4.5.1 Windows

Connecting from Windows

DCV Remote Desktop (Browser)

  1. Select your cluster in PCUI
  2. Click the DCV button
  3. A new browser tab will open (Chrome or Edge recommended)
  4. Accept the self-signed certificate warning (Advanced → Proceed)
  5. You now have a full desktop environment on the head node
  6. Click Activities → Terminal to open a command line

For lower latency, especially when the cluster is in a distant region:

  1. Download the Amazon DCV Client
  2. In PCUI, click the DCV button to start the web client
  3. When the security warning appears, replace https:// with dcv:// in the URL
  4. Press Enter — the native client will open
Tip

The native client supports UDP, which significantly reduces latency for remote regions. Use it whenever possible.

SSH

Use PowerShell, Windows Terminal, or PuTTY:

# Via SSM (no key required)
aws ssm start-session --target <instance-id>

# Via direct SSH (if configured)
ssh -i C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\your-key.pem ec2-user@<head-node-ip>

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
DCV tab doesn’t open Wait a few seconds; the connection can take a moment
Certificate warning Click Advanced → Proceed (self-signed cert is expected)
High latency in browser Use the native DCV client with UDP
PuTTY can’t use .pem Convert to .ppk format using PuTTYgen