Start a Rubian session

Use the launcher and access instructions supplied with your Rubian evaluation. You need a provisioned build, a working account and a workspace you are permitted to use. To request an environment, use the Rubian access page.

Start and sign in#

The full interactive startup discovers available system locations, Rubian tools and files beneath the user's home. It reports the inventory and prepares compatible installed libraries where that option is enabled. Sign in when prompted; follow any required password change. The resulting prompt identifies the account and current working location.

Read Startup, discovery and recall for the scope of the inventory, categorized views and refresh controls. The organization you see at the prompt is part of the working environment; existing host files have not been moved into a new directory layout.

Check where you are working#

Run the following at the Rubian prompt. Do not enter the commands into a browser address bar or a conventional system shell.

pwd
entries = ls

pwd displays the current directory and returns its path. ls displays the entries and returns their names as an array when the directory can be listed. The names depend on your environment; an empty directory is a valid result.

Record the product versions provided with your environment before proceeding. Some Rubian 4.0.2 builds include the newer job and recurring-work commands, while others do not. A shared product version alone does not establish that every optional command is installed.

Use a command result#

Rubian accepts Ruby expressions. You can retain a command result and work with it directly:

entries = ls
entries.sort
entries.length

The first line also prints a directory listing. The second returns a sorted array; the third returns a count. Printed output and the returned value serve different purposes. When writing a reusable operation, work from the value and check it before using it. For example, a failed host-directory lookup can return nil.

entries = ls
if entries
  puts "#{entries.length} entries"
end

Read a known file#

Choose an existing text file in your evaluation workspace and supply its full path:

text = cat('/path/to/example.txt', quiet: true)
puts text.lines.first if text

Replace /path/to/example.txt with the file you intend to read. quiet: true suppresses the normal file-content display, allowing you to decide what to print. It does not grant additional access or change the contents of the file.

Continue with a suitable task#

Learn path behavior before a script touches several directories. For work that should continue while you use the prompt, follow Background jobs. For a provisioned agent environment, begin with the inspection commands.

If a command is unavailable, retain the exact error and check the build's supplied command list. Installing unrelated system packages will not add a Rubian command to an older build.