NEMO2/Workspaces

Note: This is the updated Workspaces guide for NEMO2. For other clusters please use: Workspace.

Workspace tools provide temporary storage on NEMO's fast parallel filesystem (Weka). They are meant for data that needs to persist longer than a single job, but not permanently.

For advanced features — user config (~/.ws_user.conf), reminders, quotas, workspace handover, and more — see Advanced Features.

What are Workspaces?

Use workspaces for:

• Jobs generating intermediate data
• Data shared between multiple compute nodes
• Multi-step workflows

Don't use workspaces for:

• Permanent storage (use HOME or project directories)
• Single-node temporary files (use $TMPDIR instead)

Important - Read First

• No Backup: Data is not backed up and will be automatically deleted after expiration
• Time-limited: Maximum lifetime is 100 days, up to 100 extensions
• Email Reminders: You receive email notifications before expiration
• Backup Important Data: Copy results to permanent storage before expiration

Command Overview

• ws_allocate - Create or extend workspace
• ws_list - List your workspaces
• ws_find - Find workspace path (for scripts)
• ws_extend - Extend workspace lifetime
• ws_release - Release (delete) workspace
• ws_restore - Restore expired/released workspace
• ws_register - Create symbolic links

All commands support -h for help.

Quick Start

Task	Command
Create workspace (100 days)	ws_allocate myWs 100
Create group workspace	ws_allocate -G groupname myWs 100
List all workspaces	ws_list
See what expires soon	ws_list -Rr
Find path (for scripts)	ws_find myWs
Extend by 100 days	ws_extend myWs 100
Delete workspace (permanent, next nightly run)	ws_release myWs
Restore expired workspace (30d grace)	ws_restore -l then ws_restore oldname newname

Create Workspace

Create a workspace with a name and lifetime in days:

  $ ws_allocate myWs 100

Returns:

  /work/workspace/scratch/username-myWs-0

Capture path in variable:

  $ WORKSPACE=$(ws_allocate myWs 100)
  $ cd "$WORKSPACE"

Important: Running the same command again is safe - returns the existing workspace path.

List Your Workspaces

  $ ws_list                                # List all workspaces
  $ ws_list -Rr                            # Sort by remaining time, soonest first
  $ ws_list -g                             # Show group workspaces

Extend Workspace Lifetime

  $ ws_extend myWs 100                      # Extend by 100 days from now

Alternative: ws_allocate -x myWs 100

Each extension consumes one of your available extensions (100 total).

Release (Delete) Workspace

  $ ws_release myWs

The workspace becomes inaccessible immediately and is permanently deleted at the next nightly expirer run. Do not rely on recovering a released workspace.

Restore Workspace

Recover workspaces that expired naturally (reached end of lifetime) within the 30-day grace period:

  $ ws_restore -l                          # (1) List restorable workspaces
  $ ws_allocate restored 100               # (2) Create target workspace
  $ ws_restore username-myWs-0 restored    # (3) Restore

Important: Use the full name from ws_restore -l (with username and timestamp), not the short name. Released workspaces (via ws_release) can also be restored, but only until the next nightly expirer run — after that they are permanently deleted.

Share Workspaces

Group workspace (recommended)

  $ ws_allocate -g myWs 100                # Group-readable (read-only for group)
  $ ws_allocate -G projectgroup myWs 100   # Group-writable (recommended for teams)

Anyone in the group can use ws_list -g to see the workspace and extend it with ws_allocate -x -u owner myWs 100. Using -G also enables smooth handover when team members leave — see Workspace Handover.

Set default group in ~/.ws_user.conf:

groupname: projectgroup

Share after creation

If you didn't use -g/-G at creation, share read-only with ws_share:

  $ ws_share share myWs alice bob          # Grant read access
  $ ws_share list myWs                     # Show who has access
  $ ws_share unshare myWs alice            # Remove access

Advanced sharing: Sharing guide for ACL-based per-user permissions.