Mandatory Software Upgrade – Deadline Extension to April 17, 2021 to Maintain Access to the SAIG

Author
Federal Student Aid
Subject
Mandatory Software Upgrade – Deadline Extension to April 17, 2021 to Maintain Access to the SAIG

As we first described in an Oct. 31, 2020 Electronic Announcement, we are upgrading the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) to comply with federal mandate Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 18-01 to improve email and web security. BOD-18-01 includes a requirement that all publicly accessible federal websites and web services support Transport Layer Security (TLS) version 1.2 or higher. TLS is an Internet protocol that ensures privacy between applications and users.

To comply with this federal mandate, a new version of SAIG software—TDClient or EDconnect—that supports TLS 1.2 must be installed by all users. To allow users additional time to complete this required software upgrade, we are extending the deadline to upgrade from Feb. 6, 2021 to April 17, 2021.

Refer to the sections below for information about the availability of updated TDClient and EDconnect software.

TDClient 3.3.1 (For AIX, HPUX, Linux, OS400, and Solaris)

An updated version of TDClient (version 3.3.1) for AIX, HPUX, Linux, OS400, and Solaris was published on Oct. 31, 2020 on the (Software and Other Tools) page of the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) website (https://ifap.ed.gov/(software-and-other-tools). Core functionality of TDClient version 3.3.1 remains unchanged. Software installation is similar to past versions of the software and users will not need to make any configuration changes.

TDClient 3.4 (For MVs/zOS and Windows 64/86-bit)

An updated version of TDClient (version 3.4) for MVs/zOS and Windows 10 and higher is now available on the Software and Other Tools page. 

TDClient 3.4 for Windows will correct the installation issues reported with TDClient 3.3.1 and remove Hex logging data from displaying in the terminal window.

Core functionality of TDClient version 3.4 remains unchanged. Software installation is similar to past versions of the software and users will not need to make any configuration changes.

Note: When installing the software, TDClient 3.4 must be “Run as administrator.”  

TDClient Host Communications Guide

An updated version of the TDClient Host Communications Guide is also now available on the Software and Other Tools page to capture changes for the new version of TDClient. 

EDconnect 8.5 and Operating System Requirement

Updated EDconnect software will be available for download by late February 2021. Monitor the IFAP website for an announcement of the software’s availability.

It is important to note that the updated EDconnect 8.5 software will not run on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, or Windows 2008. These operating systems will no longer be supported by SAIG applications. EDconnect 8.5 must be used with the Windows 10 or Windows Server 2012 operating systems or higher.

EDconnect users must confirm now that their local system will support EDconnect 8.5 when it is available. If a Windows 10 or Windows Server 2012 operating system or higher is not yet being used by the school, immediate attention is needed to upgrade to an operating system that will support the updated software by April 17, 2021.

Note: Microsoft Internet Explorer is no longer a supported browser for FSA software applications due to security concerns. An FSA-supported web browser should be used with EDconnect, such as Microsoft Edge or recent releases of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Reminder: Deadline to Upgrade

To avoid losing access to the SAIG, all users must complete their upgrades to TDClient 3.3.1, TDClient 3.4, or EDconnect 8.5 by April 17, 2021. After April 17, older versions of TDClient and EDconnect will no longer connect to the SAIG and cannot be used to send/receive transmissions. EDconnect users must confirm that their local system will support EDconnect 8.5, as explained in the previous section.

Note: We will provide TDClient and EDconnect software that is compatible with TLS 1.3 in the future.

We appreciate the attention of SAIG users to this important federal mandate and software upgrade.

Contact Information

If you have questions about the TDClient or EDconnect software, please contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at CPSSAIG@ed.gov.