GENI Frequently Asked Questions

Topics of General Interest

1. Who can use GENI?

GENI is available for use by researchers from academic institutions, industry and government.

2. Is there a fee to use GENI?

GENI is available without charge for research and classroom use.

3. Do I need an account to use GENI resources?

Yes, you do. See the GENI Experimenters page for information on getting a GENI account.

4. Who is building GENI?

GENI is being developed by leading academic and industrial teams across the United States. The GENI project is funded by the ​US National Science Foundation (NSF). The GENI Project Office (GPO) provides the NSF with system engineering and project management expertise to guide the planning, prototyping and deployment of GENI.

Topics of Interest to Experimenters

1. Why do I need certificates and keys?

GENI experimenter tools use secure ​XML RPC for invoking methods on GENI Aggregates. Your ​SSL keys and certificates represent your identity for the SSL (secure sockets layer) and ​HTTPS protocols used by the secure XML RPC. Specifically the AM API requires authentication by means of SSL client certificates signed by a trusted GENI root.

Your ​SSH key (not to be confused with your SSL key) is used to log into compute resources provided by GENI aggregates. Aggregates typically use private-public key pairs instead of passwords are commonly to authenticate ssh logins. When an aggregate provisions a compute resource and make it available to your slice, it installs your public key on the resource. You must make sure your ssh client is configured to find your corresponding private key when you attempt to log into your compute resources. For more information on setting up your keys and your ssh client, see this page.