Amazon Linux 2023, built on a Fedora foundation, provides a robust and secure platform for your cloud workloads. One essential tool for managing long-running processes in a Linux environment is the screen. This guide will walk you through installing and using screen on Amazon Linux 2023, ensuring you can efficiently manage your terminal sessions.

What is Screen?

screen is a terminal multiplexer that allows you to create, manage, and switch between multiple terminal sessions from a single SSH connection. It’s particularly useful for running long-term processes, as it allows you to disconnect and reconnect to terminal sessions without interrupting the running processes.

Why Use Screen?

• Persistence: Keep processes running even when you’re not connected.
• Convenience: Manage multiple terminal sessions within one SSH connection.
• Flexibility: Reattach to sessions from different locations or devices.

Step-by-Step Guide to Installing Screen on Amazon Linux 2023

Prerequisites
Before you start, ensure you have access to your Amazon EC2 instance running Amazon Linux 2023. You will need SSH access with a user that has sudo privileges.

Step 1: Connect to Your EC2 Instance
First, connect to your Amazon EC2 instance using SSH:

ssh -i /path/to/your-key-pair.pem ec2-user@your-ec2-instance-public-dns-name

Replace /path/to/your-key-pair.pem with the path to your SSH key and your-ec2-instance-public-dns-name with your instance’s public DNS name.

Step 2: Update the Package Index
It’s good practice to update your package index before installing new software. This ensures you have the latest information about available packages and their dependencies.

sudo dnf update -y

Step 3: Install Screen

With the package index updated, you can now install screen:

sudo dnf install screen -y

Step 4: Verify the Installation

To confirm that the screen has been installed correctly, check its version:

screen --version

You should see output similar to:

Screen version 4.09.00 (GNU) 25-Jan-20

Using Screen

With the screen installed, you can start using it to manage your terminal sessions.

Create a New Screen Session
To create a new screen session, simply type:

screen

You will be presented with a new terminal session. From here, you can run any command you like.

Detach from the Current Screen Session
You can detach from your screen session without stopping your processes by pressing Ctrl-a followed by d. You will be returned to your original terminal prompt.

List All Screen Sessions
To see all active screen sessions, use:

screen -ls

This will list all your current screen sessions along with their IDs.

Reattach to a Screen Session
To reattach to a screen session, use the screen -r command followed by the session ID:

screen -r <session_id>

Replace with the ID of the session you want to reattach to.

Exit a Screen Session
When you are done with a screen session, you can exit it by typing exit or pressing Ctrl-d. This will terminate the session and return you to your original terminal.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you should now have screen installed and configured on your Amazon Linux 2023 instance. This powerful tool will help you manage long-running processes and multiple terminal sessions with ease. Whether you’re running background tasks or need to maintain persistent connections, screen offers the flexibility and reliability you need for effective terminal management. Happy computing!