FedLine Advantage® Hardware and Software Requirements

Personal computers used to access Federal Reserve Financial Services via FedLine Advantage must comply with minimum hardware and software requirements outlined below.

1. Your browser should be Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6.0 or greater.

Further instructions on browser settings for FedLine Advantage are provided in the FedLine Advantage setup materials. If Subscribers at your institution will also be accessing services via FedLine Web®, please review the FedLine Web Hardware and Software requirements.

2. Customers using FedImage® Retrieval services need to install and enable a compatible Java browser plug-in.

We recommend that customers install Sun Microsystems' Java2 Standard Edition interpreter. We have tested FedLine® compatibility with version 1.3.1_18 of the Sun Java interpreter. This component is available at no charge directly from Sun Microsystems. (Off-site Link)

NOTE: Sun Microsystems regularly updates its Java product line. Our testing has indicated that the 1.4.x, 1.5.x, and 1.6.x releases of the Sun interpreter are NOT compatible with FedLine services. As Sun Microsystems upgrades its Java technology, the Federal Reserve Banks will continue to test compatibility with our services.

To verify whether the recommended Java interpreter is already installed, look in the control panel for an icon called "Java Plug-in 1.3.1_18." If this icon is not present, then a FedLine-compatible Java interpreter may need to be installed. If this icon is present, you should also verify that the Java plug-in is enabled and defined as the Internet browser's default Java environment. To enable the plug-in, launch the "Java Plug-in 1.3.1_18" icon in the control panel and make sure the "Enable Java Plug-in" option is checked. To make the Java Plug-in 1.3.1_18 the default Java interpreter, follow these steps:

  1. Launch IE and select "Internet Options..." from the Tools menu.
  2. From the "Advanced" tab, scroll down to the (Java) Sun section.
  3. Ensure "Use Java 2 v1.3.1_18" is checked.
  4. If "Microsoft VM" is present, ensure all options under the "Microsoft VM" section are not checked.

3. Your operating system should be Microsoft Windows® 2000 or XP.

Customers using Microsoft Windows XP® with Service Pack 2 (SP2) should review the user guide associated with your organization's version of Internet Explorer:

4. Any PC used to access FedLine should have a 2 gigahertz processor and a stand-alone operating system. The Federal Reserve Banks do not provide support for thin-client environments.

Other hardware requirements include:

  • USB 1.1 or 2.0 compliant port
  • Ethernet network adapter
  • CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
  • Microsoft Windows-compatible printer

See the FedLine Advantage setup page for information on moving your hardware.

5. The following software is required for FedLine Advantage users:

  • Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® 8.0 or higher
  • Anti-virus software
  • Personal firewall software
  • Federal Reserve Bank-supplied FedLine Advantage Connection Utility software
  • Federal Reserve Bank-supplied USB token software and hardware driver

6. The following network access is required for FedLine Advantage users:

TCP/IP communications protocol utilizing port 80 (World Wide Web HTTP) and port 443 (HTTP protocol over TSL/SSL). The Federal Reserve Banks cannot provide any setup or configuration assistance to troubleshoot network access issues when using non-Federal Reserve Bank designated or provided equipment. This includes firewall and router configuration problems.

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