Prolonging terminal sessions: Difference between revisions

For working on the clusters, most users will need to use [[SSH]] to connect to the cluster for job submission and monitoring, editing files and so forth. Keeping this SSH connection alive for a long period of time, ranging from hours to days, may be necessary for some users and this page proposes a variety of techniques for keeping such a terminal session alive.  

The programs <code>tmux</code> and <code>screen</code> are examples of a terminal multiplexer - a program which allows you to detach your terminal session entirely, where it will keep on running on its own until you choose to reattach to it. With such a program, you can logout from the cluster, turn off the workstation or hibernate the laptop you use to connect to the cluster and when you're ready to start working again the next day, reattach to your session and start from right where you left off.  

Each of our clusters has several login nodes and your <code>tmux</code> or <code>screen</code> session is specific to a login node. If you wish to reattach to a session, you must ensure you're connected to the right login node which of course means remembering which login node you were using when you started <code>tmux</code> or <code>screen</code>. Login nodes may also occasionally be rebooted, which will kill any detached terminal sessions on that node.}}   

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Screen screen] program is anpther widely used terminal multiplexer. To create a detached terminal session, you can use the following command