PBS commands

The most relevant native PBS commands (and related options) are:

qsub - submit the job
qmove - move the job to another queue
qdel - delete a waiting or running job
qstat - view current state of jobs
pbsnodes - get info about current node(s) state and their properties

PBS commands check for Kerberos ticket

Since Feb 2026, all PBS commands prompt for a password in case the Kerberos ticket is missing

Normally the Kerberos ticket is issued upon login and lasts for 12 hours.

If the PBS command does not find a valid Kerberos ticket, it prompts the user for a password to renew it:

(BOOKWORM)user_123@skirit:~$ pbsnodes -v zenon12
Kerberos Authentication:
Attempt (1/3): user_123@META's Password: 
zenon12
     Mom = zenon12.cerit-sc.cz
     ntype = PBS
     state = job-busy
     ...

qsub

Basic command to submit a job.

qsub -I -l select=1:ncpus=4:mem=4gb -l walltime=1:00:00 # interactive job
qsub  -l select=1:ncpus=4:mem=4gb:scratch_local=10gb -l walltime=1:00:00 myJob.sh # batch job

What if Kerberos ticket expires while the interactive job waits to run?

In case the Kerberos ticket expires after the qsub command is issued, but before the interactive job starts to run, the user is again prompted for password when the job starts:

(BOOKWORM)user_123@skirit:~$ qsub -I -l select=vnode=zenon12
qsub: waiting for job 117665.pbs-m1.metacentrum.cz to start
Kerberos Authentication:
Attempt (1/3): user_123@META's Password: 
qsub: job 117665.pbs-m1.metacentrum.cz ready

(BOOKWORM)user_123@zenon12:~$

qdel

The qdel command deletes a queing or running job.

Examples:

qdel job_ID # basic usage
qdel -W force job_ID # use if normal qdel does not work ("stuck" jobs)

qmove

The qmove command moves a job to another queue.

Jobs can only be moved from one server to another if they are in the Q (queued), H (held), or W (waiting) states, and only if there are no running subjobs. A job in the Running (R), Transiting (T), or Exiting (E) state cannot be moved.

Example:

qmove uv@pbs-m1.metacentrum.cz 475337.pbs-m1.metacentrum.cz # move job 475337.pbs-m1.metacentrum.cz to a queue uv@pbs-m1.metacentrum.cz

qstat

qstat command probes the state of jobs and queues mainly. See sections Queues in Meta

For detailed options list, see man qstat.