ThatGuy wrote in a comment that he’s using iplayer-dl on a Linux machine that he connects to via ssh, and wondered,

Though is it possible to get the ruby script to continue to be processed on the server, even if i disconnect form SSH?

It is. In fact, it’s exactly what I do. To achieve it, you’ll need to install GNU Screen (apt-get install screen on Debian/Ubuntu; your distro may vary).

The first time you connect to the downloading machine (or after a reboot), type:

screen

You’ll get a console prompt, from which you can start downloads as usual. When you disconnect from the session, the download will continue to run in the background.

Next time you connect to the machine via ssh, type:

screen -rd

You’ll get back to the console prompt that you were using earlier, which might still be downloading, or might have finished.

It’s as simple as that!