Newer
Older
permalink: /information/
ref: infos
lang: en
---
JLU GitLab is a [GitLab web service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GitLab) running in the [IT service centre of the Justus Liebig University Giessen](https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/svc/hrz), accessible at [https://gitlab.test.uni-giessen.de](https://gitlab.test.uni-giessen.de).
The deployed GitLab Community Edition is licensed as free software, so JLU GitLab is technically and legally independent from [GitLab.com](https://gitlab.com).
JLU GitLab is maintained by a team of voluntary employees, [see further below](#who-is-maintaining-jlu-gitlab?).
You can find information how to use JLU GitLab at [help on use]({{ '/help/' | relative_url }}).
## Who may use JLU GitLab?
Currently nobody; first, the terms of service must be written.
Once this is done, any student or employee with a valid s- oder g-Login may open a user account, as long as they accept the terms of service.
Please note that GitLab is currently only reachable within the university network.
You can also use it remotely through the [university VPN](https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/svc/hrz/svc/netz/campus/vpn).
## Who is maintaining JLU GitLab?
We are a team of JLU employees who volunteer to provide this service.
We are always looking for more voluntary members who can help us.
You can contact us in various ways, see the [contact information](#contact).
JLU GitLab initially serves to assess demands across the JLU and for evaluation of its features in a research context.
We believe that currently, Git and GitLab provide the best tools to manage and document the software for our research.
Only a locally installed, freely licensed tool like GitLab can match the requirement to ensure long-term control over its implementation and administration.
Note that the documentation and software necessary for the understanding of research data are themselves research data according to the [JLU's guideline on research data](https://www.uni-giessen.de/mug/5/pdf/forschung/5_00_00_1).
## Future outlook
Once JLU GitLab is usable within the university, we have further plans to make it even more useful.
- ...make JLU GitLab accessible directly from the Internet, without VPN
- ...provide a procedure to allow accounts for people from outside the JLU
- ...investigate the possibility to publish content with [GitLab Pages](https://docs.gitlab.com/ce/user/project/pages/)
For questions regarding help and support, please write an email to our support mailing list, [gitlab-help@lists.uni-giessen.de](mailto:gitlab-help@lists.uni-giessen.de).
For inquiries regarding the technical maintenance or governance, please write an email to our internal mailing list [gitlab-admin@lists.uni-giessen.de](mailto:gitlab-admin@lists.uni-giessen.de).
We organize and document our work in projects on GitLab.com; you are welcome to join them to follow and contribute to what we do.