ML engineering happens on Linux servers. Whether you are SSHing into a GPU cluster, managing training jobs with SLURM, or debugging a crashed process at 2 AM, fluency with the shell is a force multiplier. This chapter covers the essential commands, environment management, remote work patterns, GPU management, and job scheduling that ML engineers use daily.
Essential Commands
# ── File operations ──
ls -lah # List files with permissions, sizes, dates
du -sh * | sort -rh | head -20 # Top 20 directories by size
df -h # Free disk space per filesystem
find . -name "*.pt" -size +1G # Find model files larger than 1 GB
find . -name "*.py" -mtime -1 # Python files modified in last 24 hours
wc -l src/**/*.py # Count lines across all Python files
# ── Process management ──
ps aux | grep python # Find running Python processes
top -u $USER # Monitor your processes (CPU, memory)
htop # Interactive process viewer (better than top)
kill -SIGTERM PID # Graceful shutdown (allows cleanup)
kill -SIGKILL PID # Force kill (no cleanup, last resort)
nohup python train.py & # Run in background, survive logout
disown %1 # Detach job 1 from current shell
# ── Text processing ──
grep -rn "learning_rate" . # Search recursively with line numbers
grep -rn "lr" --include="*.py" . # Search only Python files
head -n 100 log.txt # First 100 lines
tail -f log.txt # Follow log output in real time
tail -n +1000 log.txt | head -100 # Lines 1000-1099
cat file.jsonl | python -m json.tool # Pretty-print JSON (no jq needed)
sort -t',' -k2 -n results.csv # Sort CSV by 2nd column numerically
awk -F',' '{sum+=$2} END {print sum/NR}' results.csv # Average of column 2
# ── Disk cleanup for ML ──
find . -name "__pycache__" -type d -exec rm -rf {} + # Remove pycache
find . -name "*.pyc" -delete # Remove compiled Python files
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Ctrl+R | Search command history (reverse-i-search) |
| Ctrl+A / Ctrl+E | Jump to beginning / end of line |
| Ctrl+W | Delete word before cursor |
| Ctrl+U | Delete from cursor to beginning of line |
| Ctrl+L | Clear screen (same as clear) |
| Alt+. | Insert last argument from previous command |
!! | Repeat last command (sudo !! is common) |
!$ | Last argument of previous command |
Environment Management
Reproducible environments are essential for ML. A model trained in one environment should produce the same results in another:
# ── Conda (recommended for ML: handles CUDA, cuDNN, NCCL) ──
conda create -n ml python=3.11
conda activate ml
conda install pytorch pytorch-cuda=12.1 -c pytorch -c nvidia
conda env export > environment.yml # Full export (platform-specific)
conda env export --from-history > env.yml # Only explicitly installed packages
conda env create -f environment.yml # Recreate environment
# ── pip with venv (lightweight, no CUDA management) ──
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install torch
pip freeze > requirements.txt # Exact versions
pip install -r requirements.txt # Recreate
# ── UV (fast Rust-based pip replacement, 10-100x faster) ──
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install torch # Fast install
uv pip compile requirements.in -o requirements.txt # Lock versions
uv pip sync requirements.txt # Install exactly what's locked
# ── Docker (full reproducibility including OS, CUDA driver) ──
# Use NVIDIA's base images for GPU support
# FROM nvcr.io/nvidia/pytorch:24.01-py3
| Tool | Manages CUDA/cuDNN | Speed | Reproducibility | Best For |
|---|
| conda | Yes (from channel) | Slow (minutes) | Platform-specific export | GPU ML development |
| pip + venv | No (system CUDA) | Medium | requirements.txt | Simple projects |
| uv | No (system CUDA) | Very fast (seconds) | Lock file | Modern Python projects |
| Docker | Yes (NVIDIA base image) | Slow (build), fast (pull) | Complete | Deployment, cluster |
| pixi | Yes (conda-forge) | Fast (Rust) | Lock file | Cross-platform ML |
**Environment tips:**
- **Pin exact versions** in `requirements.txt` for reproducibility: `torch==2.2.0`, not `torch>=2.0`.
- **Use `pip install -e .`** for editable installs during development -- changes to your code take effect immediately without reinstalling.
- **Keep CUDA versions consistent**: `nvidia-smi` shows the driver's max supported CUDA, but `nvcc --version` shows the toolkit version. PyTorch must match the toolkit version.
- **Export minimal specs**: `conda env export --from-history` or a hand-curated `requirements.txt` with only direct dependencies.
SSH and Remote Work
ML training happens on remote servers. Efficient remote work requires persistent sessions, port forwarding, and fast file transfer:
# ── SSH config (~/.ssh/config) for convenience ──
Host gpu-server
HostName 192.168.1.100
User alice
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
ForwardAgent yes # Forward SSH keys (for git)
LocalForward 6006 localhost:6006 # TensorBoard
LocalForward 8888 localhost:8888 # Jupyter
ServerAliveInterval 60 # Keep connection alive
ServerAliveCountMax 5
Host gpu-cluster-*
ProxyJump bastion # Jump through bastion host
User alice
# Now just: ssh gpu-server
# ── File transfer ──
scp model.pt gpu-server:~/models/ # Copy single file
rsync -avz --progress ./data/ gpu-server:~/data/ # Sync directory (incremental)
rsync -avz --exclude='__pycache__' --exclude='.git' \
./project/ gpu-server:~/project/ # Sync code, skip junk
# ── Persistent sessions with tmux ──
tmux new -s train # Create named session
tmux attach -t train # Reattach after disconnect
tmux ls # List sessions
# Ctrl+B, D -> detach (session keeps running)
# Ctrl+B, [ -> scroll mode (q to exit)
# Ctrl+B, % -> split pane vertically
# Ctrl+B, " -> split pane horizontally
# Ctrl+B, z -> zoom/unzoom current pane
| Pattern | Purpose |
|---|
tmux new -s train then python train.py | Training survives SSH disconnect |
Split pane: train + watch nvidia-smi | Monitor GPU while training |
Split pane: train + tail -f log.txt | Monitor logs while training |
| Multiple windows: code, train, eval | Organize different tasks |
tmux send-keys -t train "python eval.py" Enter | Send command to running session from outside |
GPU Management
# ── Check GPU status ──
nvidia-smi # Snapshot of all GPUs
nvidia-smi --query-gpu=index,name,memory.total,memory.used,memory.free,\
utilization.gpu,temperature.gpu --format=csv # Structured output
# ── Continuous monitoring ──
watch -n 1 nvidia-smi # Update every second
nvidia-smi dmon -s u -d 1 # GPU utilization every second
nvitop # Interactive GPU monitor (pip install nvitop)
# ── Control GPU visibility ──
export CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0,1 # Only GPUs 0 and 1 visible
CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=2 python train.py # Single-command override
CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES="" python test.py # Force CPU only
# ── Check CUDA/driver compatibility ──
nvidia-smi # Shows max supported CUDA version
nvcc --version # Shows installed toolkit version
python -c "import torch; print(torch.cuda.is_available(), torch.version.cuda)"
# ── Reset GPU (if stuck) ──
nvidia-smi --gpu-reset -i 0 # Reset GPU 0 (kills all processes)
fuser -v /dev/nvidia* # Find processes using GPUs
**Important GPU environment variables:**
| Variable | Purpose | Example |
|---|
CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES | Restrict visible GPUs | 0,1,2,3 |
NCCL_DEBUG | NCCL logging level | INFO, WARN |
NCCL_P2P_DISABLE | Disable P2P (PCIe issues) | 1 |
TORCH_CUDA_ARCH_LIST | Target GPU architectures for compilation | 8.0;9.0 |
PYTORCH_CUDA_ALLOC_CONF | Tune CUDA allocator | expandable_segments:True |
CUDA_LAUNCH_BLOCKING | Synchronous kernel launch (debugging) | 1 |
SLURM (Cluster Job Scheduling)
SLURM manages GPU cluster resources. You submit jobs as scripts; SLURM schedules them when resources are available:
#!/bin/bash
#SBATCH --job-name=llama-train
#SBATCH --nodes=2 # 2 nodes
#SBATCH --ntasks-per-node=1 # 1 task per node (torchrun handles GPUs)
#SBATCH --gpus-per-node=4 # 4 GPUs per node
#SBATCH --cpus-per-task=32 # 32 CPU cores per task (for DataLoader)
#SBATCH --mem=256G # RAM per node
#SBATCH --time=24:00:00 # Max runtime
#SBATCH --partition=gpu # GPU partition
#SBATCH --output=logs/%j_%x.out # stdout (%j=job_id, %x=job_name)
#SBATCH --error=logs/%j_%x.err # stderr
#SBATCH --signal=SIGUSR1@120 # Signal 120s before timeout (for checkpointing)
# Setup
module load cuda/12.1
source activate ml
export MASTER_ADDR=$(scontrol show hostname $SLURM_NODELIST | head -1)
export MASTER_PORT=29500
# Handle preemption/timeout: save checkpoint on SIGUSR1
trap 'echo "Received SIGUSR1, saving checkpoint..."; kill -SIGUSR1 $PID' SIGUSR1
# Launch distributed training
srun torchrun \
--nnodes=$SLURM_NNODES \
--nproc_per_node=4 \
--rdzv_backend=c10d \
--rdzv_endpoint=$MASTER_ADDR:$MASTER_PORT \
train.py \
--resume_from_checkpoint latest &
PID=$!
wait $PID
# ── Job management ──
sbatch train.sh # Submit job
squeue -u $USER # Check your jobs
squeue -u $USER -o "%.10i %.30j %.8T %.10M %.6D %R" # Custom format
scancel JOB_ID # Cancel a job
scancel -u $USER # Cancel all your jobs
# ── Job information ──
sacct -j JOB_ID --format=JobID,Elapsed,MaxRSS,MaxVMSize,State # Job stats
scontrol show job JOB_ID # Detailed job info
seff JOB_ID # Job efficiency (CPU, memory usage)
# ── Cluster information ──
sinfo -p gpu # Check GPU partition availability
sinfo -p gpu -o "%20N %10c %10m %25G %20T" # Node details
squeue -p gpu | wc -l # Number of queued jobs
# ── Interactive session ──
srun --partition=gpu --gpus=1 --cpus-per-task=8 --mem=64G \
--time=4:00:00 --pty bash # Interactive GPU session
| Practice | Why |
|---|
| Save checkpoints every N steps | Resume after preemption/timeout without losing work |
Use --signal=SIGUSR1@120 | Get 2-minute warning before timeout to save final checkpoint |
Set --output=logs/%j.out | Unique log per job; %j = job ID |
| Request exact resources needed | Over-requesting reduces scheduling priority |
Use --array=1-10 for sweeps | Submit 10 jobs with different hyperparameters |
Test with --time=0:30:00 first | Short test run to catch errors before 24h job |
Use --dependency=afterok:JOB_ID | Chain jobs (e.g., train then evaluate) |
**SLURM job arrays for hyperparameter sweeps.** Use `--array` to submit multiple jobs that differ by one variable:
#SBATCH --array=1-5
# In train.py, read SLURM_ARRAY_TASK_ID to select hyperparameters
LEARNING_RATES=(1e-5 3e-5 1e-4 3e-4 1e-3)
LR=${LEARNING_RATES[$SLURM_ARRAY_TASK_ID - 1]}
python train.py --lr $LR