Is there a Linux equivalent to RDP?

Factual Questions
1

In the Windows world, I can log into a server using RDS (Remote Desktop Protocol) start a batch process on the server, disconnect from my session, and then log-in again later (maybe from a different computer) and see how things are doing.

Is there a Linux equivalent? I have a Linux server that I log into using Putty, but if I start a shell script, and then disconnect, doesn’t that stop the shell script from executing? Is there a similar thing I can do where I can start a long process, disconnect, and then sign back in later to see how it’s going?

I know about cron jobs, but I guess I was thinking something I could just run ad-hoc on the command line.

Thanks.

2

IIRC typing ‘bg [process number]’ at the command line will detatch the process from your session so you can log off and it will continue. ‘fg [process number]’ brings it back.

So you don’t need any special program, just anything that gives you access to the command line.

3

bg will put a command in the background (as if you had started it with an &) but it will still be terminated if you end your session. (In fact it will prevent you from logging out the usual way by complaining about stopped jobs.) To run a command that will survive the end of the shell, you can use nohup.

Alternatively, you can use screen to create a permanent, detachable terminal to which you can reattach on subsequent logins. That’s especially useful if you have a long-running process that you want to keep an eye on over the course of several login sessions.

4

Sounds like screen is the program you want. You can create multiple sessions in one terminal window, switch between them, and resume sessions after disconnecting.

5

Excellent, and it looks like screen is already installed on my server (CentOS). Thanks for the advice everyone!!

6

You’ve got lots of options. Here are some:

[ul]
[li]If the program you want to run will run happily in the background without any need for X or user interaction, you can use ssh with the -f option to run it.[/li][li]Use NoMachine NX – this will allow you to run X programs and disconnect from a running session without terminating it[/li][li]Use VNC – similar to NX, but not as fast or versatile. This will reproduce an entire desktop login session; again, you can disconnect from it without terminating it.[/li][/ul]