Add Matrix spec
The Zuul project has agreed that it would like to move from OFTC to a native Matrix room. OpenDev can help facilitate that by providing some services that keep our communities together. This spec is a description of how we can proceed. Change-Id: I14233f8a35c470aa126dba2aa64d525fee30ed9a
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James E. Blair
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specs/deploy-ci-dashboard
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specs/jenkins-job-builder_2.0.0-api-changes
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specs/jitsi-meet
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specs/matrix
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specs/nodepool-drivers
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specs/puppet-module-functional-testing
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specs/refstack_dot_org
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293
specs/matrix.rst
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293
specs/matrix.rst
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::
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Copyright (c) 2021 Acme Gating, LLC
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
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Unported License.
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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode
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=======================
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Support Matrix for Chat
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=======================
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Storyboard: https://storyboard.openstack.org/#!/story/2009034
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We just switched IRC networks from Freenode to OFTC. This was done
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quickly because remaining on Freenode was untenable due to recent
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changes, and the OpenDev community had an existing plan prepared to
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move to OFTC should such a situation arise.
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Now that the immediate issue is addressed, the Zuul community has
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consulted both internally and externally and would like to host its
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community chat in Matrix.
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Problem Description
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===================
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Here are some concerns that affect us as a community:
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* Some users like to stay connected all the time so they can read
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messages from when they are away.
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* Others are only interested in connecting when they have something to
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say.
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* On Freenode, nick registration was required to join OpenDev related
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channels in order to mitigate spam. Currently that is not the case
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with OFTC, but we can't guarantee that will hold.
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* Some users prefer simple text-based clients.
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* Others prefer rich messaging and browser or mobile clients.
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* Projects rely on the OpenDev bots: gerritbot, meetbot, eavesdrop,
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and statusbot.
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* OpenDev projects collaborate with each other in various OFTC
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channels. They also collaborate with folks in other communities in
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libera.chat channels.
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* Users must be able to access our chat using Free and Open-Source
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Software.
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* The software running the chat system itself should be Free and
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Open-Source as well if possible. Both of these are natural
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extensions of the Open Infrastructure community's Four Opens, as
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well as OpenDev's mantra that Free Software needs Free Tools.
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Benefits Offered by Matrix
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--------------------------
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* The Matrix architecture associates a user with a "homeserver", and
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that homeserver is responsible for storing messages in all of the
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rooms the user is present. This means that every Matrix user has
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the ability to access messages received while their client is
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disconnected. Users don't need to set up separate "bouncers".
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* Authentication happens with the Matrix client and homeserver, rather
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than through a separate nickserv registration system. This process
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is familiar to all users of web services, so should reduce barriers
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to access for new users.
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* Matrix has a wide variety of clients available, including the
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Element web/desktop/mobile clients, as well as the weechat-matrix
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plugin. This addresses users of simple text clients and rich media.
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* Bots are relatively simple to implement with Matrix.
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* The Matrix community is dedicated to interoperability. That drives
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their commitment to open standards, open source software, federation
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using Matrix itself, and bridging to other communities which
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themselves operate under open standards. That aligns very well with
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our four-opens philosophy, and leads directly to the next point:
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* Bridges exist to OFTC, libera.chat, and, at least for the moment,
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Freenode. That means that any of our users who have invested in
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establishing a presence in Matrix can relatively easily interact
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with communities who call those other networks home.
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* End-to-end encrypted channels for private chats. While clearly the
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public channels are our main concern, and they will be public and
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unencrypted, the ability for our community members to have ad-hoc
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chats about sensitive matters (such as questions which may relate to
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security) is a benefit. If Matrix becomes more widely used such
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that employees of companies feel secure having private chats in the
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same platform as our public community interactions, we all benefit
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from the increased availability and accessibility of people who no
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longer need to split their attention between multiple platforms.
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* The `Spaces <https://element.io/blog/spaces-the-next-frontier/>`_
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feature allows for easier discovery of available channels for a
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given community (see
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Reasons to Move
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---------------
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Projects could continue to call their channels on OFTC home, and
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individual users could still use Matrix on their own to obtain most of
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those benefits by joining the portal room on the OFTC matrix.org
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bridge. Some reasons to move to a native Matrix room are:
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* Eliminate a potential failure point. If many/most of us are
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connected via Matrix and the bridge, then either a Matrix or an OFTC
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outage would affect us.
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* Eliminate a source of spam. Spammers find IRC networks very easy to
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attack. Matrix is not immune to this, but it is more difficult.
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* Isolate ourselves from OFTC-related technology or policy changes.
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For example, if we find we need to require registration to speak in
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channel, that would take us back to the state where we have to teach
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new users about nick registration.
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* Elevating the baseline level of functionality expected from our chat
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platform. By saying that our home is Matrix, we communicate to
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users that the additional functionality offered by the platform is
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an expected norm. Rather than tailoring our interactions to the
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lowest-common-denominator of IRC, we indicate that the additional
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features available in Matrix are welcomed.
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* Provide a consistent and unconfusing message for new users. Rather
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than saying "we're on OFTC, use Matrix to talk to us for a better
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experience", we can say simply "use Matrix".
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* Lead by example. Because of the recent fragmentation in the Free
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and Open-Source software communities, Matrix is a natural way to
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frictionlessly participate in a multitude of communities. Let's
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show people how that can work.
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Alternatives
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------------
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All of the work to move to OFTC has been done, and for the moment at
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least, the OFTC matrix.org bridge is functioning well. OpenDev could
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decide not to support the Zuul project in their effort to move to
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Matrix.
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OpenDev could also offer limited support by operating bots, but
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without operating a homeserver.
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Implementation
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==============
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Assignee(s)
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-----------
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* Clark Boylan (Sign up for Element.io service on behalf of Foundation)
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* Tristan Cacqueray (Matrix gerritbot replacement)
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* TBD (statusbot replacement/update; corvus is fallback)
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* TBD (eavesdrop replacement/update; corvus is fallback)
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* TBD (meetbot replacement/update)
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Gerrit Topic
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------------
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Use the gerrit topic ``matrix`` for changes related to this spec.
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Work Items
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----------
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To support projects that want to use Matrix, OpenDev would do the
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following:
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* Create a homeserver to host our room and bots. Technically, this is
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not necessary, but having a homeserver allows us more control over
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the branding, policy, and technology of our room. It means we are
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isolated from policy decisions by the admins of matrix.org, and it
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fully utilizes the federated nature of the technology.
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The Foundation will subscribe to a hosted server run by Element.
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With Element taking care of maintenance and upgrades, the OpenDev
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sysadmins have one less potential risk.
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At this stage, we would not host any user accounts on the
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homeserver; it would only be used for hosting rooms and bot/admin
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accounts.
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The homeserver will be for `opendev.org`; so for example, a room for
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Zuul would be `#zuul:opendev.org`, and we might expect bot accounts
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like `@gerrit:opendev.org`.
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* Ensure that the OpenDev service bots support matrix. Zuul makes use
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of gerritbot, statusbot, and an eavesdrop service, so with only
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those implemented, it would be sufficient for the Zuul project to
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move. A meeting bot could be implemented later for other projects
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to move.
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Note that any bot that can operate over the Matrix protocol can
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participate in Matrix or any IRC network, so OpenDev can support
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projects using Matrix and projects which remain on IRC with the same
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technology by implementing them using Matrix.
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* Once the homeserver exists, we should create rooms. A declarative
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git-driven process would be nice, or if we expect only one or a
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small number of rooms, we could have an admin account manually
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create them to start.
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* Create instructions to tell users how to use Matrix. These have
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already been `created`_ for the Zuul project. Zuul currently
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recommends users join the #zuul OFTC channel via the Matrix bridge,
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so these instructions only need to be updated to change the name of
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the room.
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* Announce the move, and retire the OFTC channel.
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.. _created:
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https://review.opendev.org/796153
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Potential Future Enhancements
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-----------------------------
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Once the OpenDev single-sign-on system is complete, It would be
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possible for OpenDev and/or the Foundation to add a second homeserver
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for the purpose of hosting end-user accounts. This might be more
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comfortable for new users who are joining Matrix at the behest of our
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community. But it also opens questions about identity and usage (the
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same questions we would have to answer, for example, if we provided
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email addresses to project participants), so much further discussion
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would be needed if this was desired.
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It is possible for OpenDev and/or the Foundation to run multiple
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homeservers in multiple locations in order to aid users who may live
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in jurisdictions with policy or technical requirements that prohibit
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their accessing the matrix.org homeserver.
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Because Matrix can interoperate with other messaging systems, it would
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be possible for OpenDev to use its homeserver to host portal rooms to
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other communities using other software (with their permission). For
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example, OpenDev could host a bridge to k8s slack, making it simpler
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for contributors to communicate with both projects.
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All of these, if they come to pass, would be significantly in the
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future but they do illustrate some of the additional flexibility our
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communities could obtain by using Matrix.
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Repositories
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------------
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If OpenDev runs a homeserver, it will be configured in system-config.
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We may need to modify or write new bots, so gerritbot at least may be
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affected. We may need new repos for new bots if we write them.
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Servers
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-------
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We may run a homeserver; if so, we can probably run it on a 4GB VM to
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start.
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DNS Entries
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-----------
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If we run a homeserver, it will require DNS entries.
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Regardless of whether we run one or use an Element-hosted homeserver,
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we will place a file in the .well-known/ directory on opendev.org to
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delegate "opendev.org" to the homeserver so that Matrix addresses
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ending with ":opendev.org" are routed there. No DNS entries are
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required for this.
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Documentation
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-------------
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New user documentation has already been written for Zuul, we can copy
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that to the infra-manual.
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Security
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--------
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In every respect, Matrix is more secure than IRC. If we run a
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homeserver ourselves we will be responsible for keeping it up to date,
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which is not a responsibility we currently have with IRC.
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Testing
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-------
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Testing for our bots can be considerably more authentic since we can
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dynamically spin up a Matrix server in a gate test job.
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Dependencies
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============
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None.
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