Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with S9S in just a few minutes! This guide covers the basics to help you start managing your SLURM cluster more efficiently.

🚀 First Launch

With SLURM Cluster

If you have access to a SLURM cluster:


# Launch S9S
s9s

# Or connect to a specific cluster
s9s --cluster production

Without SLURM (Mock Mode)

Try S9S without a SLURM cluster:


# Launch in mock mode with simulated data
s9s --mock

Mock mode is perfect for:

Learning S9S navigation
Testing workflows
Demo purposes
Development

🎯 Basic Navigation

View Switching

S9S organizes information into focused views. Switch between them using:

Tab - Cycle through views
Number keys (1-9) - Jump to specific view
:view <name> - Switch via command mode

Common views:

Jobs - Monitor and manage jobs
Nodes - View compute nodes
Partitions - Cluster partitions
Dashboard - Overview metrics

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action	Description
`?`	Help	Show all keyboard shortcuts
`q`	Quit	Exit S9S
`/`	Search	Filter current view
`:`	Command mode	Enter commands
`Tab`	Switch view	Cycle through views
`j/k`	Navigate	Move down/up
`Enter`	Select	View details
`Esc`	Cancel	Exit dialog/search

📊 Jobs View

The Jobs view is where you'll spend most of your time. Here's what you can do:

View Jobs


# Launch S9S directly to jobs view
s9s --view jobs

Common Operations

Key	Action	Example Use
`c`	Cancel job	Cancel a running/pending job
`h`	Hold job	Prevent job from starting
`r`	Release job	Release a held job
`d`	Details	View full job information
`o`	Output	View job output/logs
`Enter`	Expand	Show job details inline

Filtering Jobs

Use

to filter jobs:


# Examples:
/RUNNING        # Show only running jobs
/gpu            # Find GPU jobs
/user:john      # Jobs by user john
/time:>1h       # Jobs running >1 hour

Press

Esc

to clear filters.

💻 Nodes View

Monitor and manage compute nodes:

Common Operations

Key	Action	Description
`d`	Drain	Mark node for maintenance
`r`	Resume	Return node to service
`s`	SSH	Connect to node via SSH
`i`	Info	Detailed node information

Node States

idle - Available for jobs
allocated - Running jobs
drain - Scheduled for maintenance
down - Offline/unavailable

🎯 Practical Examples

Example 1: Cancel a Failed Job

Launch S9S:
```
s9s
```
Press
```
/
```
and type
```
FAILED
```
Navigate to the job with
```
j/k
```
Press
```
c
```
to cancel
Confirm with
```
y
```

Example 2: SSH to a Node

Switch to nodes view: press
```
2
```
or
```
Tab
```
Find your node with
```
/nodename
```
Press
```
s
```
to SSH
S9S opens an SSH session

Example 3: Monitor GPU Jobs

In jobs view, press
```
/
```
Type
```
gpu
```
or
```
gres:gpu
```
Press
```
Enter
```
to filter
Press
```
d
```
on any job for GPU details

Example 4: Batch Operations

Press
```
Space
```
to enter selection mode
Use
```
j/k
```
to navigate,
```
Space
```
to select multiple jobs
Press
```
b
```
for batch operations
Choose action (cancel, hold, etc.)

🔍 Advanced Search

S9S supports powerful search syntax:


# Compound searches
/state:RUNNING user:alice     # Alice's running jobs
/partition:gpu time:<30m      # GPU jobs under 30 min

# Regex support
/name:~"analysis.*2023"       # Jobs matching pattern

# Numeric comparisons
/nodes:>4                     # Jobs using >4 nodes
/time:1h-2h                   # Jobs between 1-2 hours

⚡ Command Mode

Press

to enter command mode:


:help              # Show help
:quit              # Exit S9S
:view nodes        # Switch to nodes view
:export csv        # Export current view
:refresh           # Force refresh
:filter user:john  # Apply filter

🎨 Customization Quick Tips

Change Refresh Rate


# Set 2-second refresh
:set refresh 2s

# Disable auto-refresh
:set refresh 0

Theme Selection


# Built-in themes
:theme dark
:theme light
:theme terminal

Save Layout


# Save current layout
:save-layout my-layout

# Load saved layout
:load-layout my-layout

📝 Next Steps

Now that you know the basics:

Explore all views - Each view has unique features
Learn advanced filters - See Filtering Guide
Set up your config - See Configuration Guide
Master keyboard shortcuts - See Navigation Guide

💡 Pro Tips

Use mock mode for practice -
```
s9s --mock
```
is risk-free
Pin important filters - Save frequently used searches
Multi-select is powerful - Space bar selects multiple items
Command history - Use up/down arrows in command mode
Context help - Press
```
?
```
in any view for specific shortcuts

🆘 Getting Help

In-app help: Press
```
?
```
anywhere
Command help: Type
```
:help <command>
```
Documentation: https://s9s.dev/docs
Community: Discord