Using the Grid/VO membership

In order to use the grid, you need to be a member of a Virtual Organisation (VO). The VO that is most suitable for you depends on the specific research area you are in. For example, if you are active in a field associated with the life sciences the lsgrid VO might be most suitable for you, and if you want to run medical applications on the grid the vlemed VO may be the best choice. A list of all the VO's available in the NL-Grid infrastructure can be found on the website mentioned below. Incase you have no clue which VO to apply for, you can always contact us for advice (click here to read how to reach our support group).

Once you know which VO is most suitable for you, you can enter the VO membership registration procedure. Please note that before you can register for a VO you will first need a valid grid certificate loaded in your internet browser (see the page about Getting a Grid certificate for further details).

For the NL-Grid infrastructure you can register at the following website: https://voms.grid.sara.nl:8443/vomses.

NOTE: Users of the Life Science Grid should register for the VO "lsgrid" If it is unclear to you for which VO you should register, please contact us at grid.support@sara.nl. If (after you loaded your GRID-certificate in your browser) the above link still gives a Security Error, you probably have to load the root certificate of the DutchGrid CA into your browser. To do just that, go to http://ca.dutchgrid.nl. On the front page on the right, there is a box "Trust this Site ...". Click on "Install the DutchGrid CA". In Firefox, a dialog opens. Enable options "website", "email" and "developers". In Explorer 7, the security wizzard opens or, when the filetype is unrecognized, save the server certificate and doubleclick on it; then the security wizzard opens. Click Install Certificate, Click next; next; finish.

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When you submit the registration form, you will receive instructions by email on how to confirm your application for registration. Then an e-mail will be sent to the VOMS administrator of the VO you selected. This person will decide on whether you are obliged to become a member of the VO. You will be notified as soon as your membership has been confirmed by the VOMS administrator.

NOTE: It might take a few hours before your membership information will be distributed over the grid, which means that you may start to use the grid a few hours after your membership was acknowledged by your VO administrator. You can however proceed with the next step, which is the installation of your key in your homedir on the User Interface server.