Working on the command line on a linux computer at the CENIR

If you run an experiment at the CENIR, you will certainly have to run computations from a linux "terminal" (aka "console").

To run a terminal, try finding an icon looking like thisin the main menu of your computer.

The window that appears is a "command prompt". You can control the computer quite entirely with this.

The terminal is likely displaying information about who you are (your username) and where you are (on which computer, and in which directory), followed by a $ sign and a blinking cursor.

If your account has been configured correctly, if you type module load MATLAB then enter, then matlab and enter at the command prompt, the MATLAB program should start up (this could take a few minutes the first time, and a dozen seconds afterward). If it is not the case, please get in touch with the IT (DSI) by means of a computer ticket (sav-nosso.icm-institute.org, or sav.icm-institute.org)

Files and folders organization

Documents stored on your computer and on the network are organized in folders. At first, you are probably in your "home directory". You can move around with the cd (for change directory) command:

The pwd command lets you know where you currently are.

Note that the "~" symbol in the command prompt is a shortcut for "home". Here, it is equivalent to /home/maximilien.chaumon.

The ls command allows "listing" files and folders that are present in the current directory.

The cd .. command allows "climbing" the folder hierarchy to the parent folder.

If you need to jump directly to a known directory, you have to give its complete address:

This was linux at the CENIR's ABC guide. We stop here, there are dozens of excellent tutorials online.

Par exemple (as of 2018):

https://www.memrise.com/course/50252/shell-fu/

http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/

http://linuxcommand.org/lc3_learning_the_shell.php