> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.nvidia.com/brev/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.nvidia.com/brev/_mcp/server.

# Brev Connect

> Use Brev Connect to add external hardware like DGX Spark and DGX Station to NVIDIA Brev for SSH access, team sharing, and port forwarding.

Brev Connect lets you bring hardware you own into NVIDIA Brev. Connect any Linux machine — DGX Spark, DGX Station, or any other node — to get SSH access, team sharing, and port forwarding through the Brev platform.

## What is Brev Connect?

Brev Connect links your physical hardware to Brev's management layer. Once registered, your machine appears in the Brev console alongside cloud GPU instances, and your team can connect to it using the same CLI commands.

This is designed for hardware you own and manage — Brev handles connectivity and access control, not the machine's lifecycle.

## How It Works

Registration is a single CLI command that performs three steps:

1. **Installs NetBird** — A mesh VPN agent that provides secure connectivity between your machine and Brev users
2. **Profiles hardware** — Auto-detects GPUs (via NVML), CPU, RAM, storage, OS, and interconnects like NVLink and PCIe
3. **Registers with Brev** — Makes the machine visible in your Brev organization

After registration, you enable SSH access and can share the machine with teammates.

```
Register → NetBird installed → Hardware profiled → Node appears in Brev
    ↓
Enable SSH → Share with team → Connect via brev shell
```

## Brev Connect vs Cloud GPU Instances

| Feature                     | Brev Connect       | Cloud GPU Instances |
| --------------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------- |
| SSH access                  | Yes                | Yes                 |
| Team sharing                | Yes                | Yes                 |
| Port forwarding             | Yes                | Yes                 |
| Hardware auto-detection     | Yes                | N/A (predefined)    |
| Launchables                 | No                 | Yes                 |
| Managed environments        | No                 | Yes                 |
| Start/stop/delete lifecycle | No                 | Yes                 |
| Billing                     | No compute charges | Per-hour billing    |

## Supported Hardware

Brev Connect works with any Linux machine. Primary use cases include:

* **NVIDIA DGX Spark** — Desktop AI workstation
* **NVIDIA DGX Station** — Multi-GPU workstation with NVLink
* **Any Linux node** — Any machine running a supported Linux distribution

### Hardware Auto-Detection

During registration, Brev automatically profiles your machine and detects:

* **GPUs** — Model, count, and memory via NVML
* **CPU** — Architecture, model, and core count
* **RAM** — Total system memory
* **Storage** — Available disk space
* **Interconnects** — NVLink and PCIe topology
* **OS** — Distribution and version
* **Product name** — e.g., "DGX Spark", "DGX Station"

This profile is visible in the Brev console and helps teammates understand the machine's capabilities.

## Registration Data

Registration state is stored locally at `/etc/brev/device_registration.json`. This file is created during `brev register` and removed during `brev deregister`.

Registration requires `sudo` access because NetBird is installed as a system service via systemd.

## Next Steps

#### [Connect DGX Spark](/guides/registered-compute/register-dgx-spark)

Step-by-step guide to connect your DGX Spark to Brev.

#### [Connect DGX Station](/guides/registered-compute/register-dgx-station)

Connect a DGX Station with multi-GPU and NVLink support.

#### [Managing Brev Connect](/guides/registered-compute/managing-registered-compute)

Share access, forward ports, and deregister machines.

#### [CLI Reference](/cli/registered-compute)

Complete command reference for Brev Connect.