Quality Center

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:	Quality Center is a web-based quality management platform that can be used for information technology (IT) projects to manage application quality across the entire application lifecycle. The technology provides requirements management, release and cycle management, test management, defect management, and reporting from a single platform. This software can be deployed via Software as a Service (SaaS) or on premise. Microsoft Windows uses a Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server database to store data collected by this software, while Red Hat Enterprise Linux uses an Oracle Database. There are multiple editions available for this technology: Enterprise, Express, and Community. The Express Edition is limited to twenty named or concurrent users. The Community Edition is free and is limited to five named users. This entry covers each of these editions. Please note the vendor has changed. Quality Center is now offered by Micro Focus, who acquired the HP Software Division of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in September of 2017. 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/OITEPMOECSO
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 v23.11
Decision Date:	11/09/2023 at 19:23:09 UTC
Aliases:	Mercury Test Director, ALM
Introduced By:	Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO) TRM Team
Vendor Name:	Micro Focus

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
10	03/01/2009
11	09/07/2010
11.5	06/01/2013
12	03/20/2014
12.5	09/25/2015	09/30/2019
12.6	08/16/2018
15.0.x	06/30/2020
17.0.x	01/17/2023

Current Decision Matrix (11/07/2023)

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

CY2018

CY2019

CY2020

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

11.5

Unapproved

12

Unapproved

12.5

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 7, 10, 11]

Divest
[4, 10, 11, 12]

Divest
[4, 10, 12, 13]

Divest
[4, 10, 13, 14]

Unapproved

12.6

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 10, 11, 12]

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 10, 12, 13]

Divest
[4, 10, 13, 14]

15.0.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 10, 13, 14]

17.0.x

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	The use of this technology is allowed in all Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information Technology (OIT) established Test Labs. Proper care must be taken to ensure that live or production systems, data or users are not affected or impacted.

[2]	The use of this technology is allowed in all Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information Technology (OIT) established Test Labs. Proper care must be taken to ensure that live or production systems, data or users are not affected or impacted. CVE-2014-2631: Unspecified vulnerability in HP Application Lifecycle Management (aka Quality Center) 11.5x and 12.0x allows local users to gain privileges via unknown vectors, aka ZDI-CAN-2138. CVE-2013-4802: Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in HP Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Quality Center before 11.51 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors, aka ZDI-CAN-1565.

[3]	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.

[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]	If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period.

[6]	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).

[7]	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).

[8]	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).

[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]	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).

[11]	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).

[12]	If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. This technology must use the latest version of JDK - Oracle Java Standard Edition (SE) Development Kit.

[13]	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).

[14]	If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. This technology must use the latest version of JDK - Oracle Java Standard Edition (SE) Development Kit. Users must ensure that Microsoft .NET Framework, Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server, Oracle Database are implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’)

Note:

At the time of writing, version 17.0.1 is the most current version and released 07/13/2023.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
Vendor Provided*	System Requirements	Micro Focus	These are the system Requirements for Quality Center.
*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
No components have been identified for this entry.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Application Technology Application Testing Software	System Testing Tools

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

CentOS Linux - Unapproved
Oracle Linux - Approved w/Constraints
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Apache Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Server - (required for some configurations)
JDK - Oracle Java Standard Edition (SE) Development Kit - (required for some configurations)
Microsoft .NET Framework - (required for some configurations)
Microsoft Edge. - (required for some configurations)
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) - (required for some configurations)
Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server - (required for some configurations)
Oracle Database - (required for some configurations)

Comparable Technologies:

No comparable entries have been identified.

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This is a well-documented technology.
This technology provides technical support via email, phone, live chat, online customer portal, and online documentation.
This technology can integrate with multiple TRM approved technologies.

Adoption Risks

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.
There is no indication based on available vendor documentation that this technology is Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant.
This technology has a free trial period, which carries the potential for the disruption of service delivery and inaccurate financial planning.
There are known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) associated with this technology. Please see https://nvd.NIST.gov/vuln/search for more details.
This technology relies on Java Development Kit (JDK) - Oracle, which has a rapid release and update schedule.

Architectural Benefits

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

Architectural Risks

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

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.3

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (11/07/2023)

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 Benefits

Architectural Risks

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.3

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (11/07/2023)

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 Benefits

Architectural Risks

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