1
Introduction
Topics
What is Equitrac Office and Equitrac Express?
Core Server Components
Optional Components
Administering Equitrac Office and Express
Configuring Administrative Access
Licensing
Language Support
Additional Documentation
After successfully installing Nuance® Equitrac® Office or Equitrac® Express and performing initial configuration tasks outlined in the Equitrac Office and Express Installation Guide, you can further customize the deployment. Use this guide to perform advanced configuration tasks for all components and features of Equitrac Office and Express.
This guide also provides information about using client applications, running reports, and monitoring the overall system health with the Device Monitoring Engine and Console.
This chapter provides information about:
• key features of Equitrac Office and Equitrac Express used in business and education environments, respectively
• core and optional components that form the client-server suite
• Administrative Applications that enable system configuration and ongoing management
• limiting access to the Administrative Applications to prevent unauthorized users from making changes to system components or printing accounts
• purchasing licenses to enable core and optional functionality
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Chapter 1: Introduction
What is Equitrac Office and Equitrac Express?
Equitrac Office and Express are server-based print management and cost recovery solutions which measure, monitor, and manage document output on your network. By regulating devices on the network, and local desktop printers,
Equitrac Office and Express tracks and controls photocopies, print jobs, scans and faxes with minimal administration.
This software-based print tracking and document accounting solution reduces print expenses, eliminates wasteful printing, deploys equipment for maximum efficiency, and even contributes to a better environment. Equitrac Office and Express allows you to track, analyze and, if necessary, allocate expenses for every document that any user sends to any networked printer, copier or multi-function device.
Equitrac Office is an ideal solution for small businesses with a few devices, and for large enterprises with multiple offices and thousands of devices. Equitrac Express is well suited for educational institutions by letting students, faculty and staff print what they need and when they need it, wherever they are located.
Equitrac Office and Express Features
• Dual pricing creates a default or primary price list, and a secondary price list that applies under certain conditions. The primary price list is used to calculate the actual transaction cost, but the secondary price calculates another cost that is stored with the transaction for reporting purposes only.
For example, Equitrac Office and Express can be can configured to use primary pricing to charge the user for a print transaction, but use the secondary price list to track the cost the company pays to a printer leasing company for the job (many lease contracts stipulate a base cost per page).
• Client Billing enables the use of billing codes. Billing codes are unique identifiers against which specific users can charge their jobs. Businesses that perform services on a per-client basis can use billing codes to track costs and accurately bill back to the client.
• Color Quotas
set per-user color printing page limits for printed and copied documents, ensuring that users stay within budget where color output is concerned.
• Follow-You
Printing
®
holds print jobs in a secure print queue and allows the user to release the print jobs to a compatible device, even across print servers. A user can select a particular printer when they submit a print request, then use any Release Station, Web Release Station, PageCounter terminal, PageControl Touch terminal, or
MFP embedded device and redirect the job to a different compatible printer.
• Secure Printing
holds documents sent to print in a proprietary queue until a user releases the job via a
PageCounter terminal, PageControl Touch terminal, Release Station, Web Release Station, or MFP embedded device. This prevents situations where proprietary documents sit at the printer for all users to see until the user picks up the job.
Equitrac Express Only Features
• Account limits
enforce charging limits for any combination of user, department, or billing codes. Accounts must maintain a minimum balance to access devices for prints and copies.
• Departmental pricing offers a variance of job pricing based on the department the user belongs to. Schools can offer all devices to all users, but can also subsidize pricing for users in specific a department.
• Campus Card (also called Foreign Accounting System or FAS) enables integration with card payment systems.
Equitrac Express currently integrates with Blackboard, Valuecard, CBord CS Gold and CBord Odyssey interfaces.
Additionally, any system can be integrated with some development work using the Campus Card API as described in the Campus Card API Reference Guide.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
• Cashier allows staff to adjust balances on user, department, or billing codes. Similar to a library cashier, staff can collect money from Equitrac Express users and deposit the equivalent amount into the user’s paid account.
Equitrac Office and Express is a modular product comprised of the following:
• a core set of server components
• optional licensed features that enable additional functionality to extend the capabilities of the software
• a set of Administrative Applications used to centrally manage all aspects of the system
Core components are essential and must be installed on a Windows Server system. Optional components can be purchased and licensed to customize the functionality to suit the organization’s needs.
For a comprehensive list of the features and functionality included in the various license bundles, refer to the Equitrac product site at
www.nuance.com/for-business/by-product/equitrac/index.htm
.
Core Server Components
Equitrac Office and Express is comprised of the following main core server components:
• Core Accounting Server (CAS)
• Document Routing Engine (DRE)
• Device Control Engine (DCE)
• Device Monitoring Engine (DME)
• Scan Processing Engine (SPE)
Although there are many core server components, every Equitrac installation requires the Core Accounting Server
(CAS) and either a Document Routing Engine (DRE) or a Device Control Engine (DCE) at a minimum. The Device
Monitoring Engine (DME) and Scan Processing Engine (SPE) are not required for all installations.
The core components can be installed on a single server, or distributed across multiple servers to disburse the print load tracking or device management activities.
The core server components communicate on designated ports. Each component “listens” on a specific port for information or requests from the other components. Refer to the Equitrac Office and Express Installation Guide for a complete list of port assignments per component.
Making Changes to Server Components
If making configuration changes within System Manager to any of the core server components (CAS, DRE, DCE,
DME, SPE), such as changing printer languages or PageCounters, you must wait a minimum of 30 seconds before these changes take effect.
The delay in updating server components is a function of the CAS polling feature. This means that the delay may be longer in the event that CAS is unavailable for some reason during that polling period after the server changes. CAS sends the change data to the relevant components once the connection is restored.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Core Accounting Server
The Core Accounting Server (CAS) verifies users, calculates transaction charges, and assigns those charges to an appropriate user or group account. CAS calculates charges using page count and job attribute information received from the Document Routing Engine (DRE), along with printer costs defined by the administrator.
• user verification
• print charge calculations
• output tracking
• account balance management
Every Equitrac Office and Express installation requires a pre-installed database. CAS uses the database instance to create an accounts database that contains all printer, user, department, billing code, transaction, and balance information. The database can reside on the same machine as CAS, or on a separate server if needed. See System
Requirements in the Equitrac Office and Express Installation Guide for information about supported databases.
For installations that support a large user base, or where you support remote campus locations, you may need to deploy multiple accounting servers. Although these accounting servers can function separately, the Uplink feature enables central reporting of print transaction and accounting data. Refer to
Running Consolidated Reports
on page
376 for full instructions on how to configure the Uplink feature.
You can configure the CAS functionality in both System Manager and Accounts Manager. Configuration options are located in System Manager, and printing accounts (user, department, billing codes) are managed in Accounts
Manager.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Document Routing Engine
The Document Routing Engine (DRE) is the print server. Its primary function is to enable document flow from user workstations to output devices such as printers, plotters, or MFPs and capture the document characteristics of all output. Each time a user releases a print job, DRE communicates the job characteristics to CAS.
If there are many printers within your deployment that generate frequent throughput, you may need to deploy multiple DREs. You can designate specific printers to each DRE, balancing the overall load to streamline the data flow.
The diagram below shows a typical DRE workflow. First, a user generates a print request. The DRE intercepts the request before it gets to the printer and “holds” the print job while it waits for a user validation response from CAS.
CAS checks its database and either validates the user, or denies the request. The response is sent back to DRE, and the print job is forwarded to the printer if the user was validated. If denied, the user receives a notification message on their desktop (if configured). After the job is printed, the page count and job attributes are forwarded to the CAS database for tracking.
1
Print Request
2
Validate Print Request
3
Job is Printed
DRE
4
Update Job Attributes
Basic DRE workflow used to measure print usage
CAS
DB
For installations that require secure document printing, you can configure DRE to hold documents in a print queue until the user releases them from a release device (such as PageCounter, Release Station, Web Release Station, or embedded device). See
Enabling Secure Printing
on page 296 for details.
Although DRE is a core component, it is not required in all deployments. DRE manages communications with physical printing devices. If you are only tracking copy transaction on devices with embedded devices (rather than tracking printing), you do not need to install the DRE component.
DRE functionality can be configured in System Manager.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Device Control Engine
The Device Control Engine (DCE) provides communication with copy and fax devices and with multi-function devices that provide fax and scan features. You must install specific embedded devices or terminals to enable
communication with these devices. See
Embedded Devices
on page 56 and
Using Control Terminals
on page 119 for
details.
DCE communicates with CAS to verify user credentials, and forwards the copy and fax information generated by these devices for tracking in the accounting database.
The diagram below shows a basic DCE workflow. First, a user requests access to a multi-function device via a control terminal or the device itself. The request is handled by DCE, which then forwards a user validation request to CAS.
CAS checks its database and either validates the request, or denies it. After the user completes their copy, fax or scan, the job attributes are forwarded to CAS for tracking.
2
Validate Login Request
1
Login Requested
3
Update Job Attributes
DCE
Basic DCE workflow used to measure multi-function device usage
DB
CAS
Although DCE is a core component, it is not required in all deployments. If you intend to track printing from workstations only, and do not need to track copy, scan, or fax jobs, you do not need to install the DCE component.
Instead, you need the DRE component only.
If you require a solution that does not depend on a connection to CAS, you can install the MobileDCE component on a laptop or workstation. Each day, an Administrator can download a fresh set of PIN information from CAS to the
MobileDCE, then walk to each control terminal and download cached transaction data to the mobile server. The
Administrator can then upload the fresh set of PINs to the control terminal, leaving it ready for use. The next time the
MobileDCE machine connects to CAS, the transaction data is uploaded and updated in the database. For more
information, see
Using MobileDCE Server
on page 162.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Scan Processing Engine
The Scan Processing Engine (SPE) is responsible for controlling all scan features once authentication has taken place.
When a scan request is received by DCE, all information relevant to the request is passed to SPE to process. SPE then sends the scans to the appropriate scan destination, and sends the scan information to CAS for costing and reporting.
An SPE requires at least one DCE to operate, and multiple SPEs can be deployed per DCE to manage the scan load requirements. Scanning requirements for organizations differ based upon the amount of scanning performed, and how much OCR processing is used during the scanning process. If minimal scanning or OCR processing is used, then
SPE can be installed on the same server as other Equitrac Core Components. Typically, a separate SPE server option is selected only if OCR processing is used.
3
SPE sends scan information to CAS for costing and reporting, and to the appropriate scan destination
1
User conducts scan at MFP
2
DCE sends files to SPE
MFP DCE SPE
Scan Destinations
DB
CAS
Basic SPE workflow used to process scans
SPE is required for Equitrac’s Scan-to-Me and Capture and Send workflows. Scan-to-Me allows users to scan a document and email it to their own address, and optionally to other addresses via the CC field (if enabled). See
Enabling Scan-to-Me
on page 397.
Capture and Send uses SPE to scan documents to a particular URL on the Internet via SharePoint, a telephone fax number via RightFax, network folders on your local area network, and email through your server. In the case of
SharePoint and RightFax, there must be as many SharePoint or RightFax destinations as there are SharePoint or
RightFax servers (one destination per server). A Capture and Send license is required per device and must be assigned to each device to enable the advanced scan features. See
Assigning Licenses to Devices
on page 39.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Device Monitoring Engine
The Device Monitoring Engine (DME) is an optional component that monitors physical device status and faults.
Installed on a server station, DME monitors selected devices for SNMP status changes and logs the status changes. You can view the current status of any monitored device in the Device Monitoring Console. If you want to monitor a device for a particular type of fault (e.g. offline status or paper jams), you can create Alert Rules that send notifications when the fault occurs.
IT Managers can run standard or custom device status reports to proactively identify devices requiring service or replacement. These reports track the historical status of a device over time, allowing you to understand the performance history of the device.
For more information on DME and the DME Console, see
Device Monitoring with DME
on page 101.
CAS
DB
1
2
Request Monitored Device List
Load Monitored Device List
DME
Console
SNMP
Status Changes
DME
DME listens for SNMP status changes on monitored devices
SNMP-enabled
Devices
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Optional Components
Optional components extend the base functionality of the Equitrac Office or Express Suite. Some components are enabled with the Suite licenses, and you have the option of implementing the features if needed. Other components must be licensed separately within System Manager. The following sections provide a description of each component, and indicate when you must purchase a separate license to enable the optional functionality.
Workstation Client
The Workstation Client offers a number of powerful features that provide job information or prompts to the user when they request a print job from a networked workstation. You must install the Workstation Client software on each workstation that use these features, however, you can select which features to install on each machine.
Once installed, the client software tracks and audits print activity even if the connection to the Equitrac server is lost.
Users can continue to print uninterrupted, and the transaction details are uploaded to the server once the connection is restored.
A Workstation Client license is required for each workstation to enable one or all of these features.
• Desktop Printing tracks the use of local LPT and USB printers connected to a workstation. Desktop Printing supports simple pricing on a per-page basis, and advanced price lists tracking. Charging for color attributes is also possible but depends on the properties of the printing application and the printer driver. Desktop Printing does not support charging for attributes such as duplexing or page size and does not enforce Account Limits. See
Desktop Printing
on page 317.
• Client Billing prompts users to assign billing codes when they print their documents. See
Working with Billing
Codes
on page 185.
• Prompt for Login prompts for Windows login credentials any time a user tries to print to a device monitored by
Equitrac Office and Express. Users must enter a valid Windows username and password to complete the print request. See
Prompt for Login
on page 402.
• Cost Preview provides a summary of the print request cost prior to sending the job to the printer and prior to recording the transaction in CAS. Users can accept or cancel transactions before printing. See
Cost Preview
on page 402.
• Equitrac Messaging Services is a proprietary messaging service that is included with the Client install to display error messages on the user’s workstation. See
Selecting Notification Methods
on page 250.
• Workstation direct IP printing (DRC) enables Follow-You Printing and print tracking on par with DRE serverbased print tracking but without the need of a print server. As the name indicates, this is only available for direct IP printing from a workstation to a networked printer.
• Interactive print rules enable a server-based print rule to interact with the end user when running on a Windows
print server. This change does not apply to workstation rules or copy rules. See
Interactive Print Rules
on page
333.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Direct IP Printing (DRC)
The DRC component of the Workstation Client is intended to provide DRE printing behavior for sites that prefer to print via direct IP printing instead of to a print server. A physical device appears in System Manager the first time a workstation prints using DRC. As other DRC clients print to the same printer, additional ports and queues associated with each workstation name appear under the same physical device. This is repeated for each printer accessed by a
DRC client. Reporting is the same as if they had printed to DRE printers.
Features
• DRC has all the same capabilities as DRE
• Tracks the same print attributes as DRE
• Supports the same rules as DRE
• Rules can re-direct print jobs to DRE printers
• Holds jobs for secure release on the user’s workstation
• Can pull jobs to any printer in the pull group
• Supports the same workstation popup features as DRE (billing code, cost preview, interactive rules)
• Works on Windows workstations and Mac workstations (there are no interactive rules on Mac)
Installing DRC
DRC is a component of the Workstation Client installation. Sites intending to install DRC on a large number of clients require an automated roll-out procedure that silently installs the Workstation client. Page counting hot fixes are supplied in the form of a new client which must be rolled out to the workstations.
Managing DRC
DRC is managed the same as any other device in System Manager. A single physical device is created for each printer regardless of how many DRC clients are printing to it. Under each physical device, a port and a print queue are created for each DRC client workstation.
Use the Type view under the System Manager > Devices to quickly select and configure multiple DRC clients.
To minimize network traffic, configuration changes in System Manager are not immediately reflected on the workstations. On startup, each DRC synchronizes its cache with CAS if the DRC cache does not exist or is older than
24 hours. To prevent all of the workstations from synchronizing at the same time, automatic synchronization occurs according to a random time schedule between midnight and 6 AM. The cache contains configuration settings from
System Manager for each Direct IP printer used by the workstation. Cache synchronization has the potential to send the largest amount of data. The size is dependent upon such things as the printer name, number of rules, and so on.
To manually force an immediate synchronization, do the following:
1
2
3
Select the Software node in System Manager.
Use the Description column to sort the view.
Select one or more workstations, then right-click and select Force cache update from the list.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Communicating with DRC
On startup, DRC sends version information to CAS, and reports when a new printer is added on the workstation.
When printing, DRC calls CAS to validate the transaction and to post the transaction results.
Reporting Print Transactions
DRC print tracking appears the same as DRE printing, but more printers are listed when reporting by print queue instead of physical device.
NOTE: This only applies to Windows direct IP printing. DRC cannot function as a print server since rules to re-direct to
another DRC is not supported. If the printer is shared, and a job is printed through the share from another machine, the job prints, but it is not tracked, and rules are not applied.
Print Assistant
Print Assistant is an Equitrac Express option which consists of a bundle of features designed to prompt users when they submit print requests. These features are Cost Preview, User Authentication, Job Rename, and Release Key.
• Cost Preview provides a summary of the print request cost prior to sending the job to the printer and prior to recording the transaction in CAS. Users can accept or cancel transactions before printing. See
Cost Preview
on page 402.
• User Authentication, also called Prompt for Login, prompts the user to enter their login credentials whenever they submit a print request to a device monitored by Equitrac. This feature prevents unauthorized users from printing to monitored network printers. See
Prompt for Login
on page 402.
• Job Rename lets users assign a new, unique name to a document when they submit a print request. In an environment where Release Station is implemented to queue documents to a printer, the walk-up user or print-
desk staff are able to quickly identify any specific print request by its new name. See
Cost Preview
on page 402.
• Release Keys let users assign an alphanumeric key value to their document when they submit a print request.
When the user needs to identify their document in the secure print queue, they can look for their document by the release key number. See
Release Key Prompt
on page 404. Release Keys are not compatible with Client Billing nor
Prompt for Login. Do not install these options on the same user workstation.
Data Source
The Data Source component enables a third party print tracking system to upload transaction data to the Equitrac
Office and Express accounting server. See
Import Utilities
on page 473.
Interface Module
If your deployment requires communication with copy, fax, scan, or multi-function devices, you must purchase an
Embedded Device license to enable this communication.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Rules and Routing
The Rules and Routing feature enables you to configure Equitrac Office and Express to accept, hold, deny, or re-route to specific devices, any print requests that meet specific criteria. You can also configure rules that route jobs based on least cost or device status. You can create custom messages that are displayed when a user selects a particular type of print job at their workstation. See
Routing Rules
on page 323.
Uplink
If you require central coordination of print transaction and accounting data from multiple sites (e.g. remote campus locations), the Accounting Server Uplink feature enables remote instances of CAS to upload transaction and account data to a single master accounting server at regular intervals. See
Running Consolidated Reports
on page 376 for
details on configuring Uplink settings.
Uplink provides a central location for distributing Enterprise and Embedded licenses from the master CAS to subsidiary CAS servers. See
Enterprise Licensing
on page 36.
Release Station
Release Station is a secure printing feature that uses a network workstation as a point of controlled document release.
When a user requests a print job, the job is held in the Release Station queue until the user releases it from the Release
Station application. Typically installed on a workstation located near the printers, you can configure the software to allow network users to view, select, print, or delete documents held in the proprietary secure print queue.
Use the included Release Station Configuration tool to configure Release Station to operate as a self-serve or operator-
controlled workstation. See
Configuring Release Station Behavior
on page 418.
Deposit Station
Deposit Station for Equitrac Express is a self-serve kiosk consisting of a workstation and a device that accepts coins, bill, card deposits, then updates dedicated Equitrac Express user accounts with the value of the deposit. Users must authenticate themselves on the workstation. Authentication occurs via card swipe, PIN, or a combination of both. See
Configuring Deposit Station
on page 434 for details. Deposit Station requires an External Data Sources license.
Campus Card
Equitrac Express allows users to swipe a Campus Card at a Release Station as a method of payment from a third-party account using the Campus Card (also called Foreign Accounting System or FAS) functionality. Using PageCounter or
PageControl Touch terminals or embedded devices, users can authenticate themselves as valid Campus Card account holders, make copies, release jobs, and pay for these services in real time directly from their Campus Card accounts.
Release Station and Web Release Station offer the same capabilities, except for making copies.
Equitrac Express currently integrates with Blackboard, CBord Odyssey, CBord CS Gold and Valuecard interfaces.
Additionally, any system can be integrated with some development work using the Campus Card API, as described in the Campus Card API Reference Guide.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Smart Card Support
Smart Card Service and Driver is an optional feature of DCE, which enables users to authenticate through a smart card reader connected directly to a device via a Smart Card. The Smart Card solution is only for 64-bit systems.
Mobile Printing
The Mobile Printing component enables users to print to the printers in your implementation without the need for a connection to the local network. Users can print from any smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC. These documents are tracked through Equitrac using the same means as documents printed from computers on the local network. See
Mobile Printing
on page 321.
Device Web Server
The Device Web Service (DWS) is an optional feature of DCE, and is required in order to manage and control embedded applications on web-based MFPs. When a user logs in at a web based device, the login data is sent to DWS, which communicates with DCE, and then DCE contacts CAS to verify the user account. DWS is only for 64-bit systems.
Device Control Server
The Device Control Server (DCS) is an feature of DCE, and is required to manage and control Nuance Ethernet card readers. DCS is also required to communicate with DWS in order to work with some web-based MFPs.
Web Client
Web Client is an optional feature that offers a package of web applications which allow both users and system administrators to perform Equitrac-related tasks using a web browser. Web Client consists of Web System Manager,
Scan Client, User Dashboard, Web Reports and Web Deposit that can be installed together or separately as needed.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Administering Equitrac Office and Express
The majority of Equitrac Office and Express Server administration takes places in the Administrative Applications.
These applications are typically installed on the Core Accounting Server (CAS), but can also be installed on any server or workstation within the deployment for ease of administration.
By default, the installer places the Administrative Applications on the Start menu under Start > All Programs >
Equitrac Office
or Equitrac Express.
Before you can access the Administrative Applications, you must select the accounting server that you want to work with. The accounting server collects information from, and writes to, a single accounts database, so you can connect to only one accounting server at a time.
If you deployed multiple
CAS servers, each CAS is listed in this window.
If you deployed multiple CAS servers, the Select accounting server dialog box displays each time you open an
Administrative Application, and you need to select the appropriate CAS before proceeding. If you only have one CAS, you can disable this feature by clearing the Display at startup checkbox. However, if you disabled the Display at startup option, and later need to access a different CAS, select Tools > Options within any of the Administrative
Applications, and check the Display server selection dialog on startup option. The next time you launch an
Administrative Application, the Select accounting server dialog box opens.
The main Administrative Applications are System Manager, Accounts Manager, Reports Manager, Department
Manager, and the Device Monitoring Console.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
System Manager
System Manager allows Administrators to perform advanced configuration and maintenance tasks. System Manager controls system-wide configuration and integration settings, as well as the behavior of the accounting server, local and remote print servers, and workstation client software. You can install System Manager on CAS or on any Windows workstation on the network.
The System Manager interface is divided into sections. The Manager tools are listed beneath the current CAS System heading. When you make a selection from these tools, the contents of the right pane update to show the available options. Alternatively, you can select a task from the Current tasks list, although for some options, such as
Configuration, tasks are listed only in the right pane.
Equitrac Office and Express combines System Manager, Accounts Manager, Department Manager, Device Monitoring
Console, and the Diagnostics tool into a single window for users with Administrative access permissions. To open System
Manager, go to Start > All Programs > Equitrac Office or Equitrac Express > System Manager.
CAUTION: Diagnostic tools are used to generated trace logs for server components for troubleshooting purposes.
Enabling log tracing should only be done with direction from Equitrac Support Services.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Accounts Manager
Accounts Manager provides tools to configure and manage the Equitrac database. This database contains printing accounts and transaction records associated with CAS. All account information including billing codes, user accounts, and departments are managed from Accounts Manager.
The Accounts Manager interface is divided into sections similar to the System Manager. The Manager tools are listed beneath the current CAS Accounts heading. When you make a selection from these tools, the contents of the right pane update to show you the available options. Alternatively, you can select a task from the Current tasks list.
Accounts Manager can be accessed by users without Administrative privileges via Start > All Programs > Equitrac
Office
or Equitrac Express > Accounts Manager. See
Configuring Administrative Access
on page 34 for full details
on configuring user access permissions.
For information on using Accounts Manager, see
Creating & Managing Accounts
on page 201.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Department Manager
Department Manager provides many of the same functions as Accounts Manager, but removes the ability to manage billing codes and departments. Department Manager is useful if you want to designate a department administrator that is responsible for managing user accounts within one or multiple departments. Department administrators can add, change, or delete user accounts. This administrator cannot make changes to billing codes or departments from within Department Manager. Tasks within Department Manager are limited to user account modifications. The administrator does not have to be a member of the department to manage it, and a department can be managed by multiple administrators.
You must configure access permissions in System Manager, adding Department Administrators as a group. When the administrative user logs on, then starts Department Manager, they see accounts for all departments that they are designated to manage. See
User Authentication
on page 244 for details.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Device Monitoring Console
The Device Monitoring Console allows you to configure the fault conditions that DME monitors per device. Custom alert rules let you choose the specific fault conditions (such as Offline, Paper jam, and Unreachable) that DME listens for per device. The Alert rules also let you define the notification method to use when a fault condition occurs.
When the console launches, DME contacts CAS to obtain a list of monitored devices, and displays the list in the
Devices view. You can quickly view device status summary information at a glance. Use the DME Console to configure
Alert Rules and to view overall device status information.
For more information on DME and the DME Console, see
Device Monitoring with DME
on page 101.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Reports Manager
Reports Manager contains a selection of standard reports, or you can modify standard reports to create your own custom reports. If your deployment uses multiple CAS servers, you can also generate reports on transaction data uplinked from subsidiary accounting servers.
For example, you can use Reports Manager to generate a printer usage audit trail in order to recover costs. You can audit usage patterns, user or department activity, activity load on specific devices, analyze inefficiencies, and access device fault tolerances.
Equitrac Office and Express also provides reports that allow you to analyze devices trend usage, color or black & white usage over time, usage patterns, etc. Graphical device configuration reports provide usage analysis of print queues, ports, control terminals, etc.
If you installed the DME component, you can also generate device status reports. See
Generating Device Status
Reports
on page 114 for details.
To open Reports Manager, go to Start > All Programs > Equitrac Office or Equitrac Express > Reports Manager.
For more information on generating and analyzing reports, see
Creating & Running Reports
on page 361.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Configuring Administrative Access
To prevent unauthorized access to the Equitrac Office or Express Administrative Applications or modifications to registry entries, Equitrac relies on Windows-level permissions and Application-level Administrative accounts permissions.
Windows-level Permissions
At the Windows level, define at least one user with administrative privileges on CAS and DRE. The user must have administrative permissions on the server to start and stop services and the print spooler. If you are configuring remote
DREs, the user with administrative privileges on the remote server must also have administrative privileges on the server hosting CAS. Refer to your Windows documentation for information on assigning Windows-level administrative privileges.
Application-level Permissions
Application-level permissions determine which users have access to Equitrac Office or Express components. You can assign access to user groups to one or more of the following permissions:
• Admin – Grants access to Accounts, Department, Reports and System Managers, plus the Device Monitoring
Console, Cashier, Release Station, and Print Queue Viewer.
• Reports – Grants access to Reports Manager, Dashboard Reports.
• Accounts – Grants access to Accounts Manager.
• Department – Grants access to Department Manager.
• Device Admin – Grants access to Device Monitoring Console.
• Print Distribution – Grants access to Send To printing application
• Cashier – Grants access to Cashier Application. (for Equitrac Express)
You cannot assign access on an individual user basis. Instead, access is granted to a Windows-level group that is registered to a domain. If you want to assign Admin access to just one person, establish a Windows-level group that contains just the one user.
To configure Application-level permissions, do the following:
1
2
3
Select Start > All Programs > Equitrac Office or Equitrac Express > System Manager.
In System Manager, go to Configuration > Security and authentication > Access permissions.
In the Permissions dialog box, click the group link you want to configure.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
4
In the Select Group dialog box, choose the group to have access to the Equitrac Office and Express functions, and click OK to save the changes.
You can assign access per Manager to Windows-level groups. You may have a separate Administrator group for each
Equitrac Manager, or a single group that accesses all Equitrac Managers. For example, you might want to assign
Admin access to the Branch Admins group, and Accounts access to the Accounting Group. There might be a third group responsible for administering Reports.
NOTE: Access to Dashboard Reports and Print Queue Viewer requires that the user be a member of the Windows level
groups.
CAUTION: On Windows 2008 Server and Vista, logging in with an administrator account other than the one running
Equitrac services, may result in 403 HTTP errors or empty report lists. This is because Windows treats the
Administrators group as a special case. To avoid these issues, add the logon account to a new group (e.g., EqAdmin) and select this group instead of the Administrators group under Admin, Reports, Accounts, etc in System Manager.
Otherwise, it may be necessary that management applications (System Manager, Reports Manager, etc) be “Run As
Administrator”.
For information on establishing Windows-level Administrator groups, refer to your Windows documentation.
Administration Task Overlap
To correctly configure some options, you need to adjust settings in both the System Manager and the Accounts
Manager. The action that CAS performs when processing print requests depends on three factors:
• Server configuration—your accounting policies.
• Account properties that you define using Accounts Manager.
• The value of the account properties at the time of the print request.
For example, if you want to define a policy to prevent users from accumulating negative charges, you need to configure user account limits within System Manager, then specify a minimum balance of $0.00 for users within
Accounts Manager.
When setting Access permissions in System Manager, keep in mind that Administrators who perform configuration tasks may require access to both System Manager and Accounts Manager.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Licensing
The Equitrac Office or Express software comes with a unique serial number. When you supply Equitrac with this serial number and the machine name on which you are installing the software, you are provided with an activation code that is proof of registration.
When Equitrac Office or Express is installed for the first time on a specified machine, a limited default license is generated and applied during installation. The auto-generated default license allows full operation of all System
Manager’s features for 45 days, however, there is a limit of only one of each licensable item.
Full component license(s) must be obtained and applied before the 45 day default license expires. A new default license cannot be generated by reinstalling Equitrac Office or Express on the same machine. When applying the full license, the default license is automatically overwritten.
For more information on obtaining activation codes and registering licenses in System Manager after the initial installation, refer to the Equitrac Office and Express Installation Guide.
Component License Verification
All software license verification takes place on CAS. CAS validates all existing licenses, and assigns them as needed.
Print servers and the client billing component also receive licenses from CAS, based on the server name. For instructions on adding and activating licenses, refer to the Equitrac Office and Express Installation Guide.
CAS itself is licensed on a per-machine basis, one license is included in each Suite package. For additional component licenses, such as a remote print server, you must obtain a license from Equitrac based on the system ID of the machine hosting the core accounting server.
When CAS starts up, it looks for a valid license for itself. If it finds a valid license, the startup continues. Otherwise, the server logs an error message and continues to operate in unlicensed mode. This means it ignores any transaction reports, and informs any components requesting licenses that the server is currently unlicensed.
The system licenses other components through serial numbers recorded on the accounting server. Components contact CAS on startup to obtain license validation and supply their component identifier and machine name. Upon receiving the license validation request, CAS looks up the component to verify whether it has allocated a license for that component or not.
If there is an appropriate license available, the server assigns the license, and returns a license certificate to the component. If not, the server informs the component there are no available licenses at this time, and the unlicensed component becomes inactive.
Enterprise Licensing
The core license includes unlimited server licensing (but not workstation or embedded) for the specified number of network users. An enhanced license also includes the workstation licensing.
If you exceed the specified number of network users, Equitrac Office or Express handles the situation as follows:
• If user accounts are added that brings the total number of active user accounts within a 10% threshold of the total number of licensed users (more than 110% of the licensed total), then CAS displays a warning message to the administrator when System Manager, Accounts Manager, Reports Manager or Department Manager is started, and logs a warning message in the event log. The warning message begins when the license usage reaches 95%, and is displayed to Workstation Client and Print Assistant users with each use.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
• If a user account is added that brings the total number of active user accounts to more than 105% of the number of licensed users, then all CAS ‘s begin to operate in an unlicensed state, and do not record transactions, not authenticate and authorize device usage, and not hold secure print jobs.
The CAS uplink function automatically manages both user and embedded device licenses on the uplink server
(master CAS). Each downlink server (subsidiary CAS) provides a list of local users and embedded devices to the uplink server—with users prefixed with the domain qualifier if configured. The uplink server uses the full set of users and devices received from each downlink server to determine licensing compliance for the entire collection of CAS servers.
A downlink server switches into unlicensed state if:
• The uplink server has failed the enterprise licensing user limit criteria
• The uplink server has failed the enterprise licensing embedded device limit criteria
• A connection to the uplink server has not been made for a period exceeding 14 days
A downlink server switches into warning state (similar to the warning displayed when 95% of enterprise licenses have been used) if:
• The uplink server has reached the enterprise license warning level
• A connection to the uplink server has not been made for a period between 7 and 14 days
NOTE: To avoid the warnings or to restore the site to a licensed state, you must install a new license that supports
more users (recommended) or you can delete or lock user accounts. If you delete user accounts, you must also resynchronize the enterprise license in System Manager under Configuration > Network environment > Uplink.
License Caching
Given that you can distribute the individually-licensed Equitrac Office and Express components across several machines, it is possible for the licensing scheme to fail.
For example, the accounting server could be unavailable when a remote component starts up and requests a license.
The component could conclude that it is not licensed, and function accordingly. If the accounting server restarts later, the component would remain in the unlicensed state until it contacts CAS and obtains a valid license.
To reduce this risk, the individual components cache their assigned license codes locally and use the cached information if the accounting server is unavailable. These cached licenses eventually expire.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Changing the License View
You can change the view in System Manager’s right pane if you need to see specific information:
• License View lists all currently licensed components.
• Assignment View lists all assigned component licenses, the date on which Equitrac Office or Express last assigned the license to a component connecting to CAS, and the number of licenses assigned. For example, if you have a license pack for 50 terminals, this pane displays the number of terminals connected with CAS-assigned licenses as well as the total number of terminals supported.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Assigning Licenses to Devices
Licenses must be assigned to each printer that will use that particular feature.
To assign a license, do the following:
1
2
3
Open System Manager, and select Licensing in the left pane.
Select the Assignment View tab to open the list of all assigned licenses.
Expand or right-click the desired license option, and select Add to open the Assign license dialog box.
4
5
On the Assign license dialog box, select the checkbox for the device(s) to assign the license to.
At the bottom of the dialog box is a counter displaying the number of available licenses and available devices.
These numbers decrease with every license assigned.
Click OK after the licenses have been assigned to the desired devices.
The device assigned to the license now display under the selected license option. To remove an assigned license from a device, right-click the device and select Remove assignment. The number of used licenses will be adjusted accordingly.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Language Support
Equitrac Office and Express components are available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil),
Spanish and Simplified Chinese. Make your language selection during the initial Equitrac Office or Express installation. This selection is independent of the regional language setting on the machine, meaning that you can run
Equitrac in Italian even if the regional setting is for French.
The language selection specified during the installation configures the language of the PageCounter terminal prompts.
See
Setting the Prompt Language
on page 128 for details on manually configuring the language of PageCounter
prompts.
Additional Documentation
To learn more about the advanced features and functionality of the Equitrac Office and Express Suites, refer to the table below to determine the Guide you need.
For a complete list of product specification and system requirements, contact your Equitrac representative.
Guide
Planning Guide
When to refer to this guide
Prior to installing Equitrac Office or Express, read this guide to understand how to deploy Equitrac Office and Express on your network.
Use this guide to perform an initial installation or upgrade.
Installation Guide
Cluster Deployment Guide
Print Server Module Guides:
• Linux SUSE iPrint
• Red Hat Enterprise
PageCounter Quick Reference
Campus Card API Reference Guide
(for Equitrac Express)
If you are deploying Equitrac Office or Express in a cluster environment, use this guide to plan the installation.
Embedded Guides available for various manufacturers
Use these manufacturer specific guides for embedded clients.
If your deployment utilizes a UNIX print server, use this guide to configure the print server after the installation is completed.
If you plan to deploy Equitrac Office or Express components across a cluster, use the Cluster Deployment Guide for planning and implementation.
If you need help understanding the options available from the main PageCounter interface.
Use this guide if you plan to integrate additional Campus Card systems into
Equitrac Express.
Online Help
Web Client Help
Release Station Help
Contents
Use the online help found within the Web Client application to plan and configure Equitrac Office or Express.
Instructions and reference information about using Release Station to release jobs for print.
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