Source: Own illustration
With DataStorage.nrw, a new storage system will soon be available behind Coscine, replacing the previous Research Data Storage (RDS). This step does not only bring technical improvements but is also a strategic further development as part of the implementation of fdm.nrw’s RDM state concept.
What Is DataStorage.nrw?
DataStorage.nrw is a redundant S3 object storage system that is operated at four university locations in North Rhine-Westphalia: Aachen, Cologne, Paderborn and Duisburg-Essen. The distributed infrastructure ensures a high level of reliability.
At the same time, the system has been designed for particularly large and long-term data volumes and will offer a capacity of up to 24 petabytes. Access and use will be via the Coscine platform, as with the previous RDS storage system. Researchers can therefore store and structure their data as usual via Coscine. A prerequisite for the use of DataStorage.nrw is the implementation of the FAIR principles, which is ensured by access via Coscine.
How Does the Migration Work?
From the planned start date in June 2025, new storage resources for participating DH.NRW universities in Coscine will be created exclusively on the new DataStorage.nrw. The previous RDS storage system will then no longer be available for the creation of new resources and will be shut down in the long term. The migration of research data stored on the RDS to DataStorage.nrw will be automatic for users, as it will be managed centrally by the IT Center of RWTH Aachen University as the technical operator of Coscine.
The changeover to the new storage system itself is planned in such a way that ongoing research operations are affected as little as possible. The migration is carried out individually for each Coscine project and all RDS resources within the project are migrated one after the other. During this process, the respective RDS resource is temporarily inaccessible, neither via the web interface nor via the API or an S3 client. Project owners are informed in advance by email via Coscine when the project’s RDS migration will begin and when it will be completed. Researchers do not have to initiate any migration measures themselves, as the entire technical process is
implemented automatically. However, especially when using S3 resources, users will need to update their access data and endpoint after the migration to DataStorage.nrw. This information can be accessed in the DataStorage.nrw resource settings after the migration.
What Do RDM Staff at DH.NRW Universities Need to Know?
With the introduction of DataStorage.nrw, DH.NRW researchers now have a powerful, secure and future-proof storage system at their disposal. In combination with the functions of Coscine, the new storage system forms a reliable basis for discipline-specific requirements, collaborative projects and the long-term reuse of research data and the associated metadata.
As with the RDS, applications for storage space on DataStorage.nrw are made via the JARDS platform, an established resource allocation system from the HPC sector. The decision on the allocation of storage space is made in a science-led review process. This is carried out by RDM staff from participating universities from DH.NRW. At the last Coscine.nrw user meeting in April 2025, concrete evaluation criteria for the science-led review process were developed in a practical work phase. These are now being incorporated into a curation guide for reviewers, which will serve as the basis for the review process in future.
Learn More
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If you have any questions about the migration or the use of DataStorage.nrw in Coscine, please contact us by e-mail.
You can also find more blog posts about the planned migration on the IT Center blog.
Responsible for the content of this article is Arlinda Ujkani.
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