International Business Machines (IBM) Semeru Runtime

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:	IBM Semeru Runtimes use the class libraries from OpenJDK, along with the Eclipse OpenJ9 Java Virtual Machine to enable developers to build and deploy Java applications that will start quickly, deliver great performance, all while using less memory. With the launch of IBM Semeru Runtimes, IBM makes it easier than ever to develop and run Java applications more cost-effectively in hybrid cloud environments, from public cloud to data centers. Note: IBM Semeru Runtimes will be available in two editions with different licenses: the IBM Semeru Runtime Open Edition has an open source license (GPLv2+Classpath extension), whereas the IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition has an IBM license. This entry covers the both the Open Edition and Certified Edition. 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
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 v23.10
Decision Date:	10/26/2023 at 19:18:31 UTC
Aliases:	IBM SDK; IBM JDK; Java Development Kit (JDK) - IBM; IBM Semeru Runtime for z/OS
Introduced By:	Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO) TRM Team
Vendor Name:	International Business Machines (IBM)

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 Desupport Date
1.4.2	04/30/2002	09/30/2011
5	09/01/2006	09/30/2012
6	12/05/2007	11/30/2017
6SR8 (6u19)	03/30/2010
6SR9 (6u22)	10/12/2010
6SR9FP1 (6u24)	02/15/2011
6SR9FP2 (6u26)	06/07/2011
6SR10 (6u29)	10/18/2011
6SR10FP1 (6u31)	02/14/2012
6SR11(6u33)	06/12/2012
7SR2 (7u5,7u7)	06/12/2012
6SR12 (6u37)	10/16/2012
7SR3 (7u9)	10/16/2012
7SR1 (7u1,7u3)	02/14/2013
6SR13 (6u39,6u41)	02/19/2013
7SR4 (7u13,7u15)	02/19/2013
6SR13FP2 (6u45)	04/16/2013
7SR4FP2 (7u21)	04/16/2013
6SR14 (6u51)	06/18/2013
7SR5 (7u25)	06/18/2013
6SR15 (6u65)	10/15/2013
7SR6 (7u45)	10/15/2013
6SR15FP1 (6u71)	01/14/2014
7SR6FP1 (7u51)	01/14/2014
7R1SR2FP10	01/30/2015
8.x.x.x	02/11/2015
11.x
17.x

Current Decision Matrix (10/23/2023)

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

CY2021

CY2022

CY2023

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

5

Unapproved

6

Unapproved

7SR1 (7u1,7u3)

Unapproved

6SR15FP1 (6u71)

Unapproved

7SR6FP1 (7u51)

Unapproved

7R1SR2FP10

Divest
[3, 5, 6]

Unapproved

8.x.x.x

Approved w/Constraints
[3, 5, 6]

Divest
[7, 8, 9]

Divest
[7, 9, 10, 11]

11.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[7, 8, 9]

Divest
[7, 9, 10, 11]

17.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[7, 9, 10, 11]

Decision Constraints


[1]	IBM Java Development Kit (JDK) should be leveraged only on IBM platforms where the Sun JDK is not supported and should be limited to the compilation of Java applications for execution by the IBM JRE. The IBM JDK should only be deployed on development platforms and should not leverage IBM JDK specific libraries. Users must ensure that all patches and updates are applied in accordance with VA Handbook 6500 policy to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities involved, or additional mitigating controls must be documented in an approved System Security Plan (SSP).

[2]	A waiver from the Architecture and Engineering Review Board (AERB) is required for the use of version 6SR15FP1 (6u71) or earlier.

[3]	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.

[4]	A waiver from the Strategic Technology Alignment Team is required for the use of version 6SR15FP1 (6u71) or earlier.

[5]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Office (ISO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not approved and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[6]	A waiver is required for the use of version 7SR6FP1 (7u51) or earlier.

[7]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information System Security Officer (ISSO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not approved and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[8]	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 ISSO (Information System Security Officer) can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[9]	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 VA OIT Product Engineering team, please use their online form. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[10]	The Federal Information Processing standards (FIPS) 140-2 certification status of this technology was not able to be verified. This technology will require a 3rd party FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 certified solution for any data containing PHI/PII or VA sensitive information, where applicable. More information regarding the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) can be found on the NIST website.

[11]	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.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 17.0.8.1.1 is the most current version released.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
Vendor Provided*	Downloads page		This webpage outlines the downloads for the technology.
*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
Class Loader	The class loader component is responsible for supporting Java`s dynamic code loading facilities. The dynamic code loading facilities include: reading standard Java .class files, resolving class definitions in the context of the current runtime environment, verifying the bytecodes defined by the class file to determine whether the bytecodes are valid, initializing the class definition after it is accepted into the managed runtime environment, and various reflection application programming interfaces (APIs) for introspection on the class and its defined members.
Diagnostics	The diagnostics component provides Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) facilities to the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). This component includes trace and debug utilities to assist with problem determination. The diagnostics component can produce output selectively from various parts of the JVM and the Just in Time (JIT) compiler.
java (Java Interpreter)	The Java Interpreter runs programs that are written in the Java programming language.
Java Virtual Machine (JVM) Application Programming Interface (API)	The JVM API encapsulates all interactions between external programs and the JVM.
javac (Java Compiler)	The Java Compiler compiles programs that are written in the Java programming language into bytecodes (compiled Java code).
Memory Management	The memory management component is responsible for the efficient use of system memory by a Java application. When a Java program requires storage, the memory management component allocates a discrete region of unused memory to the application. After the application no longer refers to the storage, the memory management component reclaims the memory for subsequent reuse by the application or return it to the operating system.
Platform Port Layer	The platform port layer is an abstraction of the native platform functions that are required by the JVM. Other components of the JVM are written in terms of the platform-neutral platform port layer functions.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Application Technology Development Tools	Application Development Tools

Open Source

This entry is available as an open source technology.

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

macOS - Approved w/Constraints
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) - Approved w/Constraints
Solaris - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints
z/OS - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

No runtime dependencies have been identified.

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

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.
There is no licensing fee associated with this technology.
This technology is backed by an industry leading vendor.
This is a well-documented technology.

Adoption Risks

This technology is available as freeware. If commercial support is not purchased, the product will be without clearly defined support options which may result in suboptimal enterprise level support.
There is no indication based on available vendor documentation that this technology is Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant.
Due to the rapid release schedule of this technology, the VA may be unable to update to the most recent patch and may require a deployment model requiring the use of specific versions.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-approved operating systems.
This technology is compatible with virtual machines, therefore consistent with the enterprise Server Virtualize First Policy (VAIQ 7266972 08-27-2012).

Architectural Risks

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

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Current Decision Matrix (10/23/2023)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

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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 (10/23/2023)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Open Source

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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