diff --git a/docs/user_guide.md b/docs/user_guide.md
index f8da81d..cc6421a 100644
--- a/docs/user_guide.md
+++ b/docs/user_guide.md
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Before diving into SimDB functionality, it's important to understand these key t
 **Workflow**: Typically, you create and manage simulations locally, then push them to a remote SimDB server for sharing. The data referenced by your simulation can be either local (on your machine) or remote (on a data server).
 
 **IMAS Access Layer compatibility**:
-SimDB uses imas-python to read IMAS data. [imas-python](https://pypi.org/project/imas-python/) requires Access Layer 5 (AL5) or later and does not support the older Access Layer 4 (AL4). If your IMAS data was written using AL4 (e.g., MDSplus-based AL4 databases), you must convert it to AL5 format before use. See [AL4 MDSplus data migration](user_guide.md#al4-mdsplus-data-migration) below.
+SimDB uses `imas-python` to read IMAS data. [imas-python](https://pypi.org/project/imas-python/) requires that MDSplus data files to be ingested were written with Access Layer 5 (AL5) or later, and does not support reading  MDSplus files written with Access Layer 4 (AL4). If your IMAS data was written in MDSplus using AL4 (e.g., MDSplus-based AL4 databases), you must first convert it to AL5 format before use. See [AL4 MDSplus data migration](user_guide.md#al4-mdsplus-data-migration) below.
 
 ## Local simulation management
 
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ Without port (uses default):
 **Note:** Ensure that the specified port is accessible through your network firewall. Contact your system administrator if you experience connectivity issues.
 
 ## AL4 MDSplus data migration
-SimDB uses [imas-python](https://pypi.org/project/imas-python/) to read IMAS data. `imas-python` requires Access Layer 5 (AL5) or later and **does not support the older Access Layer 4 (AL4).**
+SimDB uses [imas-python](https://pypi.org/project/imas-python/) to read IMAS data. `imas-python` requires that MDSplus data to be read was written with Access Layer 5 (AL5) or later and **does not support the older Access Layer 4 (AL4).**
 
 If you have existing IMAS data stored in an AL4 MDSplus, you must migrate it to the AL5 directory layout before referencing it in a SimDB manifest. This can be done using the `mdsplusIMASDB4to5` tool provided by IMAS-Core, which creates the new AL5 directory layout with links to the original data files (the original data is not removed).
 ```mdsplusIMASDB4to5 [-h] [--dry-run] [-p PATH] [-d DATABASE] [-f]```
@@ -164,6 +164,26 @@ For further details on the `mdsplusIMASDB4to5` tool, refer to the IMAS-Core docu
 
 ## Remote SimDB servers
 
+### Configuration file
+
+SimDB stores remote server configuration in ~/.config/simdb/simdb.cfg. This file is automatically created on the first run of the SimDB CLI and is pre-populated with a connection entry for the default ITER SimDB server:
+```
+[remote "iter"]
+url = https://simdb.iter.org/scenarios/api
+default = True
+username = $USER
+firewall = F5
+```
+
+You can inspect the current remotes at any time with:
+
+```bash
+simdb remote config list
+```
+You can also view or edit `simdb.cfg` directly, but it is recommended to use the `simdb remote config` CLI commands to manage remotes to ensure the file stays correctly formatted.
+
+**ITER users:** See [Connecting to the ITER remotes](https://simdb.readthedocs.io/en/latest/iter_remotes.html) for a step-by-step guide to setting-up and testing the ITER remote connection.
+
 The SimDB CLI is able to interact with remote SimDB servers to push local simulations or to query existing simulations. This is done via the simdb remote command:
 
 ```bash