Long-Term Data Storage with the RDMS - Using Command Line

Date & Time: 12 November 2025 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: CIT Smitsborg, room 5431.0365 Nestor, Nettelbosje 1, Groningen

Long-Term Data Storage with the RDMS - Using Comand Line

Long-term storage of research data — in other words, data archiving — is a vital part of the research workflow. To support this, the CIT provides the Research Data Management System (RDMS) as a secure, reliable, and accessible solution.

Whether you are archiving completed project data, organizing collaborative datasets, or planning long-term preservation strategies, this session will help you make the most of the RDMS. The workshop will show you why long-term data storage matters, introduce you to the RDMS environment, and guide you through best practices for storing, organizing, and sharing data in the system

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is intended for researchers, data managers, and research support staff who want to learn how to interact with the RDMS using the official iRODS iCommands client. It is particularly relevant for those who regularly handle large datasets, work in HPC contexts, or wish to automate data management workflows.

We ask participants to:

• Bring their laptops
• Install icommands
• Have a basic knowledge of Unix commands
  

Goal

During this session, you will learn:

✅How to install iCommands in a Linux operating system.
✅How to configure iCommands to connect to the RDMS.
✅How to use iCommands for:

• General file management (list, move, copy files)
• Data transfer (upload, download, synchronization)
• Working with metadata (adding, removing, adjusting, querying)
• Permission management
  

✅How to integrate RDMS usage into HPC jobs.
✅Options available for non-Linux users to access the RDMS via the CLI.

This self-paced 2-hour workshop includes hands-on practice with an expert present to answer questions and assist with the exercises. Participants should bring their own laptop to access the system. Demonstrations will use the virtual Linux Workplace (LWP); please ensure you can access the virtual environment beforehand.

By the end of this workshop, you will have the skills to efficiently interact with the RDMS from the command line, enabling more streamlined and powerful data management workflows.

Enrollment and course fee

Attendance is free for UG staff and PhD-students, but registration is required.

More information

This course will be taught by Jelte Nimoth, from the DCC. For more questions on the workshop you can mail rdms rug.nl.

This course will be held in English.