Electronic Submission Software - Overview

Registration
If you will be using the Form 6 for filing the Year 2000 Form 6, please send an email to FERC Online Support including your name, name of company, company address, and phone number. If you file for more than one company, please include the names of all companies in the email. You will receive a PIN (personal identification number) for each company by return email. This PIN is necessary for the electronic filing of Form 6 via the Internet.

Form 6 Installation Manual
The Form 6 Submission System Installation Manual is available in the Downloads box at right for viewing and/or printing by your Web browser. It is really important to read this document and understand it before continuing to the software download and installation. If you do not understand certain sections, please do not hesitate to call or email requesting clarification.

Form 6 Installation Software Download
Clicking on the Software link in the Downloads box at right will download the Form 6 Submission Software installation file.

If you are using MS Internet Explorer, you will be given the options to

1. Install the software from its current location;
or
2. Download the installation file

If you are using Netscape, the only option is to download the installation file.

In either event, once the Installation File is downloaded, you must double-click on the installation file from Windows Explorer to begin application installation.

The Installation File can be discarded after the installation of the software. Its only purpose is to install the software on your workstation. After installation, it is no longer needed. If you need to install the software on other workstations, you can copy the Installation File to those workstations and use it to install the Form 6 software on that particular workstation. The software must be installed on the hard drive of each workstation using the Form 6 Submission System. It will not operate if installed on your network.

Form 6 Software Release Notes
Frequent improvements are made to the Form 6 Submission Software (FOSS). When updates are made, the Version Number that appears on the Form 6 Startup Splash Screen is changed. You can view the cumulative history of changes to the software for the current year. You may also print this document from your browser by using the Print menu in your Internet browser software.


Form Communications Test Application
The FERC Forms Applications use the Internet to download the Form Submission Software (FSS), provide updates to the software on the user's workstation, and allow submission of forms data to the FERC via the Internet. Forms Submission Software (FSS) includes Form 1, Form 6, Form 423 and others that are currently in development.

To accomplish the above the user's PC communicates with an Internet server at the FERC which is dedicated to supporting the FSS. The FSS uses Internet communication protocols called HTTP and FTP.

Most respondent workstations are connected to a company network that uses Firewall technology to protect and isolate the network from the Internet. Occasionally, the company's Firewall is configured to prevent applications from communicating with foreign servers over the Internet. In these cases, the FERC Form Submission Software cannot communicate with the FERC Forms Server to obtain software updates, for transmission/submission of completed Forms, and, in the case of Forms Data Viewer software, the download of requested database information.

The Internet Test Application, which can be download from the FERC Forms site via your Internet Browser, is used to test Internet Communications from your workstation to the FERC Form Server to determine compatibility with FSS. It is not a requirement to use this application, you will get the same results with the Form Submission Software. However, a number of respondents find it easier to let their network support personnel use this software to test the communications functionality without having to download the entire Form Submission software. When you run this software, it just displays a screen with a check box beside each type of communication mode used by the Forms software, and indicates whether each one passed or failed. The software also produces a log file of its activity for review and diagnostic purposes.