Knowledge Base

What happens when/if I exceed my license limit?

PaperCut is licensed on the number of user accounts hosted in the PaperCut database - that is the number of users listed in the user-list under the Users section. If this limit is exceeded the system will:

i) Give you over one months warning granting you lots of time to reduce the count if possible. The warning message will display on every admin login during this period. You can also set up the application to automatically email you if/when the license is exceeded. See the Options -> Notifications section.

ii) After the warning time is up, and if the user count has not been reduced, the system will prevent selected administration tasks. Printing and tracking will however continue as normal and you will not lose any data. The reduced functionality will however require you to secure an increased license or reduce your user count. You'll be able to access the Options -> User/Group Sync section to modify user sync settings.

I have exceeded my license. How can I address this?

If PaperCut detects that you have exceeded your licence, the software:

For 5 users free license: will request a registration key and prevent use.

For other licenses: will warn that an additional license is required and needs to be entered within the next 40-days.

How can I reduce the user accounts listed?

Option 1) PaperCut works by "mirroring" the user list in your network domain. Delete inactive or unused user accounts of the network, then perform a sync with the "delete users" option enabled. For example, maybe accounts used by people that have left the organization. After removing the accounts, perform a full user sync. In PaperCut NG and ChargeBack, this option is available via Options->User/Group sync and make sure you select the option Delete users that do not exist in the selected source while performing the sync. PaperCut NG / ChargeBack also have the option to not import disabled Active Directory users.

Option 2) Some accounts may not be used by real users. They may exist for other reasons such as:

• Used by special applications such as databases or web servers
• "Template" accounts used by system administrators
• "Virtual" accounts used to represent "resources" in applications such as Microsoft Outlook.

In this situation we recommend instructing PaperCut to import a sub-set users from a network domain group rather then the whole user list. To do this:

1. Important: We first recommend taking a backup of the important user data, by performing a backup under Options -> Backups -> Backup Now

2. Create a new group called PaperCut Users (note: this can be any name and in fact you may already have a suitable group.). This is done as the domain or Active Directory level using the appropriate user/group management tools. (e.g. Active Directory Users and Computers). If you are running on a Mac or Linux you should create the group using the appropriate tools, e.g. your LDAP server tools.

3. Add the real user accounts that need to be listed in PaperCut to this group. Tip: If you're using Active Directory you can make use of nested groups. For example, in a school you my choose to add the Student and Staff groups as nested groups.

4. Instruct PaperCut to import users from this group only by selecting the Import users from group:. In PaperCut NG / ChargeBack, you'll find the option under Options -> User/Group Sync -> Synchronize Now. Note: We recommend performing a Test operation prior to the final sync.

5. Set permissions on the printers monitored by PaperCut so only the users in the selected group have print access. This will ensure that accidental use of printers by other users (or inappropriate accounts) are not re-added back in PaperCut.

If you have any problems with the process explained above, please feel free to email our support team.

Option 3) If you have a list of users that can't be removed from the system, it is possible to remove these users in PaperCut NG / ChargeBack using a script utilizing server-command. Here is an example Windows batch file:

 file: delete-old-users.bat

   cd c:\Program Files\PaperCut NG\server\bin\win
   server-command delete-existing-user chris
   server-command delete-existing-user matt
   server-command delete-existing-user tom
   server-command delete-existing-user christine
 

This script based approach is useful in a higher-education environment as often deleting the user account from the domain is difficult or maybe against policy. Note that this script has to be run not just once, but again after each sync (e.g. after automated overnight sync) as sync adds all the deleted users from the directory again. It is therefore only an interim solution until the physical account can be removed.

Categories: Licensing

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