From: NCI CIPS Operator Sent: Monday, January 21, 2013 6:28 PM To: NCI CIPS Operator Subject: National Cancer Institute - FTP Server Access Changes Announcement for NCI PDQ(c) Distribution Partners NCI's new SFTP service for PDQ content dissemination is now available for use! In an effort to continue to improve services, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Office of Communications and Education has been working diligently to upgrade the current file transport mechanism to a Secure Shell File Transport Protocol (SFTP) technology. As a current NCI content distribution partner, the same great PDQ content can now be downloaded through NCI's new SFTP service. Please note: The upgrade will only affect the mechanism for retrieving the PDQ data made available in XML format, but will not affect the structure of the data itself. As part of the SFTP service, all content distribution partners will be receiving an e-mail in the upcoming days to create a new password for their new SFTP account. Once you have setup a new password, you may use any commercial SFTP-compatible tool to access NCI's PDQ content using the following connection: Hostname: CANCERINFO.nci.nih.gov Default directory: /pdq PDQ XML data: /pdq/full Docs and DTD: /pdq/docs NCI strongly suggests that you setup your SFTP password and begin accessing NCI's PDQ information through this new SFTP service as soon as possible. The current FTP server - CIPSFTP.nci.nih.gov - will not be available after Friday March 8th. Frequently Asked Questions -------------------------- - What will happen to the current FTP service? The old FTP server (CIPSFTP.NCI.NIH.GOV) will be discontinued on March 8th, 2013 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time, at which point your old password and connection to CIPSFTP.NCI.NIH.GOV will no longer be available through standard FTP. - Do I need to install any new FTP tools? All content distribution partners must use a SFTP-compatible tool. While most modern FTP tools support file transport using both standard FTP and SFTP, NCI recommends verifying that the tool you currently use supports SFTP. - I use an automated process to get PDQ content. How does this change affect me? Content distribution partners who are using an automated process should expect to update scripts to use SFTP and modify directory paths. - How will my account information change? Your user ID will remain the same and account owners will receive an e-mail about resetting passwords to adhere to a new password policy. All accounts will need to follow NIH's password policy. Passwords must be at least 8 characters long and use a combination of at least 3 of the following: upper case, lower case, numbers, and symbols. The password must also be updated every 120 days. The SFTP password management service will send an automated e-mail 14 days before passwords expire to remind account owners to change their password. - What if I have more questions or need help? If you need assistance or if you have questions about the change, please e-mail us at license@cips.nci.nih.gov or call 301-496-1277. This is the second notification in a series to inform all our NCI content distribution partners of the upcoming change. Please look for additional reminder e-mails in the upcoming weeks regarding NCI's upgrades to our new SFTP service for PDQ XML content dissemination.