnels, not forwarding the complete GUI through X11.

The xterm or cmd.exe window mentioned below is only the launcher, job-status display, and SSH-tunnel process. Keep it open for the entire session.

This page documents the currently working CPU workflow while a general Slurm-integrated graphical service is unavailable. GPU rendering has not been validated for this procedure; do not add a GPU request on your own.

1. Install The Exact Local Version#

Download ParaView 6.0.0 for the local operating system from the official ParaView downloads.

Client and server versions must match. Do not substitute local ParaView 6.0.1 just because module avail paraview currently shows 6.0.1 on Euler. ETH's dedicated euler_600.pvsc launcher uses the separately installed 6.0.0 server.

Additional launcher requirements:

• macOS: install XQuartz so /usr/X11/bin/xterm exists;
• Linux: ensure xterm is installed;
• Windows: install PuTTY and locate its plink.exe executable.

Do not accept an unverified installer supplied through chat or a search advert.

Windows only: test the SSH program ParaView will use#

ETH's Windows configuration calls PuTTY's plink.exe. Plink does not automatically read %USERPROFILE%\.ssh\config or use the private key selected there. Therefore, a successful ssh euler test does not prove that the ParaView launcher can authenticate.

Run in Windows PowerShell before opening ParaView:

$EthUser = Read-Host "Short ETH username"
$PlinkPath = (Get-Command plink.exe -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Source
if (-not $PlinkPath) {
    $PlinkPath = Join-Path $env:ProgramFiles "PuTTY\plink.exe"
}
if (-not (Test-Path $PlinkPath)) {
    throw "plink.exe was not found. Install PuTTY from the official source."
}
& $PlinkPath -ssh "$EthUser@euler.ethz.ch" "echo key-ok"
$PlinkPath

On the first connection, compare the host-key fingerprint with the ETH host-key list before accepting it. Authenticate with the ETH password, or with a PuTTY key/Pageant already configured according to the ETH PuTTY guide. Do not paste a password or private key into a command.

Expected result: key-ok, followed by the absolute plink.exe path. Enter that path in ParaView later. If authentication fails, stop after one attempt and fix Plink access first. Do not change or delete the working OpenSSH key.

2. Download A Fresh ETH Configuration#

Use the current ETH file instead of reusing one shared by another student.

Windows laptop - PowerShell#

$ConfigPath = Join-Path $env:USERPROFILE "Downloads\euler_600.pvsc"
Invoke-WebRequest `
    -Uri "https://docs.hpc.ethz.ch/software/paraview/euler_600.pvsc" `
    -OutFile $ConfigPath
Get-Item $ConfigPath

macOS or Linux laptop - zsh/Bash#

curl -fL \
  https://docs.hpc.ethz.ch/software/paraview/euler_600.pvsc \
  -o "$HOME/Downloads/euler_600.pvsc"
ls -l "$HOME/Downloads/euler_600.pvsc"

Expected result: the downloaded filename is exactly euler_600.pvsc, not euler_600.pvsc.html.

3. Load The Server Configuration#

On the local computer - ParaView 6.0.0:

1. Open File > Connect.
2. Select Load Servers.
3. Open the downloaded euler_600.pvsc.
4. Confirm that Euler and Euler for Windows appear.

Select Euler on macOS/Linux or Euler for Windows on Windows, then choose Connect.

4. Choose A Port And Conservative Resources#

Before completing the connection form, obtain a currently unused port. Run on an Euler login node - Bash:

python3 -c 'import socket; s=socket.socket(); s.bind(("",0)); print(s.getsockname()[1]); s.close()'

Record the returned integer. ETH recommends a port above 10000. If the command returns a lower number, run it again.

For a small first connection, enter:

The .pvsc form may display a much larger core default. That is not a lab recommendation. Begin with the starter values for a small representative file, then inspect the completed job and adjust the next request to the dataset.

Platform paths:

• macOS: SSH /usr/bin/ssh, xterm /usr/X11/bin/xterm;
• Linux: normally SSH /usr/bin/ssh, xterm /usr/bin/xterm;
• Windows: use the absolute path to plink.exe and C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe.

5. Connect And Work#

Choose Connect in the parameters window.

Expected behavior:

1. A local terminal opens.
2. macOS/Linux SSH may request the OpenSSH key passphrase. Windows Plink may request the ETH password or use a key loaded through PuTTY/Pageant.
3. The launcher submits a Slurm job and displays its job ID/status.
4. The job may remain pending until resources are available.
5. ParaView connects when pvserver starts.

Do not close the launcher terminal: that terminates the SSH tunnel. Do not submit a duplicate because the first session is pending.

When connected, ParaView's remote file dialog browses the Euler filesystem. Open data from its approved Euler working location, not from the local laptop.

6. End And Verify Cleanup#

Disconnect or close the ParaView session, then allow the launcher terminal to finish. Verify on an Euler login node - Bash:

squeue -u "$USER"

Expected result: the ParaView job disappears. If it remains after the local client and launcher have closed, use the job ID shown by squeue with the following command template:

scancel <job-id>

Common Failures And Safe Recovery#

• Version mismatch: install local ParaView 6.0.0 and re-download euler_600.pvsc; do not select the unrelated 6.0.1 module manually.
• Configuration opens as HTML: remove the .html suffix or download it again with the command above.
• macOS does not open a terminal: confirm XQuartz is installed and the xterm path is /usr/X11/bin/xterm.
• Windows cannot start SSH: enter the absolute plink.exe path documented by the local PuTTY installation.
• Windows ssh euler works but ParaView authentication fails: ParaView is using Plink, not Windows OpenSSH. Repeat the Plink preflight once and follow the ETH PuTTY setup; do not regenerate or remove the working OpenSSH key.
• Connection fails or uses the wrong server: obtain another free port above 10000 and retry once; do not submit repeated sessions blindly.
• Job remains pending: read the status instead of increasing cores or submitting duplicates.
• Terminal was closed: the tunnel and session may terminate. Check squeue -u "$USER" before starting another one.
• Large dataset is slow or fails: inspect the job state, logs, memory use, data placement, and ParaView pipeline before requesting more resources.

Verification#

• The local client reports ParaView 6.0.0.
• The launcher reports a Slurm job ID and the selected es_fuge resources.
• The remote file dialog sees the intended Euler data location.
• No ParaView process performs computation on a login node.
• The Slurm job ends when the session is finished.

Ask For Help When#

The fresh ETH configuration still fails, plink.exe/xterm cannot launch, the client and server report different versions, a job remains after cancellation, or GPU rendering is required. Share the sanitized launcher error and job ID, never credentials or private-key contents.

Primary Sources#

• ETH HPC ParaView
• ETH HPC PuTTY
• ParaView remote and parallel visualization

ETH page, configuration, and Euler 6.0.0 launchers verified: 2026-08-21. Review by: 2026-11-21. Owner: IDEAL Lab IT.