The goal of GitHub is to do almost everything possible for developers such as hosting code, managing tasks, authentication, and finally providing a space to test, analyze, and host and display production results. The code repository has been a mainstay of much of the open source movement and recently GitHub announced version 2.0 of GitHub Enterprise.

The new version contains a number of features to make the code repository more business friendly.

The latest features include an Ubuntu 12.04 LTS offering that takes advantage of long-term updates and security fixes for the base components provided by Ubuntu. Also included are Online backup utilities to back up and restore data; a service that also permits developers to redundantly configure a second, identical instance.

AWS support

The major update for the GitHub Enterprise is support for deploying Amazon Web Services public cloud, high availability and disaster recovery options, which provides better support for LDAP and SAML, and updates to code review and project management. The Enterprise version also differs from the standard edition in that enterprise users will have their code and services hosted on private infrastructure.

By working with Amazon, GitHub allows developers to host software directly on AWS so they can completely focus on the development of the software without worrying about pesky hosting configuration. GitHub Enterprise chose AWS as an accessible and scalable deployment option.

“Since GitHub Enterprise launched in 2011, AWS’s popularity has grown. Many companies want to host code in their AWS-powered cloud and with good reason. Using AWS reduces hardware costs, provides immediate access to a highly scalable infrastructure, and addresses a wide variety of compliance standards, from healthcare’s HIPAA standards to government’s FedRAMP. And now you can run GitHub Enterprise on AWS too!,” GitHub said in the official post.

GitHub Enterprise includes premium offerings for operating proprietary and not publicly viewable software development as well as a version of their software for local installation. The company has rewritten the infrastructure behind GitHub Enterprise to improve stability and redundancy.

The other changes include the ability to run GitHub Enterprise on .ami Images (Amazon Machine Images) in the AWS public cloud, which means that it can be deployed in the public cloud while still retaining an element of control lacking from the original GitHub.

Last month, GitHub has started with the “Student Developer Pack” a free program for students, research assistants and professors. The program provides a set of 14 developer tools that gives students credits or free access to services, including payments platform Stripe, domain registrar Namecheap, and GitHub. The idea is to help students get access to real-world tools, real-world experience to learn how to think programmatically and algorithmically and how to apply computing power to what they want to accomplish.

Supported LDAP servers now include Active Directory, Oracle Directory Server Enterprise Edition, FreeIPA, Open Directory, OpenLDAP and 389 Directory Server. GitHub support for SAML 2.0 authentication works with OneLogin, PingIdentity, Okta and Shibboleth. The authentication process can help administrator to set up the instance and then share the password with the others on the team.

GitHub Enterprise is available at $5,000 per 20 users/year. A free 45-day trial is also available.