Information.md

# Information

[[_TOC_]]


## What is JLU GitLab?

JLU GitLab is a [GitLab web service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GitLab).
GitLab is a versatile tool for the management of projects that involve file editing.
At the core of each GitLab project is a [Git repository](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git) that keeps versions of the edited files.
For each project, GitLab also provides a wiki, an issue tracker, and much more.

JLU GitLab is accessible through a web browser at [https://gitlab.ub.uni-giessen.de](https://gitlab.ub.uni-giessen.de) and is hosted on systems of [Justus Liebig University (JLU) Giessen](https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/svc/hrz).
The GitLab Community Edition operated 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](#who-is-maintaining-jlu-gitlab).


## Use cases

In general, GitLab allows information management by linking text and data, i.e., exactly [what hyperlinks and the Web were invented for](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web#History)!
GitLab is primarily designed to manage **software projects**, but it is flexible enough to manage projects in other contexts throughout the university.

- **Research projects**, especially if they are similar to software projects, as is increasingly the case.
  Alongside your programming code, you can manage your text, figures, and other necessary files.
  You can even store your data within the same GitLab project, but please read the [information about storage of research data](#storage-of-research-data) beforehand.
  More detailed information on motivations and usage of versioning tools for scientific software is outlined in [Good enough practices in scientific computing by G. Wilseon et. al. (2017)](http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005510).
- **Documentation** about your equipment, laboratory, installation, or any other setup or procedure.
  Text, images, or videos can be easily arranged using GitLab Markdown, so anyone interested in your documentation only needs a web browser to find the most recent version.
  You can additionally manage issues or use a wiki to encourage others to keep the documentation up to date.
  (Note that the text you are reading is an example.)
- **Using CI for teaching**: A test scenario is presented [here](https://gitlab.ub.uni-giessen.de/bpkleer/using-ci-teaching).
  There you can see how CI can be used for teaching purposes (introductory R course at faculty 03).
  CI was used to give students the opportunity to test their script against a solution (independent of the availability of lecturers or TA's) so that students can see if their script did the correct thing.
- **And many more**, like meeting protocols, teaching materials, etc.
  Any project involving multiple iterations of digital content may benefit from management in GitLab, especially if multiple people are collaborating.
  Note that Git works best with text-based content; for versioning of binary content, consider using [Git LFS](https://gitlab.ub.uni-giessen.de/jlugitlab/git-lfs-howto).


## Storage of research data

JLU GitLab can be used for versioning and managing source code and research data that is to be generated or analyzed by that code.
To enable JLU GitLab to manage research data in its repository, you must [configure Git LFS](https://gitlab.ub.uni-giessen.de/jlugitlab/git-lfs-howto).
Should you wish to manage research data along with source code in GitLab, the following limitations must be considered:

- GitLab is suitable for storing data with **[regular protection requirements](TermsOfUse.md#data-security)**.
  This means that if the **integrity** and/or **availability** and/or **confidentiality** of data stored in GitLab is lost, the damage impact to you and others **should be limited and manageable**.  
  As a rough rule of thumb for data protection, personal data that do **not** fall into the special categories according to [EU-GDPR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation) (health data, religious/ideological beliefs, sexual orientation, etc.) fall under normal protection needs.

> **Note: This text does not replace legal advice on handling personal data.**  
> We recommend that you carry out a protection needs assessment if necessary.  
> If you have any questions regarding data protection, please contact the [data protection officers at JLU](https://www.uni-giessen.de/org/admin/dez/b/1/Datenschutz/Datenschutzbeauftragter).

- If you have special requirements for storing research data, but still want to link it to code in GitLab, you have the option of running Git LFS on your own server.
- **GitLab is not suitable as an archive or network drive**.
  If you need a data archive for your workgroup, use what the [HRZ offers](https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/svc/hrz/svc/daten/san/index_html).
- **GitLab is not suitable as a Sync&Share service**.
  If you need a sync&share solution, please use the [JLUbox](https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/svc/hrz/svc/daten/jlubox).
- **GitLab is not a publication platform for research data**.
  If you want to publish your research data, you can use [JLUdata](https://jlupub.ub.uni-giessen.de/handle/jlupub/1) for this purpose.

Regarding the handling of research data at JLU, please also refer to the Research Data Guideline.
An overview of the services available at JLU for handling research data can be found at the Department for Research Data.
If you have further questions about research data management, [this page on publishing](https://www.uni-giessen.de/ub/en/publish?set_language=en) may help you.
You can reach the Research Data Unit by e-mail at forschungsdaten@uni-giessen.de.


## Who can access JLU GitLab?

JLU GitLab is accessible from the entire Internet (via the HTTPS protocol).

This means that *public* visibility of [projects](Help.md#visibility-of-projects) or [groups](Help.md#visibility-of-groups) applies to anyone with access to the Internet.

Access via the SSH protocol is restricted to the [university VPN](https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/svc/hrz/svc/netz/campus/vpn).

## Who may use JLU GitLab?

JLU GitLab is currently usable by all employees and students with a valid JLU account (g-, s-, n-, or j-), as long as they accept the [terms of use](TermsOfUse.md).

This means that the *internal* visibility of [projects](Help.md#visibility-of-projects) or [groups](Help.md#visibility-of-groups) applies to all of these people.

You can [read here](Help.md#how-to-register-an-account) how to register an account for JLU GitLab.

## How can I use JLU GitLab?

You can find information on the practical use of JLU GitLab at [help on use](Help.md).

## Account termination

JLU GitLab accounts may be terminated in multiple ways:

- Users may voluntarily delete their account at any time. 
  If you want to delete your account, please [follow these steps](Help.md#how-to-delete-my-account).
  You may also consider some [last steps](Help.md#last-steps) before you delete your account.
- The account will be deleted after 6 months after your [JLU account becomes invalid](#what-happens-if-my-account-becomes-invalid), which most commonly happens if you [leave the university](#what-happens-when-i-leave-jlu).
- The [maintainers](#who-is-maintaining-jlu-gitlab) may delete a user account if its activities violate the [terms of use](TermsOfUse.md).

Below you find an [overview what data will also be deleted](#what-happens-to-my-data-when-my-account-is-deleted) when your account gets deleted.

### What happens when I leave JLU?

Once you leave the university (e.g. end of contract, exmatriculation), your [JLU account will become invalid](#what-happens-if-my-jlu-account-becomes-invalid) within a few weeks.
The [IT service centre](https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/svc/hrz) is responsible for this procedure; please contact them if you have any questions.

### What happens if my JLU account becomes invalid?

If your g-, s-, n-, or j- account becomes invalid, your account on JLU GitLab will automatically become blocked within 24 hours.
If your account is blocked, you will not be able to log into JLU GitLab.
After your account has been blocked for 6 months, it will be deleted (see below).

### What happens to my data when my account is deleted?

How much of your data will be deleted depends on how you have used JLU GitLab.
Your account data and personal projects will be deleted (including Git repositories).

If you contributed to projects by groups or other users, the connection to your account will be removed. But the contents will not be deleted and continue to be available to the remaining members.
Your commits in Git repositories by groups or other users (including wikis) will remain unchanged.

#### Deletion of abandoned groups and their projects

Once the last member of a group gets deleted, the group is considered abandoned, and all its associated projects will be deleted as well.

<!-- NOTE, JK: Commented out because it seemed too detailed, but may clarify reasoning.
#### More precise details
To explain in more detail, the following explanation relies on some [important concepts of Git and GitLab](Help.md#important-concepts).

Once your account is deleted, also all data from your user profile will be deleted, along with all your projects within your *namespace*.
Note that these projects will be deleted unconditionally, even if they have other project members.
You may want to take some [last steps](Help.md#last-steps) to avoid possible problems.

Data that you contributed to other projects (within namespaces of other users or groups) will not be deleted ([unless a group becomes abandoned](#deletion-of-abandoned-groups-and-their-projects)).
Instead, your contributions will be anonymized as much as is technically possible and acceptable for the remaining members.
This prevents trouble for the remaining members, whose work builds upon your own contributions.
For example, the content of your comments in issue trackers of other projects will remain visible, just without a link to your deleted account.
Instead, your comments will appear to be written by a *Ghost* account, which is a placeholder account to manage such anonymized data.

Another important exception are your Git *commits* in *repositories* of other projects: They will neither be deleted nor anonymized.
Instead, all information used to create the commit will remain as it were; it cannot be altered or deleted without causing disruption for the remaining members.
Also note that your commit data is probably not only saved on JLU GitLab but also on the devices of fellow members, because the Git commands *push* and *pull* can synchronize the entire repository across devices.
JLU GitLab will not (and neither can) delete data from other users' devices.
It is important to note that commits may include your real name and email address, depending on the settings of your own devices and JLU GitLab.
You can read the [settings concerning your private information](Help.md#settings-concerning-private-information) to set them up according to your preferences.
--> 

## URL migration of JLU GitLab

The URL of JLU GitLab was migrated from gitlab.**test**.uni-giessen.de to gitlab.**ub**.uni-giessen.de on 15 April 2021.
The old URL will still be usable, at least until 2022.
Browsers are being redirected to the new URL.

If you have a local *clone* of a Git repository on your device, you should adapt its *remote* URL, e.g. with the command line tool `git remote set-url`.

### Error-handling due to URL migration

Below is a list of possible problems due to the URL migration, and how to fix them.
If you encounter an issue that is not listed below, please let us know via an email to our internal mailing list at [gitlab-admin@lists.uni-giessen.de](mailto:gitlab-admin@lists.uni-giessen.de).

- **Access tokens**:
  In case you use access tokens, you have to adjust to the new URL in your Git configuration.
  This file is placed in your local project folder under `.git/config`.  
  Change the adress from `https://gitlab.test.uni-giessen.de` to `https://gitlab.ub.uni-giessen.de`.

## Who is maintaining JLU GitLab?

JLU GitLab is maintained by a team consisting of volunteers from the faculties and the [university library](https://www.uni-giessen.de/ub/en/), in accordance with the [Guidelines for the IT-system administration at the JLU Giessen (in German)](https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/mug/2/pdf/2_26_30_4).
We are working in consultation with the [JLU-internal IKM work group](https://www.uni-giessen.de/org/cio/cio/ikm-ag), and we exclusively use infrastructure of the [IT service centre](https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/svc/hrz) to run JLU GitLab.

We are always looking for more volunteers who want to join our efforts.
Feel free to contact us if you want to know more about our way of working and our decision process.

You can contact us in various ways, see the [contact information](#contact).

## Further goals of JLU GitLab

JLU GitLab is running as a productive service since 10 September 2024.
Before that, it was running as a test service to assess demands across JLU and to evaluate its features in a research context.
We believe that currently, Git and GitLab provide the best tools to manage the software for our research projects and to document them.
Only a locally installed, freely licensed platform like GitLab can ensure our long-term control over its implementation and administration.

## Future plans

As JLU GitLab is usable within the university, we have further plans to make it even more useful.
We would like to...

- ...enable collaboration with people outside of JLU,
- ...investigate the possibility to publish content with [GitLab Pages](https://docs.gitlab.com/ce/user/project/pages/),
- ...evaluate the addition instance-wide of runners for CI/CD.

## Contact

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 anything else, you can contact the [team of maintainers](#maintainers) at our internal mailing list at [gitlab-admin@lists.uni-giessen.de](mailto:gitlab-admin@lists.uni-giessen.de).

If you want to receive news about JLU GitLab, you can subscribe to the mailing list [gitlab-news@lists.uni-giessen.de](mailto:gitlab-news@lists.uni-giessen.de).
You can also follow the [protocols of the IKM work group](https://www.uni-giessen.de/org/cio/cio/ikm-ag) (only accessible internally, in German).