Interactive Jobs

Last updated on 2026-08-24 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 30 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • How do I get an interactive shell on a compute node?
  • How do I request resources for an interactive session?
  • When should I use interactive vs batch jobs?

Objectives

  • Master srun --pty bash for interactive sessions
  • Request CPU, memory, and GPU resources for interactive jobs
  • Use interactive sessions for development and debugging
  • Know when to switch to batch jobs

The srun Command

srun starts interactive jobs. The most common form for a short interactive debugging session:

BASH 

srun -c 4 --mem=16G -t 00:30:00 -p short --pty bash -l
  • -c 4: 4 CPU cores
  • --mem=16G: 16 GB RAM
  • -t 00:30:00: 30 minutes
  • -p short: short partition (good for short interactive work; for sessions longer than the short walltime limit, use -p amd)
  • --pty bash -l: interactive login shell

After SLURM allocates resources, your prompt changes to show the compute node:

[user@compute-node ~]$

Type exit or Ctrl+D to end the session and free resources.

Common Interactive Patterns

Quick Test (2 minutes, 1 core)

BASH 

srun -c 1 --mem=4G -t 00:02:00 -p short --pty bash -l

Development Session (30 minutes, 4 cores)

BASH 

srun -c 4 --mem=16G -t 00:30:00 -p short --pty bash -l

Large Interactive (2 hours, 16 cores)

BASH 

srun -c 16 --mem=100G -t 02:00:00 -p amd --pty bash -l

(For interactive work longer than the short partition’s max walltime, use -p amd instead.)

Interactive GPU Session

BASH 

srun --gres=gpu:a100:1 -c 8 --mem=64G -t 04:00:00 -p gpu --pty bash -l
Callout

Request Time Generously

If you finish early, just exit to free resources. If time runs out, your session is killed abruptly. Better to release early than get a timeout surprise.

Working in Interactive Sessions

Load modules and run code just like on your laptop:

BASH 

[user@compute-node ~]$ module load miniconda3
[user@compute-node ~]$ python my_analysis.py

Edit and rerun for iterative development:

BASH 

[user@compute-node ~]$ nano my_script.R
[user@compute-node ~]$ Rscript my_script.R

Using tmux for Persistent Sessions

If your connection drops, a regular interactive session dies. Use tmux inside your session:

BASH 

tmux new-session -s work
# Detach: Ctrl+B, then D
# Reconnect: tmux attach-session -t work

When to Use Interactive vs Batch

Interactive: developing code, debugging, exploring data, quick tests

Batch: stable code, jobs over 2 hours, many parallel jobs, unattended runs

Challenge

Challenge 1: Your First Interactive Session

  1. Start a session: srun -c 2 --mem=8G -t 00:10:00 -p short --pty bash -l

  2. Verify you are on a compute node:

    BASH 

    hostname
echo $SLURM_JOB_ID
free -h
nproc

  3. Load Python and run a quick test:

    BASH 

    module load miniconda3
python -c "import numpy as np; print(np.random.randn(5))"

  4. Exit: exit

  5. Confirm you are back on the head node: hostname

Inside the session, hostname shows a compute node (e.g., a005), free -h shows 500 GB total RAM, and nproc shows 128 cores. After exit, hostname returns sagehen. The Python test confirms modules work on compute nodes.

Key Points
  • Use srun --pty bash -l for interactive sessions on compute nodes
  • Request resources: -c (cores), --mem (RAM), -t (time), -p (partition)
  • Interactive jobs are best for development, testing, and debugging
  • Use the short partition for short interactive sessions and quick debugging; use amd for longer interactive work
  • Use tmux inside sessions for connection resilience
  • Switch to batch jobs when code is stable and needs long or unattended runs