Global file management system iRODS (Integrated Rule-Oriented Data System) is aiming to extend its reach in the commercial sector, breaking out of its predominant university ecosystem.
While the iRODS Consortium consists of various universities, it also includes some leading companies in the pharma, biotech, and supercomputing sectors.
Users of iRODS usually develop their own niche operational systems to take advantage of the software, including designing suitable graphical user interfaces. Those running the open source technology believe partners can be brought onboard to help package the software with other solutions to increase usage, and grow sales through services.
Existing use cases for iRODS include physics environments, libraries and archives, genomics, hydrology/weather, medical/imaging, manufacturing, shipping/logistics, and the automotive industry.
Organizations can manage large amounts of data across a variety of storage technologies, controlling access to that data, and completing search and query tasks.
With some integration work, users’ existing tools can benefit from the visibility of an iRODS deployment, with it supporting WebDAV, FUSE, HTTP, NFS, SFTP, K8s CSI, and S3 working.
The iRODS S3 storage resource plugin, for instance, allows iRODS to use any S3-compatible storage device or service to hold iRODS data objects, on-premises or in the cloud.
This plugin can work as a standalone “cacheless” resource or as an archive resource under the iRODS compound resource. Either configuration provides a POSIX interface to data held on an object storage device or service.
On widening the reach of iRODS, Terrell Russell, executive director of the iRODS Consortium, told the recent IT Press Tour of Boston and Massachusetts: “We want to work with system integrators that can promote and sell our solution to their customers as part of different industry projects.
“Such partnerships would help to build up our commercial presence. As a programmable global file system iRODS could become very popular.”
He said system integrators would be able to put their own technologies on top of the iRODS platform, and sell the combo as a package, with iRODS getting a cut of end customer deals.
Russell is also director of data management for RENCI (Renaissance Computing Institute), a unit based out of the University of North Carolina in the US, which helps manage and develop the iRODS system.
You can download IRODS software here and an intro’ to IRODS slide deck here.
