What is this about?

For EDI server / econnect connections to the PHONONET eBusiness Clearing, a new certificate is required. To this end, participants must install a new certificate file in their EDI server / econnect directory.

IMPORTANT: Without adjustments on the participant side, a connection to the PHONONET Clearing will no longer be possible once the new certificate goes live at PHONONET.

Who is affected?

Participants in PHONONET eBusiness who connect to the PHONONET Clearing using the PHONONET EDI-Server software or directly via the associated econnect2 communication module. This software is used to send EDI files (orders, delivery notes, product master data, etc.) to the PHONONET Clearing or to retrieve them from there.
It is unclear whether participants still using the older econnect version 1 are also affected, since PHONONET can no longer provide support for that version.

If you received this instruction link from PHONONET but do not operate any such PHONONET connection, please let us know at info@phononet.de!

• Note that in some cases multiple mailboxes / connections may exist for the same company. This can be the case, for example, if…
  • … you use separate IT systems for receiving or sending different message types such as purchase orders, product master data, inventory data, sales data, etc.
  • … you use external service providers for part of your EDI processing who maintain an EDI connection to PHONONET on your behalf.
• -> Please check all of your PHONONET Clearing connections accordingly!

When do the changes need to be made?

• The adjustments described below can (and should!) be made to your system starting immediately.
• The adjustments must be completed on the participant side by July 10, 2026, 12:00 noon (CEST) at the latest.
• The changeover should take no more than about 15 minutes.
• Please also plan to monitor the EDI connection on your end after the changeover.
• It is advisable to carry out the change during PHONONET support hours (Mon–Fri, 9 AM–4 PM CEST) so that support is available if needed.

Please act as soon as possible! PHONONET has limited support capacity and cannot handle all last-minute requests simultaneously.

Who should carry out the changes?

A person responsible for your IT systems, ideally someone familiar with how your EDI processes work in general and with the EDI-Server or econnect in particular.

Instructions: What exactly needs to be done?

Please read the following instructions in full before starting. Only make the changes if you are certain you have understood the instructions and if you are authorized to make these changes at your company! If needed, seek expert help or contact PHONONET support if you get stuck or if the instructions do not match the setup at your site.

The goal of this change is to replace the certificate file (TrustedCA.crt) present in your installation with a new version.

Short version: In the EDI-Server/econnect directory, back up the old TrustedCA.crt file – if necessary, stop the EDI-Server / econnect2 – download the new TrustedCA.crt file from https://www.phononet.de/trustedca/, unzip it, and install it in place of the old one -> perform a DFÜ (dial-up/data transfer) receive test with the EDI-Server / econnect.

1) Locate the installation directory of your PHONONET EDI connection

• Find the directory where the PHONONET EDI-Server or econnect2 is installed on your system – this is also where the certificate file to be replaced is located.
  • The EDI-Server is normally located in C:/IS/ or D:/IS/ (this may differ for, e.g., network installations).
  • If you only run econnect2 without an EDI-Server (possibly on Linux), you likely have a custom installation – search your system for the term “econnect” or “TrustedCA.crt” if needed.
  • If you cannot find the directory, please ask your IT department. As a last resort, contact PHONONET support (info@phononet.de).

2) Back up the file to be replaced (TrustedCA.crt)

• In your EDI-Server or econnect directory there is – depending on the version of your connection – a file named TrustedCA.crt.
  • Please make sure your computer displays file extensions so you can identify the correct file!
• Back up the TrustedCA.crt file by copying it under a different name (e.g., as TrustedCA-COPY.crt).
  • Note the location of the copy (especially if you store it in a different folder).
• Additional tip (only if needed): In the econnect2.cfg file, which you can view with a text editor, there is usually a parameter called “Certpath” followed by the path and name of the certificate file. If this does not point to “..\TrustedCA.crt” but to a different reference, you may need to replace the file named there instead. If in doubt, contact PHONONET in this case.

3) Only for EDI-Server users: Stop a running EDI-Server (otherwise continue with step 4)

• Note/remember the operating mode of your EDI-Server (e.g., automatic mode / was stopped / …).
• If the EDI-Server is running, stop it now if necessary via the menu: Übertragung (Transfer) > Beenden (Stop).
  • You may need to stop automatic mode first.

4) Replacing the certificate file

• Download the new certificate file from the following link: https://www.phononet.de/trustedca/
• Unzip the file contained in TrustedCA.zip.
• Install (copy) the unzipped file (TrustedCA.crt) into your EDI-Server / econnect directory.
  • Since you already backed up the old file (step 2), confirm the security prompt if necessary to overwrite the old file.
• ONLY if you have a special configuration with a different file name: see the additional tip under step 2.

5) Now test whether your system connects correctly to the PHONONET Clearing after the change, by performing a receive test:

5a) …for EDI-Server users

• Start the EDI-Server by double-clicking the file ino_srv (or ino_srv.exe) in the EDI-Server directory (normally C:/IS/ or D:/IS/).
• Select the menu item: Übertragung (Transfer) > DFÜ > Empfangen (Receive).
  • The EDI-Server will indicate success or, otherwise, an error. In case of an error, please inform PHONONET at info@phononet.de and perform a rollback if necessary (see below).
• If the EDI-Server connected successfully, return it to the normal operating state in which you usually use it:
  • if you had previously stopped automatic mode, restart it (menu: Übertragung > Automatik).
  • if the EDI-Server does not normally run continuously at your site, it is likely started for file transfers by other software such as PNClient, PNBasis, PNStamm, your merchandise management system, or command-line calls. In this case, stop the EDI-Server (menu: Übertragung > Beenden).
  • Check over the coming hours/days whether EDI message exchange is functioning normally.

5b) …for users of econnect2 / econnect (without EDI-Server)

• Start the econnect receive process.
• Check whether a connection is established or whether errors occur (in this case, please contact PHONONET at info@phononet.de and perform a rollback if necessary, see below).
• Check over the coming hours/days whether EDI message exchange is functioning normally.

If errors occur during the connection test or during operation, please contact PHONONET support (info@phononet.de or +49 40 554937-11).

-> ROLLBACK: If urgent EDI message transfers are pending, you can copy the previously backed-up copy of the TrustedCA.crt file (see step 2) back as TrustedCA.crt, thereby overwriting the new version with the previous one. EDI transfers should then work as before.