Symantec Directory

General Information

Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

Website:	Go to site
Description:	CA Directory and Layer 7 is now Symantec Directory from Broadcom which is a directory server that provides a standards-based distribution and replication model. It is based on the X500 directory standards which supports LDAP v2 and v3 Internet Protocol Standards. It is an information management service that provides a consistent way to name, describe, locate, access, manage and secure information about people, resources, and systems. The users of the directory can read and modify information based on their assigned levels of permissions. Symantec Directory is formerly known as Layery7 Directory and CA Directory. The TRM decisions in this entry only apply to technologies and versions owned, operated, managed, patched, and version-controlled by VA. This includes technologies deployed as software installations on VMs within VA-controlled cloud environments (e.g., VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC)). Cloud services provided by the VAEC, which are listed in the VAEC Service Catalog, and those controlled and managed by an external Cloud Service Provider (i.e., SaaS) are not in the purview of the TRM. For more information on the use of cloud services and cloud-based products within VA, including VA private clouds, please see the Enterprise Cloud Solutions Office (ECSO) Portal at: https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/OITECSO The product has been evaluated and is a component of the VA enterprise Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution currently in place. Questions regarding the use of this technology or integration with the current strategy may be directed to the IAM team mail group `IAM PMO`.
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements:	Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information:	This technology has not been assessed by the Section 508 Office. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v23.12
Decision Date:	12/22/2023 at 20:35:42 UTC
Aliases:	Directory service; CA Directory; Layer 7
Introduced By:
Vendor Name:	Broadcom

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

Version	Release Date	Vendor End of Life Date
12.0 SP11	12/04/2012	01/31/2018
12.0 SP12	07/16/2013	01/31/2018
12.0 SP13	12/23/2013	01/31/2018
12.0 SP14	07/18/2014	01/31/2018
12.0 SP15	09/23/2015	02/01/2019
12.0 SP16	08/31/2015	02/01/2019
12.0 SP17	11/26/2015	02/01/2019
12.0 SP18	06/01/2016	02/01/2019
12.5.x	10/13/2016	12/01/2019
12.6.x	07/01/2017	07/01/2020
14.x	04/28/2018	01/01/2022

Current Decision Matrix (12/11/2023)

Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

The VA Decision Matrix displays the current and future VA IT position regarding different releases of a TRM entry. These decisions are based upon the best information available as of the most current date. The consumer of this information has the responsibility to consult the organizations responsible for the desktop, testing, and/or production environments to ensure that the target version of the technology will be supported. Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered unapproved for use.

Legend:

White	Approved: The technology/standard has been approved for use.
Yellow	Approved w/Constraints: The technology/standard can be used within the specified constraints located below the decision matrix in the footnote[1] and on the General tab.
Gray	Unapproved: This technology or standard can be used only if a POA&M review is conducted and signed by the Authorizing Official Designated Representative (AODR) as designated by the Authorizing Official (AO) or designee and based upon a recommendation from the POA&M Compliance Enforcement, has been granted to the project team or organization that wishes to use the technology.
Orange	Divest: VA has decided to divest itself on the use of the technology/standard. As a result, all projects currently utilizing the technology/standard must plan to eliminate their use of the technology/standard. Additional information on when the entry is projected to become unapproved may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Prohibited: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Planning/Evaluation Constraint:The period of time this technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population. If a customer would like to use this technology, please work with your local or Regional OI&T office and contact the appropriate evaluation office displayed in the notes below the decision matrix. The Local or Regional OI&T office should submit an inquiry to the TRM if they require further assistance or if the evaluating office is not listed in the notes below.

Release/Version Information:

VA decisions for specific versions may include a ‘.x’ wildcard, which denotes a decision that pertains to a range of multiple versions.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 7.x would cover any version of 7.(Anything) - 7.(Anything). However, a 7.4.x decision would cover any version of 7.4.(Anything), but would not cover any version of 7.5.x or 7.6.x on the TRM.

VA decisions for specific versions may include ‘+’ symbols; which denotes that the decision for the version specified also includes versions greater than what is specified but is not to exceed or affect previous decimal places.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 12.6.4+ would cover any version that is greater than 12.6.4, but would not exceed the .6 decimal ie: 12.6.401 is ok, 12.6.5 is ok, 12.6.9 is ok, however 12.7.0 or 13.0 is not.

<Past

CY2019

CY2020

CY2021

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

12.0 SP11

Unapproved

12.0 SP12

Unapproved

12.0 SP13

Unapproved

12.0 SP14

Unapproved

12.0 SP17

Unapproved

12.0 SP18

Unapproved

12.5.x

Divest
[10, 12, 13]

Unapproved

12.6.x

Divest
[10, 12, 13]

Divest
[10, 13, 14]

Unapproved

14.x

Approved w/Constraints
[10, 12, 13]

Approved w/Constraints
[10, 13, 14]

Approved w/Constraints
[15, 16, 17, 18]

Approved w/Constraints
[15, 16, 17, 19]

Decision Constraints


[1]	Users must ensure the underlying infrastructure that supports the product`s admin tools DXmanager and DXadmind is operated in FIPS mode and CA Directory servers must adhere to VA Baseline hardening standards.

[2]	As of April 23, 2015, per the Deputy CIO of Architecture, Strategy and Design (ASD), all technologies in use by the VA require an assessment by the VA Section 508 office. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 is a federal law that sets the guidelines for technology accessibility. A VA Section 508 assessment of this technology has not been completed at the time of publication. Therefore, as of April 23, 2015 only users of this technology who have deployed the technology to the production environment, or have project design and implementation plans approved, may continue to operate this technology. In the case of a project that has implemented, or been approved for a specific site or number of users, and that project needs to expand operations to other sites or to an increased user base, it may do so as long as the project stays on the existing version of the technology that was approved or implemented as of April 22, 2015. Use of this technology in all other cases is prohibited.

[3]	Users must ensure the underlying infrastructure that supports the product`s admin tools DXmanager and DXadmind is operated in FIPS mode and CA Directory servers must adhere to VA Baseline hardening standards. Telnet should be disabled in development and in production environment.

[4]	Due to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified security vulnerabilities, extra vigilance should be applied to ensure the versions remain properly patched to mitigate known and future vulnerabilities. The local ISO can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[5]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based versions of this product are not permitted without a waiver signed by the Deputy CIO of ASD based upon a recommendation from the Architecture and Engineering Review Board (AERB). In addition, cloud based features of this software may not be used without an Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) approval to ensure that confidential organization and/or PII/PHI data are not compromised (ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517 and VA Directive 6513). Use of public cloud storage requires documented Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) compliance and a Memorandum of Understanding / Interconnection Security Agreement (MOU/ISA) between the vendor and VA prior to ESCCB review.

[6]	Enterprise Security Solutions Services (ESSS) conducted a pre-assessment and security requirements verification of CA Directory. It is advised that if this product is used within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that the following constraints be applied: Must ensure the underlying infrastructure that supports DXmanager and DXadmind is operated in Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) mode. Extra care should be taken when accessing DXmanager using Internet Explorer 7 to ensure that the user logs out of the session and closes the browser completely rather than just closing the tab that the session was open in. CA Directory servers must adhere to hardening standards located in the VA Baseline Configuration Management website. System administrators who support and maintain the directory services must utilize passwords that meet the VA minimum requirements defined in control IA-5: Authenticator Management in VA Handbook 6500. Telnet must be disabled in development and in production environment. Must ensure ESE`s current Application Standards Baseline version of Java is used with CA Directory.

[7]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based technologies may not be used without an Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) approval. This body is in part responsible for ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[8]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[9]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based technologies may not be used without the approval of the VA Enterprise Cloud Services (ECS) Group. This body is in part responsible for ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[10]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[11]	Security Engineering Solution Delivery Information Technology Operations and Services (ITOPS) conducted a pre-assessment and security requirements verification of CA Directory. It is advised that if this product is used within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that the following constraints be applied: Must ensure the underlying infrastructure that supports DXmanager and DXadmind is operated in Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) mode. Extra care should be taken when accessing DXmanager using Internet Explorer 7 to ensure that the user logs out of the session and closes the browser completely rather than just closing the tab that the session was open in. CA Directory servers must adhere to hardening standards located in the VA Baseline Configuration Management website. System administrators who support and maintain the directory services must utilize passwords that meet the VA minimum requirements defined in control IA-5: Authenticator Management in VA Handbook 6500. Telnet must be disabled in development and in production environment. Must ensure ESE`s current Application Standards Baseline version of Java is used with CA Directory.

[12]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based technologies may not be used without the approval of the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO). This body is in part responsible for ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[13]	Security Engineering Solution Delivery Information Technology Operations and Services (ITOPS) conducted a pre-assessment and security requirements verification of CA Directory. It is advised that if this product is used within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that the following constraints be applied: Must ensure the underlying infrastructure that supports DXmanager and DXadmind is operated in Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) mode. Extra care should be taken when accessing DXmanager using Internet Explorer to ensure that the user logs out of the session and closes the browser completely rather than just closing the tab that the session was open in. CA Directory servers must adhere to hardening standards located in the VA Baseline Configuration Management website. System administrators who support and maintain the directory services must utilize passwords that meet the VA minimum requirements defined in control IA-5: Authenticator Management in VA Handbook 6500. Telnet must be disabled in development and in production environment. Must ensure ESE`s current Application Standards Baseline version of Java is used with CA Directory.

[14]	Due to potential information security risks for cloud-based technologies, users should coordinate closely with their facility ISSO for guidance and assistance on cloud products. If further guidance is needed contact the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO), which is the body responsible for new software development in and migration of existing systems to the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) and ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised within the VAEC. For information about Software as a Service (SaaS) products or to submit a SaaS product request with the Project Special Forces (SPF) team, please use their online form. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[15]	Per the Initial Product Review: Symantec Directory will require a 3rd party FIPS 140-2 certified solution for any data containing PHI/PII or VA sensitive information. Telnet should be disabled in development and production environments. As of this writing, JXplorer version 3.3.1.2 is APPROVED on the VA Technical Reference Model (TRM) v21.2. Users should check the TRM before downloading and installing this software to ensure that it is still in an APPROVED status. Symantec Directory should only be deployed on operating systems that are approved on the VA TRM. In addition, those servers must adhere to hardening standards located in the VA Baseline Configuration Management website. System administrators who support and maintain the directory services must utilize passwords that meet the VA minimum requirements defined in control IA-5: Authenticator Management in VA Handbook 6500.

[16]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[17]	Technology must remain patched and operated in accordance with Federal and Department security policies and guidelines in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities.

[18]	Due to potential information security risks for cloud-based technologies, users should coordinate closely with their facility ISSO for guidance and assistance on cloud products. If further guidance is needed contact the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO), which is the body responsible for new software development in and migration of existing systems to the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) and ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised within the VAEC. For information about Software as a Service (SaaS) products or to submit a SaaS product request with the Project Special Forces (SPF) team, please use their online form. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[19]	Due to potential information security risks for cloud-based technologies, users should coordinate closely with their facility ISSO for guidance and assistance on cloud products. If further guidance is needed contact the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO), which is the body responsible for new software development in and migration of existing systems to the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) and ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised within the VAEC. For information about Software as a Service (SaaS) products or to submit a SaaS product request with the Project Special Forces (PSF) team, please use their online form. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

Note:

At the time of writing version 14.1 SP5 is the latest. Released 10/17/2023

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
Vendor Provided*	Symantec Directory Release Notes		This document provides the release notes and features of Symantec Directory version 14.1.
*NOTE: Vendor provided information is subject to the accuracy of the manufacturer.

Technology Components

Note: This list may not be complete. No component, listed or unlisted, may be used outside of the technology in which it is released. The usage decision for a component is found in the Decision and Decision Constraints.
Name	Description
Directory Manager	Directory Manager is a web application that lets users can monitor, configure, and control Directory Server Agents (DSAs).
Directory Samples	The samples contain different DSA configurations and show different methods of populating a directory.
DXserver	DXserver is the central component of Symantec Directory. Each DSA uses a DXserver process. Users can run many DSAs on one computer, but they need to install DXserver only once on each computer.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Security Identity and Access Management	Identity Management

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - Oracle

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This is a well-documented technology.
The technology supports strong authentication, Hardware Security Modules (HSM), password policies, rule-based and role-based access controls.
The solution may reduces latency and improve user experience as System Directory applies X.500 and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) standards to provide a distributed directory service.
At the time of writing, no National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) vulnerabilities had been reported and no VA Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) bulletins had been issued for the latest versions of this technology.
The technology supports a number of industry standard file formats.

Adoption Risks

Other approved solutions that provide similar functionality are available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
The technology requires the purchase of licenses from vendor, which could potentially lead to vendor lock-in.
The potential exists to store Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or VA Sensitive data and proper security standards must be followed in these cases.
According to vendor documentation, the DXconsole component is accessible through TELNET. TELNET is considered a non-secure networking protocol.
Symantec Directory provides failover and failback through automatic recovery and resynchronization.
Symantec Directory is not Federal Information Processing standards (FIPS) 140-2 (or its successor) certified.
This technology can potentially use TELNET, an unapproved technology.
JXplorer version 3.3.1.2 is a prerequisite for the installation of Symantec Directory. According to vendor documentation it is no longer included in the Symantec Directory ISO and must be downloaded and installed separately.
Symantec Directory is supported on many different flavors of Linux 7 and up, as well as Windows Server 2016, 2019, and 2022. Some of the supported Linux versions (SUSE and Ubuntu) are currently UNAPPROVED on the VA Technical Reference Model (TRM), while others (Oracle Linux, CentOS, and RHEL) are only approved for certain versions.

Architectural Benefits

The technology is portable as it runs on multiple VA approved platforms.

Architectural Risks

This product includes cloud-based functionality which has potential information security risks.

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References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

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Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

Architectural Risks

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Current Decision Matrix (12/11/2023)

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References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

Architectural Risks

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