Table of Contents
This chapter covers the initial installation and configuration of PaperCut ChargeBack in your network environment. Initial installation takes only a few minutes on a currently configured server. This guide will walk you through installation and configuration step-by-step. The process is summarized below:
System requirements check
Downloading and installing PaperCut ChargeBack
Completing the configuration wizard
Testing client software
Testing printing and remote access
PaperCut ChargeBack is a cross-platform solution and the installation procedure will vary depending on the target operating system(s). Please jump to the appropriate section below:
For additional information on setting up the optional Internet Control module see Chapter 14, Net Control in Detail.
Important
This guide assumes that you are using Windows Server 2003. The process is similar for other Windows operating systems such as XP, Server 2008 or Vista.
If you're upgrading from a previous PaperCut ChargeBack version, please refer to the directions outlined in Appendix F, Upgrading From a Previous Version.
Before installing PaperCut ChargeBack for either evaluation or production use, the system administrator should take a few minutes to verify system requirements.
Is the operating system version supported and patches up-to-date? Take a few minutes to verify the system is current and supported (see the section called “System Requirements”).
In workgroup environments (i.e. where no domain is present), some additional configuration may be required. For more details see Chapter 22, Running in a Workgroup Environment.
Are printer(s) installed and hosted on this system? PaperCut ChargeBack needs to be installed on the system directly hosting the printer(s). The printer should be installed as a "Local Printer" with a connection method such as TCP/IP Port, LPR, or JetDirect or directly connected to the system via USB or LPT Port.
In a multi-user environment, printers are often shared with other network users. Other workstations should
connect to these printers as "Network Printers". Ensure workstations are configured to print to the shared
print queues. For example a Windows workstation may connect to a printer via a path like:
\\[samba_server]\[printer].
Ensure that printers are configured correctly and work before installing PaperCut ChargeBack.
Important
If you are running the PaperCut ChargeBack server on Windows XP (Professional) you must disable "Simple file sharing". For more information please see Appendix B, Troubleshooting & Technical FAQ's.
If you are running a Windows workgroup network or using Windows XP/Vista Home workstations, please see Chapter 22, Running in a Workgroup Environment.
When using release stations or account selection popups it is recommended to secure the print queue so that users do not have permission to pause/resume documents in the queue. This allows PaperCut ChargeBack to have full control of documents without interference from users. To do this:
Log onto the server hosting the printers as an Administrator.
Open the printer configuration screen: →
Right-click a printer and select Properties.
Select the Security tab.
Select the CREATOR OWNER user and uncheck the Manage Documents permission. See Figure 2.2, “Configuring Windows print queue permissions”
Press the OK button.
Perform these steps for each of the monitored printers.
PaperCut ChargeBack is supplied as a standard Windows setup.exe install program.
The latest version may be downloaded from http://www.papercut.com/. After the download is complete,
run the setup wizard as an administrator level user. A system restart is usually not required but
administrators are advised to perform installation on live production systems during periods
of low activity - for example, not during backup operations or other administration activities.
Select the "standard install" option and install PaperCut ChargeBack onto a hard drive with adequate free disk space. The default options will suffice for most systems.
After installation, the install will open a web browser window. The configuration stages are explained below:
This is the master password for the main in-built admin account. This password is independent of the operating system or domain passwords. Keep knowledge of this password secure! This screen also sets the system's physical location. Ensure the location and language setting is correct.
Tip
Treat this password like your router/modem management passwords. It is independent of your domain accounts and needs to be kept secure.
PaperCut ChargeBack contains modules for both printing and Internet usage control. Both of these modules are optional and licensed separately. Select the modules to enable on this system.
NOTE: The Internet control module requires an authenticating web proxy server like Microsoft ISA Server or Squid Proxy. For more information, see Chapter 14, Net Control in Detail.
This is the default cost-per-page assigned to the printers. This setting can be changed on a per printer basis after installation. Choosing a sensible cost now will help minimize future setup. For example in the USA, a value of $0.05 would be appropriate for many standard black & white printers.
PaperCut ChargeBack extracts user information out of the System or Domain. The options presented here will vary depending on the Operating System and its environment. During evaluation, most sites will opt to import all users from the system/domain into PaperCut ChargeBack. An option also exists to import a subset of users from a given group. This option is pertinent when it is known that only a subset of users will only ever use the printers.
Options on Microsoft Windows include Windows Standard, Active Directory, or LDAP. In a domain enviroment, Active Directory is the default option as this offers access to Organization Units, Nested Groups and other AD features.
Use the to test and confirm your settings before continuing.
PaperCut ChargeBack's main focus is on allowing users to allocate print jobs to accounts. The process works by:
Pausing all jobs that enter the print queues.
Displaying a popup on the user's workstation asking them to allocate the print job to an account. This is done by selecting the account from a list.
After the user has responded to the popup, the job is released to the printer.
You can read more about the account selection process and shared accounts at Chapter 8, Shared Accounts.
The account selection popup option is enabled at the user level. Once the option is enabled, the user must run the client software. If the client software is not running, the popup cannot display, and the job will remain paused in the print queue. This option is hence considered high impact. You are presented with two strategies that allow you to choose the implementation approach that best suits your needs:
In this strategy the account popup is only initially enabled on a single user for testing. You need to nominate the testing account. You may already have an approprate test user account on your system/domain or alternativly selecting your own personal account is a good choice. The name should be in the format used to log into the domain/system (usually the short form).
The minimal impact stratagy will give you time to test the popup with the nominated test user Then the Advanced account selection popup option can be enabled for other users when appropriate.
This stratagy enables the account selection popup on all users. This option is good for smaller networks as it minimizes the amount of post-install configuration - just deploy the client and your up! If this option is selected you should be in a position to install the client software on user desktops as soon as possible.
If in doubt, select the minimal impact stratagy. This will ensure the impact is isolated to only the nominated test user.
After completing the configuration wizard you will be presented with a user synchronization status screen and an option to . Take some time to log in and browse the interface. There are many options and now is a good time to have a look at some of the key areas of the application. Take some time to explore!
The printers should be automatically detected, and listed under the Printers section. If the printers do not display, try printing a document as the first job will trigger registration.
The PaperCut ChargeBack client software is located in the directory [app-path]/client. This
software needs to be shared over the network so workstations can access/install the client application.
The directory is automatically shared in read-only form as PCClient
as part of the install process. Confirm that you can access the client software via the network
by browsing to \\server\PCClient.
It is now time to test the system and the popup client:
Log into the admin interface after completing the configuration wizard.
Under the Users section, locate and click on your test user account. The quick find feature may assist here.
Ensure that the user has the Print account selection option is set to Show the advanced account selection popup.
Now we need to log onto a workstation, start the client and test printing. The follow instructions assume testing is performed from a Windows desktop system. For other platforms please consult the client deployment process as explained in the section called “User Client”.
Log onto a workstation and open the Windows Explorer (the file explorer). In the address bar enter:
\\[server_name]\PCClientThe file explorer will connection to the share on the server containing the client software.
Browse into the
windirectory and double-click on thepc-client.exe. The client should launch and an icon should appear in the task tray.Print a test document such as a web page or basic document.
The client popup window should display. Select My Personal Account.
Back in the PaperCut ChargeBack server admin interface, navigate to the → tab.
Your print job should now be listed in the log.
Your personal user account should also be charged an appropriate amount.
Now that the system is tested and working, it is time to deploy the client software and enable the account popup for their use. It is important to deploy the client software before enabling the popup, otherwise users' printing will be stopped/paused.
As discussed earlier in the chapter the client can be run directly from a network share (which is automatically configured on Windows). There is also the option to install the software locally on each workstation, however this is not usually recommended because it makes the process of updating the client software more complicated.
Client deployment options and instruction are discussed in detail in the section called “User Client Deployment”. Follow those instructions to deploy the client software, and then enable the popup as described below.
Once the client software is deployed on user workstations, the advanced client popup must be enabled for all users within PaperCut ChargeBack. The popup can be enabled on one user at a time or can be updated for all users in bulk. The user details page can be used to enable to popup for a single user. To enable the popup for all users in bulk:
Log into the admin interface.
Under the Users section, select the Bulk user actions... action from the left.
Select the group to enable the popup for. To enable for all users select the
[All Users]group.In the Change account selection setting section, enable the Change account selection option.
Select the Show the advanced account selection popup option from the list.
If you do not want to allow users to charge printing to their personal account, then disable the Allow user to charge to their personal account option.
Press the OK button, and confirm the operation. Once completed, all your users will have the account popup enabled.
Once the popup has been enabled on all users some testing should be performed from users' desktops. To test, login to the user workstation, perform a print, and check that the account popup appears and the job is logged as expected.
This concludes the Install Guide. You may like to take some time to explore the features of PaperCut ChargeBack before continuing reading at Chapter 3, Implementation by Example or Chapter 4, Quick Tour. Business users may be particularly interested in trying the popup client software as covered in the section called “Client Software”. If desired, the client software should also be deployed to other workstations. This procedure is detailed in the section called “User Client”.
To setup the optional Internet Control module, see the instructions in Chapter 14, Net Control in Detail.