title: Large Hadron Collider commissioning and first operation.
abstract: A history of the commissioning and the very successful early operation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is described. The accident that interrupted the first commissioning, its repair and the enhanced protection system put in place are fully described. The LHC beam commissioning and operational performance are reviewed for the period from 2010 to mid-2011. Preliminary plans for operation and future upgrades for the LHC are given for the short and medium term.
authors.affiliation: DG-DI, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. steve.myers@cern.ch
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Myers