Workspaces/Advanced Features/ws restore

ws_restore - Restore Expired Workspace

For a certain (system-specific) grace time following workspace expiration, a workspace can be restored.

Syntax

ws_restore [options] workspace_name target_name | -l

Restore Procedure

(1) Display restorable workspaces:

  $ ws_restore -l

This will list all workspaces that can still be recovered. You can use -b or --brief to hide the unavailability date in the list.

(2) Create a new workspace as the target for the restore:

  $ ws_allocate restored 60

(3) Restore the expired workspace:

  $ ws_restore <full_name_of_expired_workspace> restored

Important:

• The expired workspace must be specified using the full name as printed by ws_restore -l (not as printed by ws_list!), including username prefix and timestamp suffix (otherwise it cannot be uniquely identified)
• The target workspace must be given with just its short name as listed by ws_list, without the username prefix
• ws_restore can only work on the same filesystem. Ensure the new workspace is on the same filesystem as the expired workspace. Use -F <filesystem> flag if needed

Example:

  $ ws_restore username-myWs-0 restored

Options

Option	Description
-l, --list	List restorable workspaces. Use this first to see what can be recovered
-b, --brief	Do not show unavailability date in list (used with -l)
-n <name>	Workspace name (alternative to positional argument)
-t <target>	Existing target workspace name (alternative to positional argument)
-F <filesystem>	Specify filesystem where the workspace is located
-u <username>	Username (for restoring other users' workspaces if permitted)

Cluster-Specific Information

Grace periods for expired/released workspaces vary by cluster:

Cluster	Expired Workspace Retention (keeptime)	Released Workspace Grace Period
bwUniCluster 3.0	30 days	Until next cleanup cycle
Helix	System-specific (check with support)	Until next cleanup cycle
JUSTUS 2	System-specific (check with support)	Until next cleanup cycle
BinAC2	System-specific (check with support)	Until next cleanup cycle
NEMO2	30 days	Until next cleanup cycle

Note:

• Expired workspaces (reached end of lifetime) are kept for keeptime
• Released workspaces (via ws_release) are kept until the next automated cleanup cycle
• Actual deletion happens during automated cleanup runs, typically during nighttime
• This allows users to recover accidentally released workspaces quickly, while giving more time for expired workspaces

For more information: $ ws_restore -h or man ws_restore

If Workspace Cannot Be Restored

If the workspace is not visible/restorable, it has been permanently deleted and cannot be restored, not even by system administrators.

Helix-specific - Workspace Snapshots

On Helix, if the workspace can't be restored anymore using ws_restore, you can check the snapshots under:

  /work/.snapshots/<timepoint>/ws/

Important notes about snapshots:

• Snapshots are point-in-time copies of the workspace filesystem
• Changes that happened since the last snapshot was created are lost
• Browse available snapshot timepoints in /work/.snapshots/
• Caution: The Helix team tries to keep the latest snapshots, but they cannot guarantee that snapshots will be available at all times
• Snapshots are a last resort when ws_restore no longer works

How to use snapshots:

  $ ls /work/.snapshots/                    # List available snapshot timepoints
  $ cd /work/.snapshots/2025-11-15_00.00.00/ws/
  $ ls                                      # Find your old workspace directory
  $ cp -r username-myWs-0 /path/to/active/workspace/  # Copy data to active workspace

Contact Helix support if you need assistance with snapshot recovery.

Please remember: Workspaces are intended solely for temporary work data, and there is no backup of data in the workspaces.

Recommendation: Email reminders are sent automatically. You can optionally customize reminder timing with -r option to be notified earlier, giving you time to extend the workspace or backup important data to appropriate permanent storage. See Reminders & Configuration.