Set up external compute

Connect a machine you own to Runpod Hybrid Cloud by installing the host agent, then track it through verification until it’s online.

This guide walks you through connecting a machine you own to Runpod. After you add it and install the host agent, Runpod verifies the hardware automatically. The machine is then online and available to your organization.

Requirements

• An organization with external compute enabled. During alpha, the Runpod team enables this for you.
• An organization role that allows you to add compute. See Roles.
• A single machine with at least one GPU. Multi-node machines connected by InfiniBand or a similar fabric aren’t supported yet.
• SSH access to the machine, with permission to install software.

Your machine must also meet these hardware and network requirements:

Requirement	Value
Operating system	Ubuntu 24.04, with a kernel from 6.8 through 7.0.x.
GPU drivers	None preinstalled. The Runpod installer manages GPU drivers.
Root disk	At least 200 GB.
Docker disk	A dedicated disk of at least 600 GB.
Disk throughput	At least 150 MB/s.
Outbound network	All TCP, UDP 4242 (Runpod control plane), UDP 53 (DNS), UDP 123 (time sync), and ICMP echo.
Inbound network	TCP 10000–60000.

Add your machine

1. Start the add compute flow

   In the Runpod console, go to Resources → External compute and click Add compute.

2. Describe the machine

   Enter a name for the machine and click Next.

   Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens in the machine name. The name can’t start or end with a hyphen, and can’t contain underscores.

3. Install the host agent

   Copy the install command shown in the console. Open an SSH session on your machine, paste the command, and run it.

   The host agent is a small program that connects your machine to Runpod over an encrypted connection that the machine opens outbound.

4. Configure networking and reboot

   In the same onboarding window that shows the install command, copy the networking command and paste it into your SSH session. The command sets your machine’s public and private IP addresses. Make sure the ports listed in Requirements are open, then reboot the machine.

5. Wait for verification

   Once the host agent reports in, Runpod configures the machine and runs automated hardware checks. Verification usually takes several minutes, and you don’t need to do anything during this step. Follow progress on the External compute page.

Machine statuses

Each machine on the External compute page shows one of these statuses:

Status	What it means
Pending install	The machine has been added, but the host agent hasn’t reported in yet.
Pending verification	The host agent is installed and the machine is registered. Runpod is preparing it for verification.
Verification in progress	Runpod is running automated hardware checks.
Online	The machine passed verification. Your team can deploy Pods on it.
Verification failed	The hardware checks found a problem. See Troubleshooting.
Verification timed out	Runpod couldn’t connect to the machine to run the hardware checks. See Troubleshooting.
Offline	Runpod can’t reach the machine’s host agent.
Under maintenance	The machine is temporarily not accepting new Pods.

Machines you add are visible only to your organization. They aren’t listed on the Runpod marketplace or made available to other customers.

Next steps

• Deploy a Pod on your external compute.
• Fix verification problems.