Byobu: Behind the folding screen

Multiplex

Article from Issue 175/2015
Author(s):

The Byobu window manager and terminal multiplexer lets you open multiple screens to compartmentalize tasks performed at the command line and helps keep track of the status of your systems.

Byobu [1] is a hybrid utility. On one hand, it provides a practical setup for those who need to work from more than one command prompt at a time. On the other hand, it provides a wealth of basic system information in abbreviated form. With this double benefit, Byobu solves two problems with screen space at the same time.

Originally conceived at the 2008 Ubuntu Developer Summit, Byobu is intended primarily for administrators who need to view multiple servers. In addition to providing multiple prompts within the same window, Byobu also displays two customizable status lines for monitoring systems. The program runs as a text-based window manager on top of either tmux [2] or GNU Screen [3], two earlier multiplexers, making it usable without a desktop (Figure 1). The name comes from the Japanese word for a folding screen, a metaphor whose origin becomes obvious the first time you see Byobu in use.

Basic Orientation

Byobu is available from the repositories of major distributions. It starts with the command byobu, which includes no options of its own. You might configure it to run the options of either tmux or GNU screen, but most of these options are either obsolete on a modern system – on which, for example, you can usually take UTF-8 character support for granted – or conflict with Byobu's own configuration settings.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • Byobu

    The Byobu session manager extends the shell, adding a range of useful functions, such as splitting the screen, running programs in the background, or organizing programs in tabs. In particular, administrators who rely on SSH will appreciate Byobu.

  • Multi-Tasking

    Operate multiple terminal sessions in a single window.

comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News