Once the Printerpoint Agent is successfully installed on the customer network, it will check into Printerpoint and printers can either be manually added, or the network can be scanned.
Printerpoint’s Printer Discovery feature finds network-connected printers on small and large networks. In some cases, the administrator may have information about the network that can improve discovery performance, such as a preferred scan range. However, scanning of the network may enable the administrator to discover printers without any knowledge of the customer’s network infrastructure.
Default Scan Settings
When the "Scan" button is pressed, Printerpoint will scan the subnet that the computer where the Printerpoint Agent is installed. If the computer is joined to multiple networks, the scan will not automatically begin.
Custom Scan Settings
In some cases, the subnet where the agent is installed will not contain any printers. In a small network environment, printers and computers are usually all in the same subnet, but in larger organizations they may be divided into different groups based on equipment type (printers, servers, workstations, mobile devices, network equipment, etc) or based on office location. In a larger environment, a network admin may need to provide you a list of ranges to scan.
Up to 25 ranges can be scanned at a time. The scan will continue until all ranges are complete, but the agent will report back results approximately every 5 minutes during the scan to report any printers it has located.
When Scanning is Not Appropriate
A network scan is not always required to find printers, and in some cases a network admin may specifically forbid you from scanning their network. If you already know the IP addresses of the printers, you can add them manually, or import a list of printers from a CSV file.
Concerns with Scanning Large Networks
During a network scan, Printerpoint will attempt to communicate with each IP address that is in the scan range you specify. Your customer may not want Printerpoint to scan all part of a range. For example, network routers, uninterruptible power supplies and other network devices have IP addresses, but may sound an alert if they detect that a program is scanning it for information. These types of devices typically are segmented on a network away from printers, so you should ask your customer what IP ranges they would like you to include in the network scan, especially on larger networks.
Some deeper knowledge for you
A Printerpoint Agent installed on a PC that has an IP address of 192.168.0.34 and a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 will, by default, only attempt to discover printers in the range of 192.168.0.1 - 192.168.0.254 (254 IPs). Such a small scan might complete in a matter of minutes or even seconds.
However, a Printerpoint Agent installed on a server in a larger subnet with an IP address of 10.1.1.34 and a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0 will, by default, query every IP within its much larger range of 10.0.0.1 - 10.255.255.254 (16,777,214 IPs). A scan of this magnitude might take anywhere from one day to several days to complete.
If the printers are not on the same IP range, or if the computer running the Printerpoint Agent is connected to multiple networks (VPN and local, virtual network, etc), we will detect there are multiple networks available, and will need to specify the IP range that should be scanned. In this case, you can manually set the IP range using the “Change Range” option in the Customer > Installed Agents pane and then begin the scan using the “Scan Now” button.
To change the network scan range, follow these steps:
1) Click the Start IP or End IP link to bring up the "Printer Discovery Scan Range" and change the network range to scan:
2) Enter the IP address range to scan, and add any additional ranges to scan. A scan range will begin with an IP address and end with a higher IP address. Every IP address in between these two addresses will be scanned.
3) When finished, discovered printers are listed in the Customer > Printer Discovery container:
*note: It's handy to keep in mind that the Printer Discovery results are a "picture in time," meaning it's meant to reflect printers on your network at the time of the scan. It is not an historical record. If you choose to re-scan, or scan a new subnet, your current results will be removed and a new discovery process will begin.
To add printers found during discovery, read on...
Add a printer to Printerpoint
Adding a printer to Printerpoint is to "manage" that printer. To manage a printer in Printerpoint, click the "Manage" button next to the printer you would like to manage. If there is a checkmark next to a printer, you are already managing that printer.
1) Click “OK” to confirm that you want to add this printer:
2) Printerpoint will create the printer and collect usage data. This process usually takes 1-10 minutes:
Printers managed in Printerpoint will continue to be contacted by the Printerpoint Agent in five-minute intervals. Each time the printer is contacted, the following information is collected and made available to you:
- Printer supply levels notification for all supported printer makes and models.
- Printer service alerts for all supported printer makes and models.
- Automated billing for all large format printers by meter, square feet, square meters, print category, linear feet...
- Printer Name, Make, Model, Serial Number, Firmware Version (where supported), Total counter, and IP Address
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