tmux terminal sessions

tmux provides multiple sessions, windows, and panes within SSH and can preserve remote terminal sessions after a local disconnect. It is useful for editing, compilation, job submission, and log monitoring. Start it on the node where the work belongs, after obtaining any required compute allocation.

Allocations still apply

A tmux session does not override Slurm time limits or resource rules. The node must remain available and the session must not be cleaned up.

Commands

Command	Action
tmux	Start a default session
tmux new -s NAME	Create a named session
tmux ls	List sessions
tmux attach -t NAME	Reattach by name or ID
tmux a -t NAME	Short form of attach
tmux detach	Detach
tmux rename-session -t OLD NEW	Rename
tmux kill-session -t NAME	End a session

Shortcuts

Press Ctrl+b, release it, then press the second key.

Second key	Action
d	Detach
%	Split left/right
"	Split top/bottom
Arrow key	Move between panes
c	New window
n / p	Next / previous window
0–9	Select window number
w	Choose from window list
,	Rename current window
&	Close current window
x	Close current pane

Basic workflow

Start a default or named session:

tmux

tmux new -s work

A status bar appears at the bottom:

Split into panes:

tmux split-window      # Split top/bottom
tmux split-window -h   # Split left/right

Detach while leaving the session running:

Ctrl+b, d

On reconnecting to the same node, list sessions:

tmux ls

Reattach using a session ID or name:

tmux attach -t 1

tmux a -t 1

Named sessions and logs

Choose distinct names for different tasks:

tmux new -s train
tmux new -s build
tmux new -s analysis

Reconnect by name:

tmux a -t train

Follow a job log:

tail -f job.out

Detach with Ctrl+b, d, then return later with tmux ls and tmux a -t NAME.

Troubleshooting and exit

Sessions survive a local SSH disconnect only while the remote node and session remain active. If a session is missing, check that you returned to the node on which it was created. For a temporary departure, detach; to close the shell/pane, enter:

exit

Or end an entire session from another shell (replace the Chinese placeholder with its name or ID):

tmux kill-session -t <会话名或编号>

Official tmux project