As we have informed Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) users in multiple Electronic Announcements, upgraded software will be required for transmission of federal tax information (FTI) for the 2024–25 award year and beyond. New versions of EDconnect 8.6.0 and TDClient are now available on the Software and Other Tools page of the Knowledge Center website, along with an accompanying user guide that includes installation instructions. Additionally, we are providing updated user documentation for use with the new FTI-TDCommunity Manager (FTI-TDCM).
The upgraded SAIG software must be installed to receive 2024–25 Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) in a new FTI-SAIG mailbox. The FTI-SAIG will be a new instance of the SAIG—a separate system from the existing SAIG— and it will include updated security protocols and enhanced features to ensure protection of FTI data during transmission. The FTI-SAIG has been designed to exclusively handle the transmission of ISIR data containing FTI, while the existing SAIG will remain the designated platform for handling all other types of batch data.
Reminder
The current versions of EDconnect and TDClient will continue to be available and can be used with the existing SAIG system. However, SAIG users who expect to receive 2024–25 ISIRs must install and use the updated software for transmission with the FTI-SAIG:
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The updated SAIG software can be used for all award years as it will offer connectivity options to both SAIG and FTI-SAIG.
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Users do not need to wait for the launch of the 2024–25 FAFSA® cycle to install and use the upgraded software. However, to use the software for 2024–25 ISIR data, users will need to sign and submit an updated SAIG enrollment agreement and enroll for an FTI-SAIG mailbox. Refer to the Sept. 22, 2023 Electronic Announcement for detailed information about this enrollment process.
In addition to downloading and installing the updated software that is available on Software and Other Tools, we encourage software users to review our previous communications (May 30, 2023 and Sept. 28, 2023). These electronic announcements provide additional information about the upgraded software, including details about the enhanced security measures being added to EDconnect, TDClient, and the FTI instance of TDCM (FTI-TDCM).
Important Information for FTI-SAIG Software Users
Before you log in to FTI-TDCM (https://ftisaigportal.ed.gov/tdcm) you must have an FSA User ID, password, FT mailbox ID, and a security code generated by a registered token device:
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For users that do not currently have an FSA User ID, go to https://fsawebenroll.ed.gov/PMEnroll/PMAccountServlet.jrun, provide identifying information, and follow the remaining registration steps. Once the registration process is complete, including establishing a password, the FSA User ID will be emailed to the Primary DPA.
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Information on obtaining an FT mailbox ID is provided in the Sept. 22, 2023 Electronic Announcement.
Once you have an FSA User ID and your FT mailbox ID, you will be able to reset your initial, temporary FTI-SAIG network password through EDconnect or TDClient. The password change is required prior to sending and receiving files over the FTI-SAIG using EDconnect or TDClient.
EDconnect 8.6.0 Issues and Workarounds
Below are issues that users may encounter after installing EDconnect 8.6.0, followed by the corresponding workaround:
Issue: User unable to change directory paths in the application menu 'Security: View > User Properties > Directories' tab.
Workaround: Manually input the desired file path in the directory file path field. Sample path formats: "C:\EDconnect\Receive"; "C:\EDconnect\Send"; "C:\Temp\Receive"; "C:\MyDirectory\Send".
Issue: User receives “the path ‘pathname’ does not exist” message when EDconnect attempts to retrieve files and save them to a network path location (e.g., \\servername\folder\subfolder) in Windows OS.
Workaround: Create a mapped drive to the network path location using Windows File Explorer. Then, configure the receive path in EDconnect to contain only the new network drive letter followed by a colon and backslash (e.g., X:\).
Issue: If an FTI user opens the Message Class Manager view, applies a filter to the view, and then opens additional Message Class Manager views, the subsequent views may display non-FTI-specific message classes.
Workaround: Avoid opening multiple Message Class Manager views to prevent this issue.
TDClient Errors and Workarounds
Below are errors that users may encounter after installing the updated TDClient software, followed by the corresponding workaround:
Error: 421 – Peer Closed Connection
Workaround: This error indicates the internet connection has dropped. Reconnect and files should resume receiving. To prevent a manual job restart in the future, make sure your tdclient.ini file has the following parameters specified:
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AUTO_RETRY=Y
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MAX_RETRY=5
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RETRY_DELAY=30
Error: 425 – This product is not licensed for the requested activity
Workaround: Ensure these parameters are in the tdclient.ini file and are set to “Y”:
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COMMAND_OVER_DATA=Y
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DATA_OVER_COMMAND=Y
Error: 332 or 531 – Change password required
Workaround: Your FTI-SAIG password has expired. To fix this issue, run the password change command as provided in the user guide. You must change your password every 90 days.
Error: 530 – FTP login failed or 530 – Login incorrect
Workaround: If the FT number is correct, your FT password (FTI-SAIG network password) is incorrect. You have the option to change your mailbox password in FTI-TDCM or call CPS/SAIG Technical Support for assistance. Additionally, you may receive Error 530 when changing your mailbox password outside of TDClient (via FTI-TDCM or CPS/SAIG Technical Support) to indicate that the password must be synchronized.
Error: 550 – Internal Server Problem Login for UserID failed
Workaround: This error happens when the lowercase “ft” is used for the UserID. You must ensure the upper case “FT” is used for the UserID.
WARNING: Action failed Unable to RESET TDClient Restart file Failed to open EA Restart file [./eastatus.txt] in write mode permission denied\
Workaround: Create the eastatus.txt in the tdclient.ini directory, with read and write permissions.
Windows Only: Executes prior transmission when sending or receiving a new file.
Workaround: The system will not execute the line and submits the last transmission that was stored in the tdclient.ini file. Check and correct slashes (/) used in the command line, ensuring backwards slashes are facing the opposite direction (\). Check the response.log file, located in the directory where TDClient has been installed, for errors.
Contact Information
If you have questions about EDconnect, TDClient, or FTI-TDCM, please contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at CPSSAIG@ed.gov.
You may review detailed information about the implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act and the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE Act) on our FAFSA Simplification Information Topics page on the Knowledge Center website.