IBM Aspera Connect 3.9.8 FAQ

• Why did Connect stop working in Firefox?

The certificate for local.connectme.us has been revoked. As a result, Aspera Connect 3.7 and 3.8 no longer work with Firefox and Safari. Users must update the web application that is integrated with Connect by upgrading to the Connect 3.9.x SDK. In addition, users must enable the corresponding web browser extension.

For more details, see security bulletin http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ibm10886643

• When was Connect 3.9 announced?

Announcements for Connect 3.9 were first issued in early 2019. Aspera urged users to upgrade to Connect 3.9 by June of 2019. The initial release notes explained the upcoming changes for extensions. Aspera has provided:

• Email alerts
• Release notes: https://downloads.asperasoft.com/en/release_notes/default_1/release_notes_640
• Developer resources: https://developer.asperasoft.com/web/connect-client/hosting
• Security bulletin: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ibm10886643

• Why was I not contacted?

• Due to European privacy laws (known as GDPR), contact information cannot be stored or used without consent.
• Our list of Aspera server administrators is incomplete. Often the contacts involved at the time of the original purchase are no longer involved with server administration.
• If you wish to opt into critical product updates, please submit a list of contacts to: aspera-release@wwpdl.vnet.ibm.com. Soon customers will be able to configure "IBM My Notifications" through support portal https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/stay-date-my-notifications

• Why does Connect 3.9 use extensions?

Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge are updated very frequently with security fixes. Aspera needs to continue to support browser integrations. Over time, browsers have restricted the options for desktop integrations. For example, Java applets, NPAPI plugins, and mixed HTTPS/HTTP content are no longer viable options. Web extensions are the new industry standard for reliable browser to desktop communication.

Web extensions deliver a better overall user experience. For more information, see https://downloads.asperasoft.com/en/release_notes/default_1/release_notes_640

• My server is in a locked-down environment. How does the Connect 3.9 change affect me?

By default Aspera web applications are configured to load the Connect SDK from Cloudfront. When a user visits Faspex/Shares, the application accesses and loads Connect Javascript components over the Internet. However, Aspera web applications can also be configured to host Connect javascript locally.

See "Locally host Connect" and "Lock Connect SDK version" in https://download.asperasoft.com/download/docs/faspex/4.3.1/admin_linux/webhelp/index.html#dita/content/transfer_options.html

• How can I tell which SDK my web application is using?

1. Open the Network Inspector (https://developers.google.com/web/tools/chrome-devtools/network/)
2. Filter for "asperaweb-4.js"
3. Check which URL it is being served from. The URL https://d3gcli72yxqn2z.cloudfront.net/connect/v4/asperaweb-4.min.js  is the latest version (subject to updates).
4. Open the URL in a new tab to see version details.
   

• How can I use a specific version of Connect SDK that won't change?

• Download and host locally: https://download.asperasoft.com/download/sw/sdk/connect/3.8.3/ConnectSDK-3.8.3.170430.zip
• Or point to Cloudfront: https://d3gcli72yxqn2z.cloudfront.net/connect_3_8_3_170430_ga/v4/asperaweb-4.js

• https://d3gcli72yxqn2z.cloudfront.net/connect_3_9_8_176293_ga/v4/asperaweb-4.min.js

• What if my users cannot upgrade to Connect 3.9? They don't have permissions to install. The installation does not succeed.

• For Faspex, see https://download.asperasoft.com/download/docs/faspex/4.3.1/admin_linux/webhelp/index.html#dita/content/transfer_options.html
• For Shares, see https://download.asperasoft.com/download/docs/shares/1.9.14/admin_linux/webhelp/index.html#connect_external/dita/files_for_external/install_connect_locally.html

• Try all the browser options available to you. Some browsers may still work with Connect 3.8. Internet Explorer is currently unaffected by the extension migration.

• How can users get the extension if they cannot access the internet?

Deploying extensions for closed environments is documented by https://download.asperasoft.com/download/docs/connect/3.9.8/user_linux/webhelp/index.html#dita/extension_in_locked_env.html

The latest Chrome CRX and Firefox XPI files are:

• https://clients2.googleusercontent.com/crx/blobs/QgAAAC6zw0qH2DJtnXe8Z7rUJP35_r39PXOvNY3luyCzxkjko_d4lXBeWhaEtwPT951G-HFLIPzGaW3vDGODxgoTppiHdkkTAVBh9H8oieA0-IUeAMZSmuWxb5FmgM8M9SyhIX_pX2aGiXOKzw/extension_3_9_7_4.crx
• https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/file/3442197/ibm_aspera_connect-3.9.7.857-fx.xpi

Video demo:

• Chrome install: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbBIod45Dvw
• Firefox install: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_fF48dW0CQ