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Remote SAS over SSH

Positron connects to a SAS 9.4 server, or to a standalone SAS Analytics Pro server, over SSH. SAS runs on that server, and the session sends code and receives the log and results.

What You Get​

  • SAS in the Positron console, with the Positron SAS extension features that work over SSH
  • Code and data that stay on the SAS server
  • No SAS installation or license in Workbench

Requirements​

  • Any Workbench release with Positron sessions
  • The Positron SAS extension
  • A SAS 9.4 or SAS Analytics Pro host that Workbench sessions can reach over SSH, with a user account for each SAS user
  • SSH key authentication from the session to the SAS host

Set Up​

  1. Make sure that sessions can reach the SAS host on its SSH port.
  2. Each user creates an SSH key in their home directory, for example ~/.ssh/id_ed25519, and adds the public key to their account on the SAS host.

Use It​

Add a profile to the Positron settings:

"SAS.connectionProfiles": {
  "activeProfile": "sas-server",
  "profiles": {
    "sas-server": {
      "connectionType": "ssh",
      "host": "sas.example.com",
      "port": 22,
      "username": "jdoe",
      "saspath": "/opt/sas/SASHome/SASFoundation/9.4/sas",
      "privateKeyFilePath": "/home/jdoe/.ssh/id_ed25519"
    }
  }
}

For SAS Analytics Pro, saspath is /opt/sas/viya/home/SASFoundation/sas. Then choose SAS (sas-server) in the interpreter picker. For all profile settings, see the SSH connection profile.

Limitations​

  • The SAS server's file system and libraries are browsed through SAS code, not as files in Positron's Explorer.
  • The console cannot interrupt a running submission. It stays busy until the code finishes, and a message offers to restart the session, which stops SAS on the server.