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Linux bg Command: Resume Background Suspended Work To Background Execution

The bg command (short for background) in Linux is a job control command that resumes a suspended job in the background. In this tutorial, we will cover how to use the bg command effectively, allowing you to perform multiple tasks simultaneously in the same terminal session.

  1. Understanding jobs:

    When you run a command or process in the terminal, it's called a job. Jobs can be in different states: running, suspended, or terminated. You can manage these jobs using job control commands like bg, fg, jobs, and CTRL+Z.

  2. Suspending a job:

    To use the bg command, first, you need to have a suspended job. You can suspend a currently running job by pressing CTRL+Z. This will stop the job and return control to the terminal. For example, run the ping command:

    ping google.com
    

    Press CTRL+Z to suspend the ping process. You'll see output similar to:

    ^Z
    [1]+  Stopped                 ping google.com
    

    The [1] represents the job number assigned to this process.

  3. Listing jobs:

    To list all active jobs, use the jobs command. This command will display the job number, state (running, stopped, etc.), and the command that was executed.

    jobs
    

    The output should be similar to:

    [1]+  Stopped                 ping google.com
    
  4. Using the bg command:

    To resume a suspended job in the background, use the bg command followed by the job number:

    bg 1
    

    You should see output similar to:

    [1]+ ping google.com &
    

    This indicates that the job has been resumed in the background, allowing you to continue using the terminal for other tasks. The job will continue running until it's completed, stopped, or you manually terminate it.

  5. Bringing a background job to the foreground:

    If you need to bring a background job back to the foreground, use the fg command followed by the job number:

    fg 1
    

    The job will now be running in the foreground, occupying the terminal session.

  6. Terminating a job:

    To terminate a background job, you can use the kill command with the job number, preceded by a %:

    kill %1
    

    This will terminate the specified job, freeing up system resources.

With the bg command and other job control commands in Linux, you can efficiently manage multiple tasks simultaneously in a single terminal session. This allows for increased productivity, especially when working with long-running processes or tasks.

  1. Resuming suspended tasks with bg in Linux:

    • Resume a suspended task in the background using bg.
    bg %1
    
  2. Moving processes to the background with bg:

    • Move a process to the background using bg.
    bg
    
  3. Using bg to background execution in Linux:

    • Run a command in the background using bg.
    command & bg
    
  4. Viewing and managing background jobs with bg command:

    • List and manage background jobs using bg command.
    bg
    
  5. Resuming stopped processes in the background:

    • Resume a stopped process in the background using bg.
    bg %2
    
  6. Backgrounding commands with bg in Linux terminal:

    • Start a command in the background using bg.
    command & bg
    
  7. Managing multiple background tasks with bg:

    • Manage multiple background tasks using bg.
    bg %1 %2 %3
    
  8. Foreground and background execution in Linux:

    • Understand foreground and background execution in Linux.
    command &   # Run in background
    fg          # Bring to foreground
    
  9. Bringing background jobs to the foreground with fg:

    • Bring a background job to the foreground using fg.
    fg %1
    
  10. Job control and bg command in Linux:

    • Control jobs using bg in the Linux terminal.
    jobs
    
  11. Checking the status of background jobs with jobs command:

    • Check the status of background jobs using jobs.
    jobs
    
  12. Killing or terminating background processes in Linux:

    • Terminate a background process using kill or pkill.
    kill %1
    
  13. Redirecting output and errors of background jobs:

    • Redirect output and errors of a background job.
    command > output.log 2>&1 &
    
  14. Common issues and troubleshooting with bg command in Linux:

    • Troubleshoot common issues when using the bg command.
    bg --help