Appendix G. Upgrading from PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier)

Table of Contents

Upgrade process
Step 1 - Stop and disable PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier)
Step 2 - Install PaperCut ChargeBack
Step 3 - Configure and test printers
Step 4 - Import the existing User Balances
Step 4b - Import the existing Accounts
Step 5 - Upgrade client software
Step 6 - Optionally uninstall PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier)

Tip

For this section we describe the old version, as PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier), and the new version as simply PaperCut ChargeBack. We acknowledge that this can be a little confusing, but the process itself is straight-forward.

This appendix describes the process for moving from PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) to PaperCut ChargeBack, and includes instruction of importing user balances and restriction settings from the old PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) installation.

These instructions assume that PaperCut ChargeBack will be installed on the same machine as PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier), however the instructions can also be applied when PaperCut ChargeBack is installed on a new machine.

Upgrade process

Step 1 - Stop and disable PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier)

Firstly the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) services should be stopped to ensure that they do not interfere with PaperCut ChargeBack. You should not uninstall PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) at this stage because we need the user database to import user balances into PaperCut ChargeBack.

To stop and disable the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) services:

  1. Open the Windows services manager ( StartControl PanelAdministrative ToolsServices).

  2. Find the PaperCut Print Charging service.

  3. Right-click on the server and select the Properties menu.

  4. Change the Startup Type to Disabled

  5. Press the Stop button to stop the service.

  6. Press OK to save the settings changes.

Step 2 - Install PaperCut ChargeBack

Install PaperCut ChargeBack as discussed in Chapter 2, Installation.

During the setup wizard, it is recommended that the user import settings be set up in the same way as was configured in PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier). For example, if you import users from the full Active Directory domain in PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier), also set this up in PaperCut ChargeBack.

Check that the users have been imported correctly. To adjust the user import settings and re-perform the user synchronization process, go to the OptionsUser/Group Sync screen. This is similar to the Tune-up function in PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier).

Once installed it is recommended that the groups are set up in the same way as in PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier). Groups are used to determine the default settings for new users and also how quotas are allocated. For more information on groups see the section called “Groups in PaperCut ChargeBack”.

Step 3 - Configure and test printers

The next step is to set up the printers in PaperCut ChargeBack to reflect the require page costs and print restrictions. To do this:

  1. Navigate to the Printers section.

  2. Select the printer to adjust by clicking on the printer name.

  3. Enter the cost and filter settings.

  4. Press the OK or Apply buttons to save the changes.

For a detailed explanation of setting printer costs and restrictions, see Chapter 7, Advanced Printer Management.

Tip

If all your printers are configured with similar costs and filters then the settings can be copied from one printer to the other printers. This is discussed in the section called “Copying Printer Settings”.

Tip

It is recommended that the administrator set up the [template printer]. This printer is used as a template when new printers are added to the system. The template printer is discussed in detail in the section called “The Template Printer”.

To ensure that the printers are setup correctly, perform a test print to one of the configured printers. Once printed, check the print log (PrintersPrint Log) that the job was recorded and the correct cost calculated.

Step 4 - Import the existing User Balances

This step is optional, because user account balances are typically not useful for PaperCut ChargeBack users. If you do not wish to import user balances, skip to the next step.

Moving the user balances and restricted status from PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) to PaperCut ChargeBack is a simple process. If the server is running Windows then:

  1. Navigate to the Users section.

  2. Click the Batch import ... action (on the left).

  3. Press the Browse and locate the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) user database (PCUserDB.mdb). This is typically located at: C:\Program Files\PaperCut\Database\PCUserDB.mdb

  4. Press the Import button to start the import process.

  5. Upon successful completion, the number of users updated and created will be displayed.

  6. Perform some checks of the user balances and restricted statuses to ensure they are set to the values from PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier).

If the PaperCut ChargeBack server is not running on Windows, the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) database converter can be run manually on a Windows system, and the resulting text file can then be imported in a process similar to the above. To convert the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) user database manually:

  1. Copy the [app-path]/server/bin/win/PCQuotaExport.exe file from the server (running the non-windows OS), to the Windows machine running PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier). Copy the exporter to the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) database directory (usually c:\Program Files\PaperCut\Database).

  2. Open the command prompt, by running cmd.exe from StartRun.

  3. Change to the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) database directory. e.g.

        cd "c:\Program Files\PaperCut\Database"
                            

  4. Run the converter, with the location of the PCUserDB.mdb as the argument. For example:

        PCQuotaExport.exe "PCUserDB.mdb" > user-export.txt
                            

    If running the exporter from a different directory to the database, the full path to the database should be provided.

  5. The above command creates a text file called user-export.txt that contains the user data from PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier). The file can be opened in a text editor to review the contents.

  6. The file can then be imported into PaperCut ChargeBack. First log in to PaperCut ChargeBack.

  7. Navigate to the Users section.

  8. Click the Batch import ... action (on the left).

  9. Press the Browse and locate the user-export.txt file, created in the above step.

  10. Press the Import button to start the import process.

  11. Upon successful completion, the number of users updated and created will be displayed.

  12. Perform some checks of the user balances and restricted statuses to ensure they are set to the values from PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier).

Step 4b - Import the existing Accounts

Moving the accounts and their settings from PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) to PaperCut ChargeBack is a simple process, that is described in detail below.

Tip

When accounts are imported they inherit the access control settings from the Template Account. By default the Template Account is configured to allow all users access to the account. If you do not want all users to have access the imported accounts, change the security settings on the Template Account before importing.

To import the accounts when the server is running Windows then:

  1. Navigate to the Accounts section.

  2. Click the Batch import ... action (on the left).

  3. Press the Browse and locate the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) database (PCUserDB.mdb). This is typically located at: C:\Program Files\PaperCut\Database\PCUserDB.mdb. This database contains all of the accounts.

  4. Press the Import button to start the import process.

  5. Upon successful completion, the number of users updated and created will be displayed.

  6. Perform some checks of the accounts and settings to ensure they are set to the values from PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier).

If the PaperCut ChargeBack server is not running on Windows, the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) database converter can be run manually on a Windows system, and the resulting text file can then be imported in a process similar to the above. To convert the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) user database manually:

  1. Copy the [app-path]/server/bin/win/PCCBAccountExport.exe file from the server (running the non-windows OS), to the Windows machine running PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier). Copy the exporter to the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) database directory (usually c:\Program Files\PaperCut\Database).

  2. Open the command prompt, by running cmd.exe from StartRun.

  3. Change to the PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) database directory. e.g.

        cd "c:\Program Files\PaperCut\Database"
                            

  4. Run the converter, with the location of the PCUserDB.mdb as the argument. For example:

        PCCBAccountExport.exe "PCUserDB.mdb" > account-export.txt
                            

    If running the exporter from a different directory to the database, the full path to the database should be provided.

  5. The above command creates a text file called account-export.txt that contains the user data from PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier). The file can be opened in a text editor to review the contents.

  6. The file can then be imported into PaperCut ChargeBack. First log in to PaperCut ChargeBack.

  7. Navigate to the Accounts section.

  8. Click the Batch import ... action (on the left).

  9. Press the Browse and locate the account-export.txt file, created in the above step.

  10. Press the Import button to start the import process.

  11. Upon successful completion, the number of accounts updated and created will be displayed.

  12. Perform some checks of the accounts and settings to ensure they are set to the values from the previous version.

Step 5 - Upgrade client software

The old PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) client software is not compatible with PaperCut ChargeBack. The old client software must be uninstalled off all workstations and the new client software deployed. The zero-install deployment method can greatly assist with this process. More information on the client deployment is detailed in the section called “User Client”.

Note: It is not 100% accurate to claim that the old client software must be removed. Once the old server-side software is disabled, the old client will sit in an inactive state and do no harm. Having said that however, it will consume some system resources on the workstations and hence it is generally recommended that it be uninstalled.

Step 6 - Optionally uninstall PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier)

Once the PaperCut ChargeBack installation is completed and tested you can optionally uninstall PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier). If you would like to view historical print data then we recommend keeping the old application installed so you can view the historical data. If this is not important then the application can be uninstalled.

To uninstall:

  1. On the Windows server running PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier), go to: StartControl PanelAdd or Remove Programs).

  2. Find and select PaperCut ChargeBack (6 or earlier) in the list of installed programs.

  3. Click the Remove button to start the uninstall process.