Perforce Helix Core

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:	Perforce Helix Core (also known as Perforce) is a software configuration management system. Perforce manages revision control using a client/server model, a proprietary database, and offers several different styles of clients such as a command line client, a graphical user interface (GUI), and a web client. Please Note: The product has been renamed from Perforce to P4, then to Helix. Note: With the inception of the Veteran-focused Integration Process mandates, Rational Team Concert is the approved technology for OI&T VIP IT initiatives for software configuration management. Perforce Helix Core (also know as Perforce) may continue to be mounted as a READ-ONLY repository for archival purposes only as a reflection of past software deliveries. It must remain fully patched until such time as the archive can be dismounted by the development team as no longer necessary. The product CAN NOT be used for continuing or new software development or deliveries.
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 v23.2
Decision Date:	02/02/2023 at 18:46:55 UTC
Aliases:	Perforce; Helix Core Server (P4D)
Introduced By:	Enterprise Tools Management
Vendor Name:	Perforce Software

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	Vendor Desupport Date
101.x.x
2018.x
2020.x
2022.x

Current Decision Matrix (02/01/2023)

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

CY2022

CY2023

CY2024

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

101.x.x

Unapproved

2018.x

Unapproved

2020.x

Unapproved

2022.x

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	Perforce may continue to be mounted as a READ-ONLY repository for archival purposes only as a reflection of past software deliveries. It must remain fully patched until such time as the archive can be dismounted by the development team as no longer necessary. The product CAN NOT be used for continuing or new software development or deliveries.

[2]	This product is no longer approved for information technology (IT) projects that are or will be mandated to follow standardized processes and tools governing IT activity critical to VA`s implementation of the Veteran-focused Integration Process (VIP).

[3]	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.

[4]	Perforce Helix Core (also know as Perforce) may continue to be mounted as a READ-ONLY repository for archival purposes only as a reflection of past software deliveries. It must remain fully patched until such time as the archive can be dismounted by the development team as no longer necessary. The product CAN NOT be used for continuing or new software development or deliveries. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period.

[5]	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.

[6]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the hard drive where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information Security Officer (ISO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP).

[7]	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.

[8]	Perforce Helix Core (also know as Perforce) may continue to be mounted as a READ-ONLY repository for archival purposes only as a reflection of past software deliveries. It must remain fully patched until such time as the archive can be dismounted by the development team as no longer necessary. The product CAN NOT be used for continuing or new software development or deliveries. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period.

[9]	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.

[10]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the hard drive where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information Security Officer (ISO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP).

Note:

At the time of writing, version 2022.2 is the most current version released.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Description
Vendor Provided*	Documentation	This webpage outlines the technical documentation for the technology.
Vendor Provided*	Release Notes	This webpage outlines the release notes 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
Perforce Client	Perforce provides a variety of client applications for end users, including standalone clients, plug-ins, and application programming interfaces (APIs). The clients include Perforce Visual (P4V), Perforce Administrative (P4Admin), and the Perforce (P4) command line client. APIs such as P4Java, P4Python, and P4Perl, help users create applications that interact with Perforce. Clients connect to the Perforce server over Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).
Perforce Server	In the Perforce client/server model, the server controls all access to the versioned files, while maintaining revision history and other system metadata.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Application Technology Development Tools	Software Change and Configuration Management Tools

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

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

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

No runtime dependencies have been identified.

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This technology may improve productivity for specific staff whose responsibilities include coding and development.
This technology has a comprehensive set of documentation.
There are minimal other TRM-approved technologies that provide the same functionality.
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.

Adoption Risks

System scans indicate that this technology is no longer in use within the VA network.
This technology can integrate with and alter database technologies.
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.
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.
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.
External authorization and authentication integration with Perforce is implemented at the command level. Some Perforce commands do not integrate with external user authentication systems such as Active Directory or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).
This technology has a free trial period, which carries the potential for the disruption of service delivery and inaccurate financial planning.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-approved operating systems.
This technology is compatible with multiple other Technical Reference Model (TRM) technologies and standards used by the organization.

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Current Decision Matrix (02/01/2023)

Decision Constraints

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Current Decision Matrix (02/01/2023)

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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

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Architectural Benefits

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