Use this document to find answers to frequently asked questions related to UChicago GitHub Enterprise.
Git is a free and open-source distributed version control system designed to manage source code history.
GitHub is a web-based hosting service that offers the distributed version control and source code management functionality of Git. It includes features such as access control, bug tracking, task management, continuous integration, and wikis.
GitHub Enterprise provides GitHub's features at a larger scale, with built-in CI/CD, added security like SAML, seamless collaboration, and enhanced stability offering 99.95% uptime service-level agreement, and a dedicated support team from GitHub.
No. In addition to version control, GitHub can be used for multiple other purposes. For example, team management, file sharing, project management, file sharing, application integration, host discussions, and more. You can visit the GitHub FAQ to learn more about GitHub's use and functionality.
UChicago GitHub Enterprise is currently available to faculty and staff who may also invite others to join their organization.
GitHub Enterprise allows you to:
You can access University's instance of GitHub Enterprise at github.com/enterprises/uchicago. You will need your CNetID and password to log in and two-factor authentication is required.
Tip: You need to have a GitHub account before you can request a GitHub Enterprise organization at UChicago, or join an existing one. You can set up a GitHub account at https://github.com/join, or click on New to GitHub? Create an account while on the UChicago GitHub Enterprise login page.
Sign up at GitHub with your UChicago email address (i.e.,CNetID@uchicago.edu) with a password of your choice.
If you already have a GitHub account and want to use GitHub Enterprise at the University, add your UChicago email address (i.e., cnetid@uchicago.edu) to your account settings.
Faculty and staff can request a new organization through this request form. IT Services will create an organization on your behalf, then invite you to join it as the owner. Make sure that you have an active GitHub account associated with your UChicago email address (i.e. CNetID@uchicago.edu) before contacting IT Services.
If you don't have a GitHub account created, go to GitHub to set up an account. You will also have to set up two-factor authentication (2FA) for your GitHub account.
Access to existing repositories and organizations is by invitation only. Work with the organization owner to get you set up. Only organization owners are authorized to invite others to join. Note: IT Services neither provides information about nor invites people to join already owned organizations.
You can learn how to migrate your repository by reading GitHub's documentation on Source Code Migration Tools. This document addresses how to migrate from Subversion, Mercurial, Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC), and other Git repositories. If you are Migrating from Concurrent Versions System (CVS), you may find this documentation helpful:
Your private repositories will remain unaffected by the UChicago license agreement. Only private repositories linked to the "The University of Chicago" GitHub license agreement are free for University members to use.
It is up to the individual to end any existing contracts with GitHub, at which point users are welcome to migrate code into free private repositories under the UChicago license agreement.
Per established IT Services account closure procedures, membership to the UChicago GitHub Enterprise will be revoked by the withdrawal of the right to use a UChicago email address. Should you wish to continue collaborating on a private repository under a UChicago organization, you can be invited to rejoin as an external collaborator.
Data will remain until it is manually purged by IT Services if access to it was granted to another individual. By default, when an organization is created, the system administrator for GitHub will be assigned as an owner.
Tip: You should invite another GitHub user to manage your user-owned repositories if you leave the University to avoid orphaned organizations. For more information on the topic, please search for "successor" at https://docs.github.com.
Yes, you can invite external collaborators to access your organization and repositories. All you need is their GitHub GitHub username to send an invite to join your organization or repository.
Please refer to the following articles on storage:
Following the Data Classification Guide under the IT Policies, internal data may be uploaded with diligent security and privacy protection. Public information may be published and shared freely.
Yes, GitHub Actions are enabled by default for all organizations.
Yes, GitHub Packages is available for GitHub Enterprise Cloud.
Organizations should be named as uchicago-<department | group>-<team>. Note: IT Services reserves the right to assign or rename an organization if the name conflicts with names used by IT Services or other University entities.
Many good GUI clients can be found at https://git-scm.com/downloads/guis.
If you are not a faculty member or staff, you can be invited to join as an external collaborator through the owner of an existing organization. Please contact the owner for an invite.
Please refer to the New Information Technologies and Intellectual Properties and the section Ownership of Intellectual Property for guidance.
According to Software-Carpentry.org: "When working with a GitHub repository, you'll often need to identify yourself to GitHub using your username and password. An SSH key is an alternate way to identify yourself that doesn't require you to enter your username and password every time."
Yes, two-factor authentication (2FA) is required to log in to UChicago GitHub Enterprise.
IT Services is available to help with getting UChicago GitHub Enterprise organizations set up. For in-depth support, search the GitHub Docs, ask the GitHub Support Community, or contact GitHub Support.