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(General) Subject: SAIG Upgrade: Deadline Extended for Required Upgrade to EDconnect 8.1 or TDClient 3.2

Posted Date:May 25, 2012

Author: Pamela Eliadis, Service Director, System Operations & Aid Delivery Management, Federal Student Aid

Subject: SAIG Upgrade: Deadline Extended for Required Upgrade to EDconnect 8.1 or TDClient 3.2

As we have explained to the community over the last several months, we are in the process of implementing an upgrade to all components of the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG). New versions of EDconnect and TDClient were posted to the Federal Student Aid Download (FSAdownload) Web site in early March 2012, and the original deadline to upgrade was this coming weekend.

Forthcoming Communication of Deadline Extension:We are aware that some schools have experienced issues while attempting to upgrade their software and need more time to meet the requirement. Therefore, we are extending the deadline by which the upgraded software products must be used by all EDconnect and TDClient users. Before we announce the new deadline, we need to complete our analysis of upcoming school processing needs and the additional time that is needed by some schools to complete other associated upgrades. By the end of next week, we will communicate the new, extended deadline in an announcement on the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) Web site. In the meantime, we request that schools that have not yet upgraded move forward with completing the upgrade.

Important Reminder Regarding TFA Tokens: All schools that use EDconnect, whether they have received a Two Factor Authentication (TFA) token or not, must complete the software upgrade by the deadline. A token is not required to access the EDconnect 8.1 software. To log in to EDconnect 8.1, enter your TG number on the EDconnect login screen, including the letters “TG” (example: TG12345). If you have received your token, enter the 6-digit code displayed on your TFA token in the Security Code field. If you do not have a TFA token, leave the Security Code field blank.

Upgrade Information

All schools that use EDconnect or TDClient to connect to the SAIG are required to download and begin using the upgraded software product (EDconnect 8.1 or TDClient 3.2) by the deadline. After the deadline has passed, users will no longer be able to connect to their SAIG Mailbox(es) using the previous versions of the software. This means users will not be able to retrieve ISIRs, complete COD batch processing, or receive NSLDS reports, among other important electronic activities.

Notes for EDconnect Users:

  • All EDconnect users must also be enrolled for the new EDconnect Entitlement service and have an FSA User ID and password to access and use the new software. For information about enrolling for the EDconnect Entitlement service and obtaining an FSA User ID, please see the February 10, 2012 Electronic Announcement.

  • As explained in the March 15, 2012 Electronic Announcement, EDconnect 8.0 was replaced by EDconnect 8.1 and should no longer be used. EDconnect 8.1 is not an upgrade to earlier versions of EDconnect. All EDconnect users must perform a local or network installation of EDconnect 8.1.

  • As noted above, a TFA token is not required to access the EDconnect 8.1 software. To log in to EDconnect 8.1, enter your TG number on the EDconnect login screen, including the letters “TG” (example: TG12345). If you have received your token, enter the 6-digit code displayed on your TFA token in the Security Code field. If you do not have a TFA token, leave the Security Code field blank.

Notes for TDClient Users:

  • Schools that are currently using a previous version of the TDClient software, EAClient, must download and begin using the TDClient 3.2 software by the deadline or risk losing access to the SAIG.

  • We have recently determined that the TDClient 3.2 software is not compatible with AIX 5.3. AIX users must upgrade to AIX 6.1 or higher, in order to use TDClient 3.2. We will post an updated SAIG Host Communication Guide on the FSAdownload Web site in the near future, to reflect the update to supported platforms.

  • A TFA token is not required for TDClient 3.2.

Contact Information

For complete information about the SAIG system enhancements and related requirements that were included in the March 2012 release, refer to the February 23, 2012 Electronic Announcement.

If you have questions about this information, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800/330-5947 (TDD/TTY 800/511-5806) or by e-mail at CPSSAIG@ed.gov. Please select Option 1 for EDconnect 8.1 after you have chosen to continue in either English or Spanish.