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Managed Server

A managed server is an SFTP server that eCourtDate hosts for your agency on AWS GovCloud. eCourtDate provisions the server, the SSH key, and the firewall for you. Your agency (or your case management system) connects to it and pushes export files, which eCourtDate then picks up through an SFTP Profile.

Use a managed server when your agency does not operate its own SFTP server. If you already run an SFTP server or use an S3 bucket, connect to it as an external source instead.

Create a managed server​

  1. In the Console, open Servers (or the Servers area within SFTPs) and click Create Server.
  2. Fill in the Create Server form:
    • Name: a label for the server (for example, County Court SFTP).
    • Type: choose SFTP.
    • Managed: leave this checked. It reads "Use eCourtDate's AWS GovCloud-hosted infrastructure."
    • Agency: the agency this server belongs to.
  3. Click Create. eCourtDate provisions the server, generates its SSH key, and creates its firewall automatically. The server shows a deployed status once it is ready.

Find the server's IP and connection details​

You do not need a third-party "what is my IP" tool to find the server address. The Console shows it directly.

Open the server in the Console. On the Overview tab, the Server Info section shows:

  • Host: the server's IP address or hostname. This is what you connect to.

For a managed server, the EC2 details also list the Public IP and Private IP under the server's network information.

The default connection details for a managed server are:

SettingValue
HostThe Host shown in the Console Server Info
Usernameubuntu
Port22
Directory/home/ubuntu

You can also click Copy Connection Link to copy a ready-made sftp://username@host:22/directory string, or Notify to email the server details to the server's creator.

Allowlist your IP address​

A managed server blocks all inbound traffic except from IP addresses you allowlist. Add your connecting IP before you try to connect. With a managed server, this is the only allowlisting you need to do.

note

You may notice a Whitelist IP Addresses card on the server's Overview tab listing eCourtDate's own connecting IPs. Those apply only when eCourtDate connects out to a server your agency operates. For a managed server, eCourtDate handles its own access, so you only add your IP under Inbound Security Rules.

  1. Open the server in the Console and go to the Security tab.
  2. Under Inbound Security Rules, add a rule:
    • IP Address: the public IP of the machine that will connect. The form shows your current IP as a hint: "Must be a public IP address. Your current IP is <your-ip>/32." If you are setting up the Console from the same network you will connect from, use that value.
    • Description: a label for the rule (for example, County CMS server).
  3. Save the rule. It is applied to the server's firewall on port 22 (TCP). Outbound traffic is blocked.

To allowlist a different machine (for example, your case management server rather than your workstation), enter that machine's public IP instead. Private IP addresses (for example, 10.x, 172.16.x, 192.168.x) are rejected.

To remove access, use the Remove button next to the rule.

Download the SSH key​

Managed servers use SSH key authentication. eCourtDate generates the key when it provisions the server.

  1. On the server page, click Download .pem.
  2. Save the .pem file securely. This is your private key for connecting.

See Authentication for converting the key for Windows clients and for client-specific setup.

Test and connect​

  1. Click Test Connection in the Console to confirm the server is reachable. A successful test shows the host and a response time.
  2. Connect from your SFTP client using the Host from the Console, the username ubuntu, and the downloaded .pem key. For example:
sftp -i county-court-sftp.pem ubuntu@<host-from-console>
  1. Place export files in the server directory. eCourtDate retrieves them through the SFTP Profile linked to this server once Auto Sync is enabled.

See also​