INFORMED VISIBILITY Mail Tracking & Reporting Actions for Transitioning to a Secure Transfer Method January 16, 2018
Discontinued Support for Non-Secure FTP After January 31, 2018, Informed Visibility Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV -MTR) will not support non-secure File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Starting February 1, 2018, all data must be transferred from IV-MTR through a secure method, such as Secure FTP. If you have any active IV-MTR data feeds (subscriptions) using nonsecure FTP, you must complete transition actions by January 31, 2018, to continue receiving data. This document provides instructions for transition actions. IMPORTANT: If you require use of a non-standard port or have other special circumstances, do not delay. It may take a few weeks to implement a secure transfer method with special circumstances to receive IV-MTR data. 2
IV-MTR Help Desk The IV-MTR Help Desk is available to support you in the transition to a secure transfer method. The IV-MTR Help Desk is available 7AM to 7PM Central, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) at: 1-800-238-3150, Option #2 InformedVisibility@usps.gov 3
Secure Transfer Methods The table below describes the primary secure transfer methods available for IV-MTR data feeds. Your transition actions depend on the method selected. Click the link for your chosen method to see the transition actions. Secure Transfer Method Secure FTP Online Download Description IV-MTR pushes subscription data to your server via Secure FTP instead of FTP Note: The Postal Service supports SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), non FTP over SSL (FTPS). IV-MTR creates files for subscription data, which are available in the data feed Output History for you to download for 7 days 4
Secure FTP Transition Actions 1. Establish a Secure FTP server 2. Add the IV-MTR IP addresses to the server firewall To ensure your system can receive data from the IV-MTR servers, you must add the IV-specific IP addresses to your server firewall. Please contact the IV-MTR Help Desk to receive the IP addresses to be added. 3. Take action for special FTP scenarios, if applicable Non-standard Port Number: IV s standard port for SFTP is 22. If you need to use a different port number, you need special approval to receive data from IV-MTR. Contact the IV-MTR Help Desk to submit a request for approval. Non-US IP Address: If your server has an IP address outside of the United States, you need special approval to receive data from IV- MTR. Contact the IV-MTR Help Desk to submit a request for approval. Continued on next slide 5
Secure FTP Transition Actions 4. Get access to the IV-MTR application Instructions are available in the Applying for Access to IV-MTR document or IV-MTR User Guide. 5. Add the Secure FTP server to your IV-MTR address book Click here to go to the instructions in this document. 6. Modify your data feed(s) by changing the target to your Secure FTP server Click here to go to the instructions in this document. 7. Deactivate or delete data feeds using non-secure FTP (optional) If you have data feeds using non-secure FTP that you no longer need, deactivate or delete them. Click here to go to the instructions in this document. 6
Online Download Transition Actions 1. Get access to the IV-MTR application Instructions are available in the Applying for Access to IV-MTR document or IV-MTR User Guide. 2. Modify your data feeds by changing the target to Online Download Click here to go to the instructions in this document. 3. Deactivate or delete data feeds using non-secure FTP (optional) If you have data feeds using non-secure FTP that you no longer need, deactivate or delete them. Click here to go to the instructions in this document. 4. Retrieve data from your Online Download data feeds Click here to go to the instructions in this document. 7
Instructions & Screenshots 8
Add an SFTP Server to your IV-MTR Address Book 1. Within IV-MTR, click Address Book in the top navigation bar. 2. Click the Servers tab. 3. In the Add New Server section on the left side of the page, select SFTP from the Protocol Type drop-down menu. 4. Complete the remaining fields. 5. When you are finished, click Add to Address Book. The server is added to your address book. See the next slide for screenshots. 9
Add a Server or Web Service to your IV-MTR Address Book 10
Update the Target Location for a Data Feed 1. Within IV-MTR, click Queries & Feeds in the top navigation bar. 2. Click the Create & Manage Data Feeds tab. 3. In the Your Feeds table, find the data feed to be updated, and click the modify icon in the Details column. 4. In the Details window, click the Define Target drop-down menu to select the new server or web service and deselect other servers or web services, as needed. 5. Scroll to the bottom of the window, and click Update Feed. 6. Repeat these steps for all data feeds, as needed. See the next slide for screenshots. 11
Update the Target Location for a Data Feed 12
Deactivate or Delete a Data Feed 1. Within IV-MTR, click Queries & Feeds in the top navigation bar. 2. Click the Create & Manage Data Feeds tab. 3. In the Your Feeds table, find the data feed to be deactivated/deleted, and click the modify icon in the Details column. 4. Scroll to the bottom of the window. 5. To deactivate the feed, uncheck Active Feed Indicator. Then, click Update Feed. OR To delete the feed, click Delete Feed. Then, click Yes when prompted to confirm. See the next slide for screenshots. 13
Deactivate or Delete a Data Feed 14
Update a Data Feed to Online Download 1. Within IV-MTR, click Queries & Feeds in the top navigation bar. 2. Click the Create & Manage Data Feeds tab. 3. In the Your Feeds table, find the data feed to be updated, and click the modify icon in the Details column. 4. In the Details window, click the Define Target drop-down menu and deselect ALL servers and web services. 5. To the right of the Define Target menu, click Online download. 6. Scroll to the bottom of the window, and click Update Feed. 7. Repeat these steps for all data feeds, as needed. See the next slide for screenshots. 15
Update a Data Feed to Online Download 16
Retrieve Online Download Data Feed Files 1. Within IV-MTR, click Queries & Feeds in the top navigation bar. 2. Click the Create & Manage Data Feeds tab. 3. In the Your Feeds table, find the data feed from which to retrieve files, and click the view icon in the Output History column. 4. The Output History window opens and displays the files sent for that data feed. 5. To download a file, click Download. IMPORTANT: Data feed files are available in the Output History for 7 days. See the next slide for screenshots. 17
Retrieve Online Download Data Feed Files 18