OpenText Dimensions Change Management (CM)

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:	Dimensions Change Management (CM) is a process-based software change and configuration management solution. This technology is designed to streamline and automate Agile development practices, supporting a choice of industry standard databases, network compression, and library-cache technology. Dimensions CM has an n-tier cross-platform architecture consisting of the following layers: Presentation tier, Business logic tier, Database tier, and File/Storage tier. The Presentation tier consists of the clients that end-users will make use of to access the functionality of Dimensions CM. There are many different clients to allow support for different platforms and access methods. Components within the Business logic tier are server components responsible for carrying out Dimensions operations on behalf of the clients (for example, authenticating users, checking privilege/authorization, enforcing process rules, maintaining metadata about products, projects, baselines, requests, and items under control). These server components are supported on a wide variety of platforms. Dimensions CM uses relational database technology, requiring either Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server, PostgreSQL, or Oracle Database, to store and query this metadata. In addition to managing the metadata about assets under control, the software also needs to securely manage the content of the assets themselves (such as documents and versions of the user`s source code). These file storage/retrieval tasks are carried out by the File/Storage tier in the architecture. When communicating between tiers (across the network), Dimensions CM employs various encryption technologies to ensure data is transmitted securely. All data sent over the wire is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encrypted. If Dimensions network traffic travels over a public network link, the vendor recommends that users configure Dimensions to use the Secure Standard Dimensions Protocol (SSDP). Encryption is also provided using Transport Layer Security (TLS) and HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protocol. All stored passwords are encrypted. Note: This technology was sold to OpenText by Microfocus in 2023. This technology can integrate with Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server, PostgreSQL, and Oracle Database.
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 v24.4
Decision Date:	04/18/2024 at 18:19:36 UTC
Aliases:	Serena Dimensions Change Management (CM)
Introduced By:	Benefits ASA
Vendor Name:	Open Text

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
9.1.x	11/05/2004	09/01/2009
10.1	09/15/2006	01/31/2011
2009
10.1.x	04/07/2010
12.0.x	11/19/2011
14.0	06/10/2014
14.3.x	05/26/2016
14.4.x	01/10/2018
14.5.x	04/08/2019
14.6.x
14.7.x

Current Decision Matrix (04/15/2024)

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

CY2023

CY2024

CY2025

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

9.1.x

Unapproved

2009

Unapproved

10.1.x

Unapproved

12.0.x

Unapproved

14.0

Unapproved

14.3.x

Unapproved

14.4.x

Unapproved

14.5.x

Divest
[10, 11, 12, 13, 14]

Divest
[10, 11, 13, 14, 15]

Divest
[10, 11, 13, 15, 16]

Unapproved

14.6.x

Approved w/Constraints
[10, 11, 12, 13, 14]

Approved w/Constraints
[10, 11, 13, 14, 15]

Approved w/Constraints
[10, 11, 13, 15, 16]

Divest
[10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18]

Unapproved

14.7.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18]

Decision Constraints


[1]	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).

[2]	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.

[3]	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).

[4]	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).

[5]	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.

[6]	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.

[7]	Users must ensure that Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server, Oracle Database, and PostgreSQL are implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) This technology must use the latest TRM-approved version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - Oracle.

[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]	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).

[10]	This product can be configured with a PostgreSQL Database, which currently has TRM constraints limiting its use to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) only due to its many known security issues on other platforms. If PostgreSQL is selected for use with this product, these factors must be considered especially when an instance of this product will be considered a Moderate or High-Risk system. See PostgreSQL Database TRM entry for more details.

[11]	Users must ensure that Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server, Oracle Database, Apache Tomcat, and PostgreSQL are implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) This technology must use the latest TRM-approved version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - Oracle. Users must utilize approved internet browsers, as Microsoft Internet Explorer has reached End of Life status. See Category Tab for details.

[12]	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 ISSO (Information System Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[13]	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.

[14]	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 System Security Officer (ISSO) 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).

[15]	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 ISSO (Information System Security Officer) to ensure compliance with both VA Handbook 6500 and VA Directive 6500.

[16]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 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 or its successor 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 or 140-3 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the storage device 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 System Security Officer (ISSO) 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). By September 22, 2026, all FIPS 140-2 certificate validations will be placed on the Historical List, please refer to FIPS Transition Effort for further guidance and timeline of changes.

[17]	Users must ensure that Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server, Oracle Database, Apache Tomcat, and PostgreSQL are implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) This technology must use the latest TRM-approved version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - Oracle. Users must not utilize the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, as it is unapproved for use on the TRM.

[18]	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.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 14.7.0 is the most current version released.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
*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
Dimensions Change Management (CM) Git Client	The Dimensions CM Git Client is an optional component that allows the use of standard Git command line Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), and other tools using Dimensions CM as the remote repository.

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
Solaris - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints
z/OS - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Apache Tomcat
Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - Oracle
Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server
Microsoft Visual Studio - (required for some configurations)
Oracle Database
PostgreSQL
Safari

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This is a well-documented technology.
This technology supports role-based authentication and authorization capabilities.
This technology may improve productivity for specific staff whose responsibilities include agile management and development.

Adoption Risks

This product can be configured with a PostgreSQL Database, which currently has TRM constraints limiting its use to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) only due to its many known security issues on other platforms.
This technology can integrate with and alter database technologies.
This technology can potentially use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), an unapproved protocol.
There are known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) associated with this technology. Please see https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/search for more details.
There are other approved solutions that provide similar functionality available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
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.
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.
This technology relies on Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - Oracle, which has a rapid release and update schedule.
Although this technology uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithms for encryption, there is no indication based on the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) that it is Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 certified.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-approved operating systems.
This technology can use a VA-preferred database.
This technology supports AES Encryption.

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VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

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