Our super-fast Perforce Enterprise Depots can now be linked with Assembla Project Spaces. This allows you to access your Perforce data inside the Assembla platform, including creating and linking depots to project spaces, code review with the comment system, and full integration with project management tools and tickets. You can also create Git & SVN repositories inside Assembla spaces, and keep them together with your Perforce depots.
How does that work?
You need our super-fast Perforce Enterprise server and Assembla’s portfolio, which you now can simply connect together. To do that, ask Assembla Support to enable this feature, and know that they can also help you create a portfolio or get our Perforce Enterprise server.
When the feature is enabled, you can connect or create depots inside project spaces in the same manner as it’s done with Git or SVN repositories, which allows you to:
Browse your depot inside the project space;
Track commit submissions and change lists;
Comment and review your code and change lists;
Manage your Perforce project with the Assembla Ticket management system:
relate submitted commits with Assembla tickets
automatically post a commit description in tickets
relate, update, and comment tickets directly from a commit message
assign users to work on selected tickets
and more…
Using Perforce Enterprise depots with Assembla Portfolio
While the Assembla Cloud structure was originally designed for a simpler multi-tenant Perforce solution, we’ve extended the capabilities to also work with our faster Perforce Enterprise single-tenant instances. With that, you can reference your depots in your Assembla project spaces.
How To Connect Your Perforce Instance with Assembla Portfolio
The following requirements must be in place before you may proceed:
The feature must be enabled in your portfolio and Perforce instance. If it’s not, contact Assembla Support and ask them to enable it.
You need at least Manager access in the Assembla portfolio.
You need administrative access to your Perforce instance.
Navigate to the selected space settings, and then click the “Link Instance” button in the “Perforce Enterprise Single Tenant” section (image below).
You will be presented with a popup where you need to enter your Perforce Helix Core credentials (image below).
Enter the correct server name or address, your Perforce username and password, and then click “Log in.”
Please note that one Perforce depot may be connected to only one Assembla space.
When connected, you receive a success message, and a “Perforce Dashboard” button appears in your main navigation.
You only need to connect once. When done, you can connect or create new depots from the space in the same way as Git or SVN depots.
Connecting and creating depots in Assembla space
To connect or create a Perforce depot, click the “Quick Add” button, and then select “New Repository” (image below).
You are presented with a “Create New Repository” screen.
Select “Single Tenant (P4ENT)” from the repository-type dropdown, and then include your Perforce credentials if you haven’t done it yet earlier (image below).
Or you can connect the existing depot from your Perforce instance by selecting the “Link existing P4 depot” button, where you will be presented with an option to select one from your instance (image below).
When done, your depot is visible in addition to the other repositories in this project space.
Now you can access your depot in the same manner as other repository types (image below).
Well done! You are all ready to go and manage your Perforce depot in the space as any other repository.
Technical details of Perforce and Assembla integration
In this section, you will find more technical details on the Perforce Enterprise and Assembla portfolio integration.
Access Security & Users Synchronization
To access any Perforce data from the portfolio UI, every user needs to enter his personal Perforce credentials. All of the access rights are managed solely on the Perforce Helix Core side and may be managed by the Perforce P4Admin interface or Assembla’s client Perforce Enterprise Dashboard.
User synchronization may occur manually or at a scheduled time once a day.
Users present in a depot, who are not registered in the given Assembla Portfolio by email, will have their Assembla accounts created.
Perforce Super user and admin will result in assigning Assembla Space “Owner” role.
Perforce users with “write” access rights will result in assigning Assembla Space a “Member” role.
Perforce users with “read/list/open” access rights will result in assigning the Assembla Space “Watcher” role.
Please note that Assembla portfolio users who don’t have access to Helix Core Depot are not able to see any content of the connected Helix Core depots. To be able to access depots in Assembla UI, the user must always enter their personal credentials to the selected depot.
The image above: Perforce Enterprise Dashboard is available for our Perforce Enterprise Customers.
FAQ
Q: I changed the access level granted in Perforce depot, but didn’t see the Assembla Space Role updated, why?
A: Assembla tracks Perforce instance depot access rights in Helix Core. It is a separate level of permissions from Assembla Space Roles & Permissions. If you do not want to modify Assembla Space Roles & Permissions manually, you may remove users from the Space, and then resynchronize P4ENT depot data. It results in Assembla users being added back to the Space with Assembla Space Roles & Permissions assigned after their current P4ENT depot access rights.
Q: What are the access rights of the Assembla Space “Owner” role, who does not have a depot account?
A: In such case, this Assembla Space Owner:
sees the Perforce Tool and still can remove the connection from the Assembla space, but cannot remove the depot or any data in it
does not have access to any depot content
Recommended reading: “Perforce Enterprise Dashboard” article.
Looking for our Perforce Enterprise solution?
Contact sales@assembla.com or visit https://get.assembla.com/perforce-cloud-enterprise/.
Need help with your Perforce Enterprise?
Contact support@assembla.com.