Connecting to your OT-2 with SSH

Introduction

SSH is a way to connect to and control your OT-2 over the command line. It is required for some troubleshooting and advanced tasks.

Before starting

SSH requires some first-time setup. Before following these instructions, make sure you've completed the setup guide:

Setting up SSH access to your OT-2

Once that's done, you're ready to connect.

1. Find your OT-2's IP address

In the Opentrons App, find the OT-2 that you want to connect to. Note its Wired IP or Wireless IP.

If you use the Wired IP, the SSH connection will be made over USB.
If you use the Wireless IP, the SSH connection will be made over Wi-Fi.

We recommend connecting over USB when possible, because the connection will be more reliable.

These IP addresses will change periodically, especially after the OT-2 is restarted or reconnected. You should double-check the IP address each time you want to make an SSH connection.

2. Connect

Open a PowerShell window if you're on Windows 10, or a Terminal window if you're on Linux or macOS.

Enter the following command. Replace ROBOT_IP with the IP address you found above.

ssh -i ot2_ssh_key root@ROBOT_IP

Connection warnings

You may see a short warning saying "Permanently added [IP address] to the list of known hosts." You can safely ignore it.

3. After connecting

If the connection worked, you'll be greeted by the Opentrons logo. ✨

Try running some commands on your OT-2. For example, enter the command:

whoami

You should see the command output root .