Launch of the Matrix service

After the replacement of RocketChat with Matrix was announced and prepared in the last weeks and months, the Matrix service is now available for all GWDG customers.
Comprehensive information on how to use Matrix can be found at https://docs.chat.academiccloud.de/.

Why Matrix?

The goal of the transition was to continue offering a central, simple, widely accessible, and modern communication tool. Matrix offers various advantages in this regard. For example, the use of a federated protocol now makes it possible to join rooms of external Matrix servers outside the GWDG and thus to get in touch directly with scientists from other institutions. In addition, advanced data protection is provided by end-to-end encryption in 1:1 conversations and, if desired, in group rooms.

Another advantage of Matrix is the use of Spaces. The GWDG is taking advantage of the possibility of Spaces to restructure its communication channels. For this purpose, a public Space “GWDG Dienste” has been introduced, in which rooms for the various services are collected. These rooms correspond to the former “<Dienst>-support” channels from Rocket.Chat and are used for mutual exchange when questions arise regarding the use of the services, so to speak from user to
user.

Using Matrix

Various clients can be used for the Matrix service, but it is recommended to use “Element” because this client is available for all common operating systems and as a web application, and offers the highest range of functions.

Depending on the affiliation to the various institutions, the home servers
of the Matrix service are as follows:
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft matrixchat.mpg.de
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen chat.uni-goettingen.de
Universitätsmedizin Göttingen chat.umg.eu
GWDG matrix.gwdg.de
Academic Cloud chat.academiccloud.de

After the respective address has been accessed or specified as the home server in the downloaded client, the login to Matrix takes place via Single Sign-On.
Important: For UMG users, a few questions regarding the secure use of the service at the UMG still need to be clarified. UMG users should wait for approval by the UMG. However, registration is already possible for technical reasons.

Sending and Receiving Files via Matrix

The same responsibilities and precautions apply to sending and receiving files as apply to using email as a transport medium:

• Am I allowed to send this file to the intended recipient?
• Is the sender and the transmitted file, including the accompanying text, trustworthy?

Continued use of RocketChat

Although Matrix is now available for all users, RocketChat will continue to be usable for the time being. As far as technically possible, a window of several weeks will be provided for everyone to migrate channels.

Channels that have already been migrated will become “read-only” so that no more messages can be written, except by the channel owner. Before migrating, you should make sure that further communication for the affected persons in these channels is possible in Matrix. In addition, Rocket.Chat’s online status display and push notifications to mobile clients will become unreliable or stop working at a later date.

Channel owners can transfer teams, channels and discussions from Rocket.Chat to Matrix via the migration bot https://migrate.chat.gwdg.de/.
All Rocket.Chat rooms are listed on the migration bot website under the owner account.

Further information about the new Matrix service can be found at: https://docs.chat.academiccloud.de/index.html,
as well as in the article about Matrix in the GWDG-Nachrichten 09-10|24: https://gwdg.de/about-us/gwdg-news/2024/GN_09-10-2024_www.pdf