Tmux + Screen

Multiplexing and You

First, History

The Problems

• Limited to one window (multiple connections for multiple windows)
• Foreground processes stop when ssh connection terminates
• Only one machine can "partake" in a session

The Solution

Tmux and Screen

• Both are widely used, well documented, and actively maintained
• Both allow you to open multiple "windows" in a single ssh session, and multiple tiled "panes" within those windows
• Both allow you to detach and reattach sessions
• Both allow more than one user to connect to a particular session at a time
• Both are generally not installed by default but available in most distribution repositories

Screen

Keeping it simple since 1987.

• Logging output if screen is detached
• Can't split windows into panes vertically
• Can't maintain screen split through detach
• Better line wrapping
• Can connect to serial devices

Tmux

The Shiny New.

• Better tiling + window management
• Unicode support
• Easy status bar configuration
• Scriptable with tmux command [args]
• Pre-installed on BSD distros

Demo Time!