Validate GitLab Installation by Type and Distribution

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What's this issue all about? (Background and context)

There are large inconsistencies with the data around the number of active GitLab self-managed instances and what distribution they are running (i.e. CE or EE).

Different reports are showing wide variations of CE vs. EE installation. This is a critical data point to better understand the journey of our customers, and how easy it is to move from an open source user to a paying customer.

Examples of data sources

• https://app.periscopedata.com/app/gitlab/428908/GitLab-Downloads-by-Installation-Type

• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iAWhpGn6mfBrGFhF6vyn-rtm2uOlYGmqRJ7JSDWezT4/edit#gid=56839682 (Summary of the above data)

• https://version.gitlab.com/metrics

• #230554 (comment 384088859)

A google search for "Install GitLab" will always link to docs to install GitLab EE, never the docs to install GitLab CE. https://www.google.com/search?q=install+gitlab&oq=install+gitlab

Across all projects in gitlab-org and gitlab-com namespace, we have:

• 92 hard-coded links in the documentation for Installing EE (Core), spread throughout most of our projects
• 3 direct links for Installing CE, found in the following docs:
• https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/downgrade_ee_to_ce/#downgrade-to-ce
  • https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/redis/#standalone-redis-using-omnibus-gitlab
  • https://docs.gitlab.com/omnibus/update/#update-using-the-official-repositories

I think anyone today will find it challenging to organically find the instructions to install the GitLab CE package. Through digging around, they can be uncovered, but right now everything in Google and on our website points users to install GitLab EE, not CE.

URL	Pageviews	Unique Pageviews
about.gitlab.com/install/	432.000+	314,000+
about.gitlab.com/install/?version=ce	15,000+	12,000+

What hypotheses and/or assumptions do you have?

What questions are you trying to answer?

1. How many active self-managed instances exist?
2. What is the break down of distribution and installation type (i.e. Omnibus, Helm Chart, CE or EE, etc.)
3. What was the journey the user took to reach their current state? Did they start with Omnibus CE and move to Helm Chart EE?
4. Why did a user start with a specific distribution? Was it because of documentation, marketing material, or Google results that influenced this starting point?
5. Does the starting point impact the journey? Meaning, are users who start with CE less likely to end up on EE with a paid subscription?

What research methodology do you intend to use?

What persona, persona segment, or customer type experiences the problem most acutely?

What business decisions will be made based on this information?

What, if any, relevant prior research already exists?

Who will be leading the research?

What timescales do you have in mind for the research?

Relevant links (problem validation issue, design issue, script, prototype, notes, etc.)

@gitlab-org/growth/product-managers @gitlab-org/distribution