Managing your TACC Account

Last update: November 5, 2025

Notices

  • (11/03/2025) VSCode users: TACC staff are aware of the difficulties VSCode users are experiencing when attempting to login to TACC HPC resources. Please see Resolving VSCode issues below.
  • (04/14/2025) Beginning immediately, all TACC account holders are required to have an active MFA pairing. If you do not have an active MFA pairing your account will be deactivated.

How to Access TACC Resources

In order to access any TACC compute or storage resource you must maintain an "Active" TACC user account. You may view your account status at any time on the TACC Accounts Portal in the User Profile section. Table 1. below lists all possible conditions for your account. New users please see the New Accounts section below. If you are a current user having issues logging in, see TACC's Login Support Tool to resolve problems.

Important

An active TACC user account does not guarantee or imply access to any of TACC's compute resources. You must be added to an active allocation in order to gain access to that project's resources.

Tip

If your account status is "Active" and you still can't login, try un-pairing and re-pairing your MFA device.

Login Problems: Resolving VSCode Issues

Recent upgrades by Microsoft to the VSCode application have resulted in the program causing issues with user accounts. TACC Staff are aware of the problems users are experiencing. Until Microsoft fixes this bug, we are only able to offer possible solutions and workarounds.

  1. Downgrade your VSCode version: Version 1.98 appears to be the most consistent and stable when connecting to TACC resources.

  2. Edit your .bashrc file: Connect via a terminal application to your compute resource and append the following line to your $HOME/.bashrc file: 

    export NODE_OPTIONS="--disable-wasm-trap-handler"

  3. The TACC Analysis Portal (TAP) offers simplified access to common interactive sessions such as DCV, VNC, and JupyterNotebooks..

Important

VSCode consumes significant resources when running and can interfere with the needs of a multi-user environment such as the shared login nodes on each resource. Thus, TACC staff encourage all VSCode users to run the program on a compute node and not any of the login nodes.

If you choose to run VSCode on the login node and it begins to impact the system or other users, your account will be suspended and we will ask you to move to a compute node.

Also note that VSCode access is prohibited on TACC's Ranch and Corral storage resources.

Login Problems: Improper ssh Configuration!

If you see this message:

--> Verifying valid ssh keys...

Improper ssh configuration!
Please reconfigure or contact TACC consulting for assistance.

This is most likely because you have modified your ./ssh/known_hosts file. The solution is to generate a new .ssh folder to clear any conflicting keys/logins.

  1. Go to your home directory:

    $ cd $HOME

  2. Rename your .ssh folder to old_ssh to save the contents should you need to revisit them at any point: 

    $ mv .ssh old_ssh

  3. Log out of the system and then log back in. This will auto-generate a new .ssh folder and key for you.

New Accounts

Any user of TACC resources must first obtain a TACC account. A TACC account email is of the form username@tacc.utexas.edu. All new users are required to authenticate with a UT approved Identity Provider.

To create a new account:

  1. Go to the TACC Accounts Portal and click "Create a New Account" to begin registration.
  2. Set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your account.
  3. Check for an email containing a confirmation and activation link. Once you confirm your email, your account status will update to either "Pending" or "Active".
  4. If your account status is "Pending" then your account request will need further review by our User Services team. No action is required and a team member will reach to you.
  5. Once your account is "Active" log onto the TACC User Portal to view your allocation status.

Warning

An individual may not have more than one TACC account. Shared accounts and/or multi-user accounts are strictly prohibited.

Table 1. TACC Account Status

Account Status Description
Active All is well. Active account holders may log on to the TACC User Portal as well as any allocated TACC resources.
Pending Email Confirmation You haven't confirmed your email account. If you haven't received the confirmation email, check your spam or junk folder and any filters. Add "no-reply@tacc.utexas.edu" to your safe senders list, then request the activation link again.
Pending Your account is under administrative review.
Deactivated Reactivate your account by logging into the TACC Accounts Portal and requesting an activation link. You will have to re-pair MFA once your account is reactivated.
Suspended If your account is suspended you will be prohibited from logging into the TACC User Portal and as well as any TACC HPC resources. Please submit a help desk ticket and a member of our User Services team will respond. Account suspension may result if:
  • your HPC jobs are violating Good Conduct Policies or causing harm to our systems
  • your account usage is in violation of TACC's Acceptable Use Policy.
    		•

    Deactivated Accounts

    If you have not accessed your account within the past 120 consecutive days, your account will be automatically deactivated in accordance with UT's security protocols. To re-activate your acccount, login to the TACC Accounts Portal and request an activation link.

    Important

    Once you have re-activated your account, you will need to un-pair and re-pair your two-factor authentication.

    TACC Portals

    TACC provides two portals for account and job management, the TACC Accounts Portal and the TACC User Portal.

    TACC Accounts Portal

    Login Requirements: None
    http://accounts.tacc.utexas.edu

    The TACC Accounts Portal provides the following services:

    • New account creation
    • User profile management
    • Password management
    • View account status
    • View allocation/s status
    • TACC Login Support Tool
    • Subscribe to User News

    TACC User Portal

    Login requirements: an "Active" TACC account
    https://tacc.utexas.edu/portal

    The TACC User Portal provides the following services:

    • Monitor your HPC jobs
    • Monitor HPC Resource status
    • Monitor your allocation usage and SU consumption
    • PI's may add users to their allocations
    • Check your MFA pairing status

    References