Get started with the LINCOMM command line

In this tutorial you will run your first commands on LINCOMM and find the two storage locations you'll use most. By the end you'll be able to move between folders, list and create files, and reach both your personal folder and your research drive.

This is a learning experience, not a reference. Follow each step in order. You don't need to understand every detail yet — confidence first, depth later. LINCOMM (Linux Community Servers) uses a text-based command line: you type a command, press Enter, and read the result.

Before you start

• You are connected to a LINCOMM node and see a command prompt. If not, follow How to get connected to LINCOMM first.
• Your NetID. Throughout, replace jdoe with your own NetID.
• About 15 minutes.

Step 1 — See where you are

When you connect, you start in your home folder. Find out where that is:

pwd

You should see a path printed, such as /home/jdoe. The command pwd means "print working directory" — the folder you are in right now.

Step 2 — List what's there

List the contents of the current folder:

ls

You may see a few items, or nothing if the folder is empty. For more detail, including sizes and dates, add -l:

ls -l

You should see one line per item, with extra columns of information.

Step 3 — Go to your personal folder

Your personal space on the AAE file share lives at /mnt/aae/users/<netid>. This is the same storage you can reach from your own computer, so files you keep here are available in both places. Move into it:

cd /mnt/aae/users/jdoe

Confirm you arrived:

pwd

You should see /mnt/aae/users/jdoe. The command cd means "change directory."

If instead you see Permission denied, your access to the file share has expired. Renew it by running kinit and entering your NetID password, then try the cd command again:

kinit

Step 4 — Create a folder and a file

Make a folder to practice in, then move into it:

mkdir lincomm-practice
cd lincomm-practice

Create a small text file:

echo "My first LINCOMM file" > notes.txt

Read it back:

cat notes.txt

You should see: My first LINCOMM file. You just made a folder, wrote a file, and read it — all from the command line.

Step 5 — Visit your research drive

If your research group has a Research Drive, it lives at /mnt/rdrive/<PI netid>, where the PI NetID is your principal investigator's NetID. Move into it (replace pismith with your PI's NetID):

cd /mnt/rdrive/pismith

List what's shared there:

ls

You should see your group's shared files and folders. As in Step 3, a Permission denied message means you should run kinit and try again.

Step 6 — Return home

Go back to your home folder at any time with cd on its own:

cd

Run pwd once more to confirm you're back where you started.

What you learned

You ran your first LINCOMM commands and found your key storage locations. The key ideas were:

• pwd shows your current folder; ls lists what's in it; cd moves between folders.
• mkdir makes a folder; echo ... > file writes a file; cat reads it.
• Your personal folder is /mnt/aae/users/<netid>; your research drive is /mnt/rdrive/<PI netid>.
• A Permission denied message on the file share usually clears after running kinit.

Next steps

• Keep long jobs alive across dropped connections: Keep work running with tmux.
• Make your scripts portable between your computer and LINCOMM: Understanding relative paths.
• Run and watch your programs: How to run and manage jobs on LINCOMM.