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Quick and Dirty Service with Screen

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Sometimes you have code or one/more scripts that you want to run on a remote server as a service but you do not have the time to set it up as a service.

One quick trick that I use for something I want to run quickly is using GNU Screen.

The steps are quite simple:

  • Login to the target server
  • Clone / copy the code there
  • Start a screen session by running: screen
  • Create the tabs you want:
    • ctrl-a c: to create a tab
    • ctrl-a shift-a: to rename a tab
  • Then start the script/code you want
  • Finally detach from the session: ctrl-a d

You can safely log out of the server now.

To reattach to the screen session:

  • Get the session name: screen -list.
  • Then screen -r session-name where you need to replace session-name with your screen's session name. You can in fact only use the first few numbers.

The .screenrc file (which goes in your home ~ directory) I generally use to make screen more user friendly is the one below:

startup_message off
vbell off

hardstatus alwayslastline "%{=b}%{G} %{b}%w %=%{kG}%C%A %D,%d/%m/%y"
shelltitle "Shell"

# Window numbering starts at 1, not 0.
bind c screen 1
bind 0 select 10

# Look and feel
caption always "%{= 2m}%{+b w}Screen: %n | %h %=%t %D %d/%m/%y %c:%s"
hardstatus alwayslastline "%-Lw%{= BW}%50>%n%f* %t%{-}%+Lw%<  %=% [%{=b)%{Y}%l%{g}]"

# Left Right meta key mods
#  ALT-,. and ALT-<>
bindkey "^[<" eval number !echo $WINDOW-1|bc
bindkey "^[>" eval number !echo $WINDOW+1|bc
bindkey "^[," prev
bindkey "^[." next

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