Skip to content

BEAR Portal Shell Prompt Access

BEAR Portal provides a web-based shell prompt for the BlueBEAR HPC system, allowing users to run commands and submit jobs in a terminal environment directly from their web browser. This feature is particularly useful for users who do not have an SSH client installed or configured on their local machine.

Accessing the shell

To access the shell prompt, go to BEAR Portal and log in with your University of Birmingham credentials, if required. Once logged in, you can find the "BlueBEAR HPC Shell Access" option inside the "Clusters" section of the top navigation bar:

Navigation bar showing BEAR Portal interface with the menu options Files, Jobs, Clusters, Interactive Apps, and My Interactive Sessions. The Clusters menu is open, highlighting BlueBEAR HPC Shell Access.

You can also access the shell prompt directly from the following URL:
https://portal.bear.bham.ac.uk/pun/sys/shell/ssh/bluebear.bham.ac.uk

The shell prompt interface will open in a new browser tab (or new window, depending on your browser settings).

Exiting the shell

Use any of the following methods to exit the shell prompt:

  • Type exit or logout and press Enter.
  • Press Ctrl+D on your keyboard.
  • Close the browser tab or window containing the shell session.