Introduction to the Linux Command Line for HPC

Modern Linux distributions often come with a full-featured graphical user interface (GUI) and desktop environment. However, applications commonly used in High Performance Computing (HPC) environments typically do not have a graphical interface. Instead, they are used directly via the command line or through shell scripts.

Using the command line can take some practice, especially when you're just starting out. It takes a bit of time to become familiar with the most important commands. However, you will soon notice that using the terminal also has significant advantages. For example, you can create scripts that automatically execute a series of commands, which is extremely powerful for automation and reproducibility.

This page provides a short introduction and some useful external references to help you get started with Linux and command-line usage for research and HPC tasks.

We recommend and/or obligate you to go trough the internal courses. Feel free to explore external list of courses and documentation. Becoming comfortable with the terminal will greatly enhance your efficiency and capabilities in any research computing environment.

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Internal courses

• Training Basis

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External courses and documentation

• Training courses for research (by SURF)
  Workshops and training events focused on research computing, Linux, and HPC usage in the Netherlands.

• Ryan's Tutorials – Linux Command Line Cheat Sheet
  A compact reference sheet with common Linux commands and syntax.

• 6 Ways the Linux File System is Different From the Windows File System
  A beginner-friendly overview of the key differences between Linux and Windows file systems.

• The Grymoire – Home for UNIX Wizards
  A legendary collection of detailed tutorials on shell scripting, regular expressions, awk, sed, and more.

• LinuxCommand.org – Learning the Shell
  A step-by-step guide to understanding how the shell works and how to use it effectively.

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