What’s new
This section provides a summary of the notable changes in Helix Swarm for the 2025.1 release. Full details are available in the distribution's RELNOTES.txt file.
New functionality
To share your feedback about Helix Swarm, see Getting help.
Ability to select code in diff view
In the review page of Swarm, you can now select the code on just the left side or right side of the review diff panel.
Library and security updates
Several libraries have been updated and security enhancements have been made based on recent assessments. These library and security updates lay the groundwork for future Swarm releases coming later this year.
Request Review disabled for large changelists
The Request Review button is disabled if the number of files in a changelist exceeds the max_changelist_files configurable found in config.php file. This is to improve the performance of the changelist page. See Changelist files limit.
Added support for RHEL 9.5
Swarm now supports RHEL 9 release 9.5. See Install Swarm on RHEL 9.
Modernized documentation design
Updated the documentation to use a more modern look and feel.
Important information
Helix Swarm is now P4 Code Review
Perforce has a new look and logo that reflects our place in DevOps workflows. As part of these changes, Helix Swarm is now P4 Code Review, highlighting its integration with Perforce P4 (formerly Helix Core) and its availability as part of the P4 Platform. While the product interface retains the Swarm branding in this release, name updates and new icons to align with the P4 branding will be rolled out in a future release. To learn more, see the Re-Introducing P4 blog post.
PHP 8.0 version is no longer supported
Helix Swarm has dropped support for PHP 8.0 from the 2024.5 release. This is part of our commitment to move away from using versions of platforms that have reached End-of-Life (EOL).
HTTP OPTIONS method is no longer supported
The HTTP OPTIONS method can inadvertently assist attackers by providing insights into the system's setup and potential vulnerabilities. To enhance security of Helix Swarm, we have removed the HTTP OPTIONS method from the list of permitted methods.
Redis binary upgrade in Helix Swarm 2024.3 release changes the kernel and glibc requirements
In the Helix Swarm 2024.3 release, Redis binary has been upgraded to version 7.2.4. As a result of this upgrade, the kernel and glibc requirements have automatically changed from version 2.6 to 3.10. If you need to run Redis under kernel version 2.6, you can do either of the following:
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Compile Redis from sources on the target host meeting the target kernel.
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Or use your own older Redis installation.
CentOS/RHEL 7 is no longer supported from Helix Swarm 2024.3 release
Helix Swarm has dropped support for CentOS/RHEL 7 in 2024.3 release. This is part of our commitment to move away from using versions of platforms that have reached End-of-Life (EOL).
PHP 7.X versions are no longer supported from Helix Swarm 2024.3 release
Helix Swarm has dropped support for PHP 7.X in 2024.3 release. This is part of our commitment to move away from using versions of platforms that have reached End-of-Life (EOL).
PHP version 8.X addresses important security issues and helps improve Helix Swarm's performance. You can upgrade to PHP 8.x when you upgrade Helix Swarm. See Upgrading Swarm.
Upcoming changes to SSO configuration
Helix Swarm now supports Helix Authentication Service (HAS) as a Single Sign-On (SSO) provider. This helps to simplify configuration and create a more robust SSO solution. The SAML configuration will be removed from Helix Swarm in a later release.
Project level test and deploy code features to be deprecated in a later Helix Swarm release
The project level test and deploy code features will be deprecated in a later Helix Swarm release. We recommend you use test integration to automatically deploy code within a review. For more information, see Add a test.
Helix Swarm 2022.3 or later only works with Helix Core Visual Client (P4V) 2021.3 or later
When upgrading to Helix Swarm 2022.3 or later, ensure that you upgrade Helix Core Visual Client (P4V) to 2021.3 or later.
The emulate_ip_protections configurable now defaults to false
From Helix Swarm 2022.2, the default setting of the emulate_ip_protections configurable in the SWARM_ROOT/data/config.php file is now set to false. If you are upgrading Helix Swarm and have emulate_ip_protections set to true, the upgrade will not change your setting.
API version updated to v11 for Helix Swarm 2022.1
For Helix Swarm 2022.1, we introduced a new set of v11 APIs. These refine and extend the v10 APIs, and further standardize the endpoint and response pattern. The v10 APIs will continue to be available for some time to come
- Any improvements made in the migration to v11 will not be backported to v9 or v10.
- New API endpoints will be created as v11 and will not be backported to v9 or v10.
Helix Swarm no longer supports Microsoft Internet Explorer
Helix Swarm 2022.1 and later no longer supports Microsoft Internet Explorer. This is part of our commitment to move away from using platforms that have reached End-of-Life (EOL).
Helix Swarm no longer supports CentOS 8
Helix Swarm 2022.1 and later no longer supports Helix Swarm installation on CentOS 8. This is part of our commitment to move away from using versions of platforms that have reached End-of-Life (EOL).
Helix Swarm no longer supports Ubuntu 16.04
Helix Swarm 2021.1 and later no longer supports Helix Swarm installation on Ubuntu 16.04. This is part of our commitment to focus on supported technology platforms.
Helix Swarm no longer supports CentOS 6 and RHEL 6
Helix Swarm 2020.2 does not support Helix Swarm installation on CentOS 6 and RHEL 6. This is part of our commitment to focus on supported technology platforms.
Upgrading from Helix Swarm 2019.1 and earlier
Helix Swarm 2019.2 introduced a Redis in-memory cache to improve performance and reduce the load on the Helix Core Server. This replaces the file-based cache that was previously used by Helix Swarm.
On Helix Swarm systems with a large number of users, groups, and projects, the initial population of this cache can take some time. If you have a large Helix Swarm system you should read through the Redis server connection and configuration options before installing or upgrading Helix Swarm, see Redis server.
Known limitations
For Ubuntu 24.04, downloading from the Helix Swarm UI fails for a file with Unicode characters in its name
Downloading from the Helix Swarm UI fails on Ubuntu 24.04 when trying to download a file with Unicode characters in its name. This is a Ubuntu 24.04 issue. See the issue logged on Ubuntu's website.
After an upgrade to Helix Swarm 2022.3, you may see partial text labels or unexpected page artifacts
After an upgrade to Helix Swarm 2022.3, if you see partial text labels or unexpected page artifacts, clear your web browser cache and refresh Helix Swarm in your web browser.
No activity event is created when a project setting is updated
When a project setting is updated, Helix Swarm does not create an activity.
Issue with userids containing a / character
Helix Swarm shelvedel trigger can fail for a specific Windows use case
Unsupported characters in user names and group names in Helix Swarm 2019.2 and later
Helix Swarm support for the "Private editing of streams" feature in Helix Core Server 2019.1 and later
Multiple Helix Core Server instances on a single Helix Swarm instance
Issue: Swarm will lose connection to all of the Helix Core Servers if you edit the base_url configurable value in the environment block of <swarm_root>/data/config.php. This will stop your system working.
Fix: Remove the base_url configurable from the environment block of <swarm_root>/data/config.php.
Global Dashboard does not support Single Sign-On (Helix Authentication Service)
in the sidebar or by including the server instance name in the URL, for example: https://swarm.company.com/serverA. Project Commits tab can fail to show some Helix Core Server commits in the top level view
Individual branch views display the commits correctly.