# code.mindmeldr.com /graphterm

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# GraphTerm in the cloud

The GraphTerm distribution includes the scripts `ec2launch, ec2list, ec2scp,` and `ec2ssh` to launch and monitor Amazon Web Services EC2 instances. These are the scripts used to test new versions of GraphTerm by running them in the “cloud”. You will need to have an Amazon AWS account to use these scripts, and also need to install the `boto` python module.

To create an instance, use the `ec2launch` command. You will be presented with a “web form” to enter details of the instance to be launched. Once you fill in the form and submit it, a command line will be automatically created, with command options, to launch the instance. To launch another instance with slightly different properties, you can simply recall the command line and edit it. Ensure that the security group associated with the cloud instance allows access to inbound TCP port 22 (for SSH access), 8900 (for GraphTerm users to connect), and port 8899 (for GraphTerm hosts to connect).

To temporarily run a publicly accessible GraphTerm server for demonstration or teaching purposes, log in to the instance using the command `ec2ssh ubuntu@instance_address`, wait a few minutes for `tornado` and `graphterm` packages to finish installing, and then issue the following command:

    gtermserver --daemon=start --auth_code=none --host=<primary_domain_or_address>

Note: This is totally insecure and should not be used for handling any sensitive information.

Secondary cloud instances should connect to the GraphTerm server on the primary instance using the command:

    gtermhost --daemon=start --server_addr=<primary_domain_or_address> <secondary_host_name>

For increased security in a publicly-accessible server, you can use a cryptic authentication code, and also use https instead of http, with SSL certificates. Since GraphTerm is currently in alpha status, security cannot be guaranteed even with these options enabled. (To avoid these problems, use SSH port forwarding to access GraphTerm on `localhost` whenever possble.)

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