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CDN Update FAQ Page

Last update: January 15, 2025

In our on-going efforts to provide superior service to our customers, we are moving the NITRO Studio CDN (“Content Delivery Network”) to Microsoft’s Azure Front Door. This will provide increased reliability and security. 

This update is a simple process similar to the normal NITRO Studio upgrade you may have done in the past.

Preliminary Release notes:

  • Minor release from 2.5.X to 2.6.0  or 3.0.X to 3.1.X (depending on starting version)
  • Changing all CDN address references over to Microsoft’s Azure Front Door.
  • Minor Misc changes to support this change and simplify the update process.

Originally, we had planned to make this CDN update and the 2.X to 3.X update for all customers at the same time, however we learned in December 2024 that the CDN provider we had been using would be shutting down their service by January 15th, 2025.

What is a CDN?

CDN stands for Content Delivery Network. It is a network of servers distributed across various locations worldwide to deliver content (such as websites, images, videos, or other assets) to users more quickly and reliably.

When a user accesses content from a website using a CDN, the content is delivered from the server closest to the user’s location, reducing latency and improving loading speed. CDNs also help with load balancing, scalability, and protection against traffic spikes or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

Why does this need to be done now in a very short time frame?

Crow Canyon’s NITRO Studio relies on a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver resources efficiently and ensure optimal performance. The CDN that was used by NITRO Studio in version 2.5.x and earlier was retired on January 15, 2025. More information on this is available here.

NITRO Studio has now moved to a new CDN (cdn.crowcanyon.com). There is a temporary fix to redirect the old CDN reference (crowcanyon.azureedge.net) to the new CDN reference. However, Microsoft has not committed to a timeframe for how long this redirect will continue to work.

We still recommend updating your NITRO Studio version to 2.6.x or 3.1.x as soon as possible. The update process will move the NITRO Studio code to use the new CDN. There is no functionality change associated with this update; the same content will be delivered from a different CDN.

What impact does this have on my NITRO functionality?

There will be no net-new features introduced during this update. All NITRO Studio functionality will work the same as before. There are no changes to the user interface of NITRO Studio. All existing Forms, Workflows, Custom Actions, and all other settings will not be impacted by this update.

How do I update to the new CDN?

NITRO Studio 2.5.x.x and earlier customers: https://www.crowcanyon.help/nitro-cdn-update/

NITRO Studio 3.0.x.x customers: https://www.crowcanyon.help/cdn-update-for-nitro-3-0/

On-premises customers: https://www.crowcanyon.help/nitro-studio-cdn-update-for-sp-on-premises-2013-2016-2019-and-se/

GCC High customers: Check if the upgrade is necessary by following the instructions at this link:
https://www.crowcanyon.help/steps-to-find-cdn-provider-for-gcc-high-and-dedicated-azure-customers/

Will there be any downtime during this update?

For M365 customers

There may be a downtime of a few seconds for webparts (e.g. List views, List Search, etc) as the updates are being made. However, your site will continue to function during the update. If you encounter any issues with loading a webpart or a dashboard page, please refresh the browser to get the latest content.

For On-premises customers

There will be downtime for the server as the new solutions are deployed. When updating NITRO Studio on specific Site Collections or sites there may be a downtime of a few seconds for webparts (e.g. List views, List Search, etc) as the updates are being made. However, your site will continue to function during the update. If you encounter any issues with loading a webpart or a dashboard page, please refresh the browser to get the latest content.

What happens if I don’t update in time?

Previously we communicated that this update was mandatory for NITRO Studio and Crow Canyon applications to continue to run. However, we recently worked with the Microsoft Azure team to allow for a redirect of the crowcanyon.azureedge.net domain to a new custom domain, cdn.crowcanyon.com. 

Even with this, however, it’s best for our customers to update NITRO so that the NITRO code no longer relies on crowcanyon.azureedge.net, for complete surety of no interruption of service. 

How long will the update take?

It depends on how many sites are in each Site Collection you need to update. Each site can take up to 30 minutes to update to the new CDN. We recommend deactivating NITRO Studio on any unused sites prior to running the update.

I have many Site Collections. Do I really have to update each one individually?

Yes, each Site Collection that uses NITRO Studio will need to be updated individually.

How many Site Collections can I update at one time?

While Crow Canyon will not limit how many can be updated at one time, Microsoft will impose some throttling limits for M365 customers. We recommend that you update up to 3 Site Collections at a time.

For on-premises customers, you may encounter similar throttling limits, but this will be dependent on your specific environment.

What happens if I accidentally close the browser or my computer goes to sleep during the update process?

If you close your browser window or your computer goes to sleep during the NITRO Studio update process, you will need to restart the process. However, any sites that have already been updated, will not need to be updated again, so the restarted process will not take as long as if all the sites were updated at one time.

I am using NITRO Studio in a GCC High environment. Do I need to update? Will I need to perform additional steps?

If you are using the Edgio CDN, you may need to take additional steps. Please follow the instructions at this link:
https://www.crowcanyon.help/steps-to-find-cdn-provider-for-gcc-high-and-dedicated-azure-customers/

Contact Crow Canyon’s support team at sharepointsupport@crowcanyon.com if you need to update your CDN.

I am using NITRO Studio on-premises (i.e SharePoint 2013, 2016, 2019, or SE). Do I need to update? What will that update process look like?

Yes, you will need to update if you are using a version of NITRO Studio that uses the Edgio CDN. You will receive emails from us regarding this update if you are using the Edgio CDN currently.

The update process will largely be similar to the update for our M365 customers. Please refer to this article for additional details about the update for on-premises customers: https://www.crowcanyon.help/nitro-studio-cdn-update-for-sp-on-premises-2013-2016-2019-and-se/

Will Crow Canyon be providing additional assistance for this update?

While we will be unable to work with each of our customers individually, we will be actively monitoring our support emails. If you need additional assistance, please contact sharepointsupport@crowcanyon.com.

No, this is not related to the add-in deprecation. That is a separate update that will be communicated to our customers at a later date. Add-ins will continue to work until April 2, 2026. Unlike this current update, the add-in deprecation does not rely on a third-party, and it is unlikely that Microsoft will move the date earlier than currently communicated.

Do I need to whitelist any new domains or IP addresses?

Yes. You will need to whitelist https://cdn.crowcanyon.com.