Glink

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:	Glink is a terminal emulation package connecting to legacy systems from Windows workstations and Windows servers. Glink is used to access applications running on Bull, International Business Machines (IBM), Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), UNIX and Linux enterprise systems. This technology is available in two editions: Glink Professional Edition and Glink Enterprise Edition. This entry covers both editions. This entry covers the Desktop Edition of this technology and not any mobile versions. Please note that the implementation of mobile technology applications that operate on Mobile Operating Systems must be reviewed and approved by the Mobile Technology and Endpoint Security Engineering Team: http://vaww.eie.va.gov/SysDesign/CS/MT/default.aspx
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 v22.10
Decision Date:	10/25/2022 at 19:18:08 UTC
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	Gallagher & Robertson (G&R)

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
8.3.x
8.4.x
8.5.x	08/01/2016
8.6.x	05/01/2019

Current Decision Matrix (09/28/2022)

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

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CY2026

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Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

8.3.x

Unapproved

8.4.x

Unapproved

8.5.x

Unapproved

8.6.x

Approved w/Constraints
[3, 5, 8, 9]

Decision Constraints


[1]	Glink must be configured to use only Secure Shell (SSH) on the communication line to provide security and privacy, including encryption and authentication, for all Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. Ensure use of a FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic module is employed on a system level to secure VA sensitive data in applications and devices. The TRM will only consider new technology if currently approved terminal emulators do not meet VA needs or requirements; only approved products can be used within the VA.

[2]	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.

[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]	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.

[5]	Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: Glink must be configured to use only Secure Shell (SSH) on the communication line to provide security and privacy, including encryption and authentication, for all Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. Ensure use of a FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic module is employed on a system level to secure VA sensitive data in applications and devices. The TRM will only consider new technology if currently approved terminal emulators do not meet VA needs or requirements; only approved products can be used within the VA. Users must ensure that Apache Tomcat and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) are implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) Users must not use PuTTY with this technology as it is unapproved on the TRM. Users must not utilize the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, as it is unapproved for use on the TRM. The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) features of this software must not be used as the FTP protocol is prohibited for use on the VA network. (For further information see: VA Policy Memo VAIQ 7615193 on Prohibited Use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Telnet Services)

[6]	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.

[7]	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.

[8]	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.

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

Note:

At the time of writing, version 8.6.2 is the most current version, released 04/01/2022.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
Vendor Provided*	Administrator Guide	Publicly Available	This is the Administrator Guide for the technology.
Vendor Provided*	Release Notes	Publicly Available	This page has 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
GlinkAPI (Application Programming Interface)	GlinkAPI can be installed on an application server to make core business applications available to server side applications in a three-tier architecture.
GlinkWeb	GlinkWeb is available to web-enable core business applications running on mainframe systems, with no changes at all to the mainframe application.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

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

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Glink is a communication package that supports many terminal emulations, including Bull VIP7800, IBM 3270, and IBM 5250 terminal emulations; Windows workstations, Windows Terminal Servers/Citrix Metaframe environments
Glink`s API provides emulation services to Windows applications that need access to legacy systems.
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

This technology has a free trial period, which carries the potential for the disruption of service delivery and inaccurate financial planning.
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 can potentially use File Transfer Protocol (FTP), an unapproved protocol.
This technology can potentially use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), an unapproved protocol.
This technology can optionally use PuTTY, an unapproved technology.
The product is not Federal Information Processing standards (FIPS) 140-2 certified; this technology has the potential to collect, store, or transmit Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), or other sensitive VA data which presents potential information security risks.
This product can use Telnet services, which are not approved for use within the VA.
The VA has other terminal emulators that provide similar functionality available on the Technical Reference Model (TRM).

Architectural Risks

This technology is not portable as it runs only on Windows platforms.

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Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (09/28/2022)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

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Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

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Architectural Risks

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

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Current Decision Matrix (09/28/2022)

Decision Constraints

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 Risks

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