# Setting up Amazon ParallelCluster
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The following topics describe how to set up Amazon ParallelCluster. You will learn how to install the necessary tools and how to use them, how to implement and manage multiple user access to clusters, and the best practices.

**Topics**
+ [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
+ [Installing the Amazon ParallelCluster command line interface (CLI)](install-v3-parallelcluster.md)
+ [Steps to take after installation](install-v3-after-install.md)
+ [Installing the PCUI](install-pcui-v3.md)
+ [Getting started with Amazon ParallelCluster](getting-started-v3.md)
+ [Multiple user access to clusters](multi-user-v3.md)
+ [Best practices](best-practices-v3.md)
+ [Moving from Amazon ParallelCluster 2.x to 3.x](moving-from-v2-to-v3.md)

## Prerequisites
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Before you can start setting up and using Amazon ParallelCluster, make sure that you've completed the following prerequisites.

### Setting up an Amazon Web Services account
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Set up an Amazon account to use Amazon ParallelCluster.

#### Sign up for an Amazon Web Services account
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If you do not have an Amazon Web Services account, use the following procedure to create one.

**To sign up for Amazon Web Services**

1. Open [http://www.amazonaws.cn/](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choose **Sign Up**.

1. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Amazon sends you a confirmation email after the sign-up process is complete. At any time, you can view your current account activity and manage your account by going to [http://www.amazonaws.cn/](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choosing **My Account**.

#### Secure IAM users
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After you sign up for an Amazon Web Services account, safeguard your administrative user by turning on multi-factor authentication (MFA). For instructions, see [Enable a virtual MFA device for an IAM user (console)](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_mfa_enable_virtual.html#enable-virt-mfa-for-iam-user) in the *IAM User Guide*.

To give other users access to your Amazon Web Services account resources, create IAM users. To secure your IAM users, turn on MFA and only give the IAM users the permissions needed to perform their tasks.

For more information about creating and securing IAM users, see the following topics in the *IAM User Guide*: 
+ [Creating an IAM user in your Amazon Web Services account](https://docs.amazonaws.cn//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_users_create.html)
+ [Access management for Amazon resources](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access.html)
+ [Example IAM identity-based policies](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_examples.html)

### Create a key pair
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To deploy clusters, Amazon ParallelCluster launches Amazon EC2 instances to create the cluster head node and compute nodes. To perform cluster tasks, such as running and monitoring jobs, or managing users, you must be able to access the cluster head node. To verify you can access the head node instance using SSH, you must use an Amazon EC2 key pair. To learn how to create a key pair, see [Create a key pair](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/get-set-up-for-amazon-ec2.html#create-a-key-pair) in the *Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud* User Guide for Linux Instances.