FedLine® Network Enhancements Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
The Federal Reserve Banks have started a multi-year effort that requires all FedLine Direct® customers, as well as customers that leverage FedLine Command® and FedLine Advantage® configurations with Dedicated Wide Area Network (WAN) connections, to complete a router and a circuit migration. Both the router and circuit migrations are taking place simultaneously, and we will work with impacted organizations to ensure focused execution and minimal disruption to your operations:
- Circuit Migration: By June 2026, customers will be required to migrate current FedLine Dedicated WAN connection primary circuits from the current provider to AT&T®.
- Router Migration: By early 2028, customers will be required to upgrade their existing Cisco® routers to the Cisco 8300 model.
End User Authorization Contacts (EUACs) designated at the start of the FedLine Network Enhancement effort are responsible for leading this effort on behalf of their organization. These individuals must complete the intake form for each of their organization’s Dedicated WAN router sites. The intake form provides us with important connection site contact information and site location details. Failure to complete the intake form will require organizations to submit a Dedicated WAN Order form for each Dedicated WAN site at the start of their scheduled migration.
Circuit Migration Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the Circuit Migration?
The Circuit Migration project will migrate FedLine Direct customers, as well as customers that leverage FedLine Command and FedLine Advantage configurations with Dedicated WAN connections, off their Cogent primary Dedicated WAN circuits and onto the new AT&T primary circuit provider.
2. What can I expect from the upcoming circuit migration effort?
- A representative from AT&T will email a site survey to your organization’s connection site contact (as listed on the intake form). A member from our team will be included in this initial correspondence to address any questions you may have. Your organization’s connection site contact should complete the survey within five business days of receiving the request.
- Once completed, AT&T will assign and communicate a delivery date for the new circuit.
- AT&T will install the new primary circuit(s). After installation, customers must complete any required inside wiring. If you need assistance, our team will coordinate vendor support.
- Once inside wiring is complete, our team will schedule and manage the cutover event with your stakeholders to migrate traffic to the new circuit.
- After the cutover, our team will issue the disconnect of the Cogent circuit. If any vendor equipment needs to be returned, we will provide guidance. You may also request the decommission of any data center cross connects in place for the legacy Cogent circuit.
Please note that the circuit migration is occurring simultaneously with the router migration project and may occur ahead of or after your router migration.
3. When will my organization have to migrate to the new primary circuit provider?
An AT&T representative will reach out to your organization’s connection site contacts via email to begin work on your circuit migration. Please encourage your organization’s connection site contacts to be on the lookout for this correspondence. Until then, no action is required.
4. What can my organization do to prepare for the upcoming Circuit Migration?
Please complete the intake form for each of your Dedicated WAN sites if your organization has not done so already. This ensures we have the most current information regarding your connection site contacts.
An AT&T representative will reach out to your organization’s connection site contacts to begin work on your circuit migration. This initial correspondence will ask the connection site contact to complete a site survey. Designated EUACs should encourage connection site contacts to respond to inquiries, as well as any other required tasks (e.g. inside wiring), in a timely manner. Failure to do so may put your organization at risk for losing connectivity of your primary circuit. Until then, no action is required.
5. Where can I find the intake form?
Your organization’s designated EUAC should have received email communications with a link to the intake form. If they are unable to locate the link to the form, contact the Support Center at (833) 377-7827, press 8 then press 9, or email ccc.ci.support@kc.frb.org for assistance.
6. How long will it take to complete the circuit migration?
Once an organization begins their circuit migration, it is expected to take between 45-60 days, though timelines may vary based upon the complexity of each location.
7. How does the circuit cutover work?
The cutover is a controlled process. The existing Cogent circuit is disconnected, and the new AT&T circuit is activated on your router. Routing changes are validated before traffic resumes to ensure connectivity. The resilient design of the dual vendor circuits and dual routers within the FedLine Direct Network ensures minimal risk to production traffic during this process. There should not be a need to repoint production traffic during the circuit cutover activities. Given there are no LAN changes, no application connectivity test is required.
Router Migration Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the router migration effort?
The router migration effort will move FedLine Direct customers, as well as customers that leverage FedLine Command and FedLine Advantage configurations with Dedicated WAN connections, from their existing Cisco routers to the Cisco 8300 model.
2. Why are the Cisco 4311 and 4451 routers being discontinued?
Cisco announced that the 4331 and 4451 models will reach their end-of-life support at the end of 2028. Because of the length of time to complete the migration effort end-to-end, the connection enhancements began in June 2025.
3. When will my organization have to migrate to the new router model?
The router migration effort is taking place in waves. The designated EUAC for your organization should be aware of your organization’s anticipated start date, which was communicated to them via email. A member from our team will reach out to the designated EUAC ahead of your scheduled migration with further details on how to prepare. Designated EUACs who have not received a communication regarding a migration date should contact their relationship manager.
4. How long will it take to complete the Router Migration?
Once an organization begins the router migration, it is anticipated to take between 45-60 days to complete, though timelines may vary based upon any unique complexities of your location.
5. What can I expect for the upcoming Router Migration effort?
- A member from our team will notify designated EUACs via email and phone when it’s time to begin your migration.
- A technical review call will be scheduled with your organization to provide an overview of the replacement process and address any outstanding questions.
- We will work with you to identify an installation date for the new routers. This step will require you to have staff on-site to support the installation.
- Finally, we will schedule and execute a cutover test to move connectivity from the existing routers to the new model.
6. What can my organization do to prepare for the Router Migration?
All organizations are required to complete an intake form for each Dedicated WAN site. Designated EUACs should complete this step as soon as possible to ensure we have the most current information on file.
A member from our team will contact designated EUACs when it is time to begin your migration. Designated EUACs should inform internal support teams (e.g., connection site contacts, telecommunication contacts, etc.) about the router migration so they are prepared to respond to inquiries promptly, facilitating the timely completion of the project.
7. Where can I find the intake form?
Your organization’s designated EUAC should have received communications with a link to the intake form. If they are unable to locate the link to the online form, contact the Support Center at (833) 377-7827, press 8, then press 9, or email ccc.ci.support@kc.frb.org for assistance.
8. What if my organization is moving data centers or wants to make other changes during my router migration?
We understand that your organization may be planning other changes that overlap with its migration windows. Please keep the following guidance in mind:
- Customers who are making changes to their WAN site locations (e.g. bandwidth increases, relocation, etc.) will be supported outside the Router Migration project and asked to start a new order and decommission their legacy sites within their scheduled migration window.
- Customers wanting to add/delete queues, nodes, etc. will not be able to do so while their router migration is in progress. These (or other) changes can be made after their successful router migration.
- Customers who are making bandwidth changes will be removed from scope from the Router Migration project and asked to start a new order that will decommission their legacy sites within their scheduled migration window.
9. Will I be required to complete application testing (beyond the basic connectivity testing)?
While connectivity testing via a basic MQ round trip message, Echo Ping, or CDVER will be required as part of cutover, application testing is not required.
10. Can I reschedule my organization’s router migration date?
Requests to reschedule your organization’s router migration will be handled on a case-by-case basis and should be directed to your relationship manager.
General Frequently Asked Questions
1. What happens if something goes wrong during either the Circuit Migration or Router Migration?
Our testing and validation processes will identify most issues during the circuit and router migration tests. Support teams will be available for troubleshooting. If needed, the migration will be reversed and your organization’s connectivity restored to full operational status until the issues are resolved.
2. Can I choose not to replace the circuits and routers and continue to use my existing technology indefinitely?
No. All customers are required to migrate their primary circuits and replace their current Cisco 4331 or 4451 routers to decrease the risk of future disruptions.
3. When was I notified of the required migrations?
We’ve been sharing updates about the upgrade effort at key milestones to keep you informed and prepared. Key dates include:
- August 26, 2024: Email notification sent to impacted customers notifying them that the effort will begin in 2025
- November 18, 2024: Email notification sent to impacted customers requesting them to designate an EUAC to lead the migration efforts
- April 18, 2025: Email notification to designated EUACs notifying them of next steps in the Circuit Migration effort
- June 23, 2025: Email notification to EUACs announcing their organization’s scheduled router migration wave
- October 2, 2025: Email notification to EUACs announcing discontinuation of support for Cogent circuits planned for June 2026
4. Who can I contact if I have questions about these migrations?
Contact the Support Center at (833) 377-7827, press 8 then press 9, or email ccc.ci.support@kc.frb.org.