Mandatory SAIG Software Upgrade – Upgrade to EDconnect 8.5 and Updated TDClient Software by Oct. 23, 2021 (EA ID: GENERAL-21-56)

Author
Federal Student Aid
Subject
Mandatory SAIG Software Upgrade – Upgrade to EDconnect 8.5 and Updated TDClient Software by Oct. 23, 2021 (EA ID: GENERAL-21-56)

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—EDconnect or TDClient—that supports TLS 1.2 must be installed by all users. The deadline to upgrade has now been finalized and is Oct. 23, 2021. After Oct. 23, older versions of EDconnect and TDClient will no longer connect to the SAIG and cannot be used to send/receive transmissions.

To avoid losing access to the SAIG, all users must complete their upgrades by Oct. 23 to EDconnect 8.5 or to the current version of TDClient:

  • EDconnect 8.5 is now available for download on the Software and Other Tools page of the Knowledge Center website (https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/software-and-other-tools), along with a Cover Letter and Installation Guide.

    Note: As a reminder, the updated EDconnect 8.5 software will not run with 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. 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.

  • The TDClient version 3.x software that was posted to the Software and Other Tools page last year is the most current version for all operating systems, with one exception. An updated version of TDClient for Linux 64-bit, version 3.4.0, is now available on the Software and Other Tools page. This version of TDClient for Linux corrects issues users have experienced running newer CPUs (Intel(R) Xeon(R) Platinum 8259CL CPU @ 2.50GHz, Intel(R) Xeon(R) Platinum 8124M CPU @ 3.00GHz). An updated TDClient Cover Letter and Host Communications Guide are also available.

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

Contact Information

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