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    Elastic Compute Service:Run batch commands on multiple instances with multi-terminal

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    Elastic Compute Service:Run batch commands on multiple instances with multi-terminal

    Last Updated:May 15, 2026

    Connect to up to 16 Linux ECS instances and run commands simultaneously for batch O&M tasks such as patch installation or process polling.

    Usage notes

    Create terminal connections

    Create connections to multiple ECS instances and run batch commands across them.

    1. Choose Feature > Multi-terminal in the top navigation bar.

    2. In the Multi-terminal dialog box, click Create Terminal.

    3. In the Instance Login dialog box, specify the connection parameters and click OK.

      Important

      You can connect to up to 16 ECS instances at the same time.

    4. (Optional) Click Create Terminal to add more connections.

    5. Enter a command in any terminal window and press Enter. The command runs on all connected instances simultaneously.

      The following figure shows a command running on two instances simultaneously.Multi-terminal

    Manage terminal connections

    Block or remove terminal connections

    Temporarily exclude an instance from batch commands (Block) or disconnect it (Remove).

    1. In the upper-right corner of a terminal window, click Manage.

      Terminal management

    2. In the Multi-terminal dialog box, find the target terminal and click one of the following buttons in the Actions column:

      • Block: Disables the terminal. Commands entered afterward do not run on this instance.

        You can also click the Block icon in the upper-right corner of the window to toggle this state.

      • Remove: Disconnects and removes the terminal.

        You can also click the Remove icon in the upper-right corner of the window to close the connection.

      • Locate: Scrolls to the terminal window.

    Configure terminal window layout

    Adjust the layout to display 1, 2, 4, 9, or 16 terminal windows.

    1. In the upper-right corner of a terminal window, click Set Window Layout.

      Window layout

    2. Select a layout: 1, 2, 4, 9, or 16 windows.

    FAQ

    How do I know if I am using Workbench 1.0 or 2.0? How do I switch back to 1.0?

    Workbench 2.0 displays the Workbench icon image in the upper-left corner, while Workbench 1.0 displays the word WORKBENCH. The left navigation pane layout also differs.

    Workbench 2.0

    Workbench 1.0

    image

    image

    Click New Version in the upper-right corner to switch to Workbench 2.0, or click Previous Version to return to Workbench 1.0.