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Set up Tailscale on your Spark

30 MIN

Use Tailscale to connect to your Spark on your home network no matter where you are

Verify system requirements

Check that your NVIDIA Spark device is running a supported Ubuntu version and has internet connectivity. This step runs on the Spark device to confirm prerequisites.

# Check Ubuntu version (should be 20.04 or newer)
lsb_release -a

# Test internet connectivity
ping -c 3 google.com

# Verify you have sudo access
sudo whoami

Install SSH server (if needed)

Ensure SSH server is running on your Spark device since Tailscale provides network connectivity but requires SSH for remote access. This step runs on the Spark device.

# Check if SSH is running
systemctl status ssh --no-pager

If SSH is not installed or running:

# Install OpenSSH server
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y openssh-server

# Enable and start SSH service
sudo systemctl enable ssh --now --no-pager

# Verify SSH is running
systemctl status ssh --no-pager

Install Tailscale on NVIDIA Spark

Install Tailscale on your ARM64 Spark device using the official Ubuntu repository. This step adds the Tailscale package repository and installs the client.

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install required tools for adding external repositories
sudo apt install -y curl gnupg

# Add Tailscale signing key
curl -fsSL https://pkgs.tailscale.com/stable/ubuntu/noble.noarmor.gpg | \
  sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/tailscale-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null

# Add Tailscale repository
curl -fsSL https://pkgs.tailscale.com/stable/ubuntu/noble.tailscale-keyring.list | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/tailscale.list

# Update package list with new repository
sudo apt update

# Install Tailscale
sudo apt install -y tailscale

Verify Tailscale installation

Confirm Tailscale installed correctly on your Spark device before proceeding with authentication.

# Check Tailscale version
tailscale version

# Check Tailscale service status
sudo systemctl status tailscaled --no-pager

Connect Spark device to Tailscale network

Authenticate your Spark device with Tailscale using your chosen identity provider. This creates your private tailnet and assigns a stable IP address.

# Start Tailscale and begin authentication
sudo tailscale up

# Follow the URL displayed to complete login in browser
# Choose from: Google, GitHub, Microsoft, or other supported providers

Install Tailscale on client devices

Install Tailscale on the devices you'll use to connect to your Spark remotely.

Choose the appropriate method for your client operating system.

On macOS:

  • Option 1: Install from Mac App Store by searching for "Tailscale" and then clicking Get → Install
  • Option 2: Download the .pkg installer from the Tailscale website

On Windows:

  • Download installer from the Tailscale website
  • Run the .msi file and follow installation prompts
  • Launch Tailscale from Start Menu or system tray

On Linux:

Use the same instructions as were done for installing on your DGX Spark.

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install required tools for adding external repositories
sudo apt install -y curl gnupg

# Add Tailscale signing key
curl -fsSL https://pkgs.tailscale.com/stable/ubuntu/noble.noarmor.gpg | \
  sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/tailscale-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null

# Add Tailscale repository
curl -fsSL https://pkgs.tailscale.com/stable/ubuntu/noble.tailscale-keyring.list | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/tailscale.list

# Update package list with new repository
sudo apt update

# Install Tailscale
sudo apt install -y tailscale

Connect client devices to tailnet

Log in to Tailscale on each client device using the same identity provider account you used for the Spark device.

On macOS/Windows (GUI):

  • Launch Tailscale app
  • Click "Log in" button
  • Sign in with same account used on Spark

On Linux (CLI):

# Start Tailscale on client
sudo tailscale up

# Complete authentication in browser using same account

Verify network connectivity

Test that devices can communicate through the Tailscale network before attempting SSH connections.

# On any device, check tailnet status
tailscale status

# Test ping to Spark device (use hostname or IP from status output)
tailscale ping <SPARK_HOSTNAME>

# Example output should show successful pings

Configure SSH authentication

Set up SSH key authentication for secure access to your Spark device. This step runs on your client device and Spark device.

Generate SSH key on client (if not already done):

# Generate new SSH key pair
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/tailscale_spark

# Display public key to copy
cat ~/.ssh/tailscale_spark.pub

Add public key to Spark device:

# On Spark device, add client's public key
echo "<YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY>" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

# Set correct permissions
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 700 ~/.ssh

Test SSH connection

Connect to your Spark device using SSH over the Tailscale network to verify the complete setup works.

# Connect using Tailscale hostname (preferred)
ssh -i ~/.ssh/tailscale_spark <USERNAME>@<SPARK_HOSTNAME>

# Or connect using Tailscale IP address
ssh -i ~/.ssh/tailscale_spark <USERNAME>@<TAILSCALE_IP>

# Example:
# ssh -i ~/.ssh/tailscale_spark nvidia@my-spark-device

Validate installation

Verify that Tailscale is working correctly and your SSH connection is stable.

# From client device, check connection status
tailscale status

# Create a test file on the client device
echo "test file for the spark" > test.txt

# Test file transfer over SSH
scp -i ~/.ssh/tailscale_spark test.txt <USERNAME>@<SPARK_HOSTNAME>:~/

# Verify you can run commands remotely
ssh -i ~/.ssh/tailscale_spark <USERNAME>@<SPARK_HOSTNAME> 'nvidia-smi'

Expected output:

  • Tailscale status displaying both devices as "active"
  • Successful file transfers
  • Remote command execution working

Cleanup and rollback

Remove Tailscale completely if needed. This will disconnect devices from the tailnet and remove all network configurations.

WARNING

his will permanently remove the device from your Tailscale network and require re-authentication to rejoin.

# Stop Tailscale service
sudo tailscale down

# Remove Tailscale package
sudo apt remove --purge tailscale

# Remove repository and keys (optional)
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/tailscale.list
sudo rm /usr/share/keyrings/tailscale-archive-keyring.gpg

# Update package list
sudo apt update

To restore: Re-run installation steps 3-5.

Next steps

Your Tailscale setup is complete. You can now:

  • Access your Spark device from any network with: ssh <USERNAME>@<SPARK_HOSTNAME>
  • Transfer files securely: scp file.txt <USERNAME>@<SPARK_HOSTNAME>:~/
  • Open the DGX Dashboard and start JupyterLab, then connect with: ssh -L 8888:localhost:1102 <USERNAME>@<SPARK_HOSTNAME>

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