Background task to download FC14 isos

Cameron Simpson cs at zip.com.au
Wed Nov 10 20:46:25 UTC 2010


On 10Nov2010 14:28, Robert Moskowitz <rgm at htt-consult.com> wrote:
| In the past I have always gotten on the terminal of a server and 
| executed a script that did a bunch of wgets to get the CD isos for a 
| release.
| 
| Well I want to grab the FC14 isos, and I am not home for a few days.  I 
| can't do it in a SSH session to a server at home as I will drop my 
| session before all the images are downloaded.
[...]
| Or is there a better tool?  For example if I run the script with an & 
| after it, then drop my connection will the script keep running?

Screen!

See "man screen". It lets you start a shell session (optionally with a
distinctive session name) and detach from it. You can reconnect at any
time.

I routinely do this for downloads, OS updates, long running hand-started
daemons, etc.

In fact, I do it enough to use a wrapper script "scr":

  http://www.cskk.ezoshosting.com/cs/css/bin/scr

which makes naming and use by name very easy:

  scr FOO

makes new session named FOO. A plain:

  scr

lists the sessions (like "screen -ls", but sorted and more readable).

BTW, you should also look at the "at" command for once off jobs.

But screen is more likely what you will find useful.

Cheers,
-- 
Cameron Simpson <cs at zip.com.au> DoD#743
http://www.cskk.ezoshosting.com/cs/

Sometimes I think that the only reason I stay in the physics biz is the hope
that someday I can give the "Thermonuclear Protection" a little thermonuclear
testing.        - Phillip J. Birmingham <birmingh at fnalv.fnal.gov>


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