MajorLinux
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90 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
90 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
# tmux — Persistent Terminal Sessions
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## Problem
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SSH sessions die when your connection drops, your laptop closes, or you walk away. Long-running jobs — storage migrations, file scans, downloads — get killed mid-run. You need a way to detach from a session, come back later, and pick up exactly where you left off.
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## Solution
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`tmux` is a terminal multiplexer. It runs sessions that persist independently of your SSH connection. You can detach, disconnect, reconnect from a different machine, and reattach to find everything still running.
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### Installation (Fedora)
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```bash
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sudo dnf install tmux
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```
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### Core Workflow
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```bash
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# Start a named session
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tmux new-session -s mysession
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# Detach from a session (keeps it running)
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Ctrl+b, d
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# List running sessions
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tmux ls
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# Reattach to a session
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tmux attach -t mysession
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# Kill a session when done
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tmux kill-session -t mysession
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```
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### Start a Background Job Directly
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Skip the interactive session entirely — start a job in a new detached session in one command:
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```bash
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tmux new-session -d -s rmlint2 "rmlint /majorstorage// /mnt/usb// /majorRAID 2>&1 | tee /majorRAID/rmlint_scan2.log"
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```
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The job runs immediately in the background. Attach later to check progress:
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```bash
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tmux attach -t rmlint2
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```
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### Capture Output Without Attaching
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Read the current state of a session without interrupting it:
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```bash
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tmux capture-pane -t rmlint2 -p
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```
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### Split Panes
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Monitor multiple things in one terminal window:
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```bash
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# Horizontal split (top/bottom)
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Ctrl+b, "
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# Vertical split (left/right)
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Ctrl+b, %
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# Switch between panes
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Ctrl+b, arrow keys
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```
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### Real-World Use
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On **majorhome**, all long-running storage operations run inside named tmux sessions so they survive SSH disconnects:
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```bash
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tmux new-session -d -s rmlint2 "rmlint ..." # dedup scan
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tmux new-session -d -s rsync-migrate "rsync ..." # file migration
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tmux ls # check what's running
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```
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---
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## tmux vs screen
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Both work. tmux has better split-pane support and scripting. screen is simpler and more universally installed. I use both — tmux for new jobs, screen for legacy ones. See the [screen](screen.md) article for reference.
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---
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