Product description of the docuform Fleet & Service Management software

Transcription

1 Product description of the docuform Fleet & Service Management software

2 Contents 1 Introduction and product highlights Possibilities for installing the FSM client and FSM server software Logging in Main menu Printer monitoring Reports Dealers / Customers Printers Model data Coverage Notifications Help Logging out...29 Page 2 of / V3.33

3 1 Introduction and product highlights The diagram below shows the software modules of the docuform Fleet & Service Management (FSM) software and provides an functional overview. FSM software offers print service providers, dealers and end customers a comprehensive, manufacturer independent and standardised system for monitoring, administration and management of any printing and multifunctional systems. This software can be used either completely from end customers, or from dealers to monitor the printing and MFC systems of all of their customers. Some of the highlights of the docuform FSM software are listed here: docuform Fleet & Service Management (FSM) is a unique and flexible software tool for the acquisition and management of printers / MFC information. docuform FSM is OEM-independent, for example for Ricoh, Canon, Konica Minolta, Xerox, HP, Sharp, Samsung, Toshiba, etc. All types of printers can be analysed manufacturer independent via the SNMP Walker & Private MIB Analysis. Centralised or decentralised archiving of end customer data. Multi-tenancy in the parent Fleet & Service Management System (global hosting). Transmission of device information and status messages without jeopardising customer networks. Page 3 of / V3.33

4 Supports the integration of a large number of SQL databases. Platform-independent web client. Monitoring and control of multifunctional printing systems (MFP). XML (RPC) interface for an universal connection to external programs. The functionality of the FSM software can be controlled externally with the aid of the Fleet & Service Management XML RPC interface. It supports automatic communication between external programs and the FSM software, information to be polled from the FSM software or to be transmitted to the FSM software. It enables the FSM software to be integrated very easily into other workflows, such as an inventory management system or an accounting system. Example of an FSM XML-RPC query: POST /RPC2 HTTP/1.1 User agent: Sender.exe Host: localhost:52004 Content type: text/xml Content length: 690 <?xml version="1.0"?> <methodcall><methodname>server.login</methodname> <params> <param><value><struct> <member><name>version</name><value>1.41</value></member> <member><name>apptype</name><value><i4>1</i4></value></member> <member><name>clienttype</name><value><i4>1</i4></value></member> <member><name>customer</name><value><i4>11</i4></value></member> <member><name>login</name><value><struct> <member> <name>user</name> <value>#creader</value> </member> <member> <name>password</name> <value>a3afed0047b08059d0fada10f400c1e5</value> </member> </struct></value> </member> </struct></value></param> </params> </methodcall> The docuform FSM software consists of a client part and a server part. The client part captures the meter- and consumable readings, as well as the error messages for the monitored printing and MFC systems and reports them cyclically to the server part. The server part saves the captured information into the central database and provides the web-based user interface and a reporting function as a reaction to printer malfunctions. The docuform FSM Client software captures all the printer/mfp device- Page 4 of / V3.33

5 specific information (meters, toner level, alerts, etc.) within periodic intervals which can be specified. These intervals may be configured differently, depending on the type of device information. Critical information can be defined in such a way that it is reported immediately to the client software. The docuform FSM Client software is installed in the customer's network (PC or server, no need for dedicated hardware) and captures all the required standard and private MIB information from the printers/mfps in a temporary SQL database. The docuform FSM Client software communicates with the printers/mfps in the network via SNMP. Locally connected printers are also supported via a PJL/SNMP module. The docuform FSM Client software transmits the information which is recorded from the printers/mfp directly from the SQL database by means of unidirectional communication to the FSM server via or XML-RPC. The FSM server saves this information directly in its SQL database. The communication intervals between the client software and the FSM server may be configured differently, depending on the device information. Critical information can be defined, which is then transmitted immediately to the FSM server. 2 Options for installing the FSM client and FSM server software Depending on the purpose and on the requirements of the dealers and customers, the client and server parts of the Fleet & Service Management software can be installed in three different scenarios: Installation of the FSM client software and of the FSM server software directly at the end customer In this variant, the FSM client software and FSM server software is installed directly at the end customer. This gives the customer the complete range of control options over the entire system. He can even decide about the use and possible sharing of information which is recorded by the Fleet & Service Management software. Page 5 of / V3.33

6 Installation of the FSM client software at the end customer and of the FSM server software at the dealer This scenario is suitable in situations where a dealer is responsible for monitoring a number of his end customers' printing and MFP systems. In this case, the dealer installs the FSM client software on his customers' systems. The FSM clients report their information to the dealer's central FSM server. The Fleet & Service Management software provides the dealer with a user-friendly tool for monitoring, administration and billing for the printing and MFP systems for all his end customers. Installation of the FSM client software at the end customer and of the FSM server software at a higher-level dealer organisation If the FSM server software is installed at the higher-level dealer organisation, all the dealers in this organisation can access this server and use this software to perform the administration, monitoring and billing activities for their customers' printing and MFP systems. Each dealer can only view and edit the information from his own customers' systems here. Page 6 of / V3.33

7 The sections below in this document provide instructions and help on operating and configuring docuform Fleet & Service Management V3.x server software. They contain a brief description of what you can do with this software and how to define its settings, as well as a guide to how it works. Page 7 of / V3.33

8 3 Logging in In order to access the web-based GUI of the docuform Fleet & Service Management (FSM) Server (FSS) software, please open your browser with the associated URL. Access details are made available to customers by their dealer in order to enable them to access the FSM server. In order to access the public docuform FSM demo server, you will be provided with the docuform access data. The login screen for the FSM software now appears: Optionally, access codes can be set up by dealers in order to distinguish between customers with different user-access rights or passwords, for example. If any such access codes and associated passwords have been set up, they must be entered when logging in to the FSM software. Once the FSM software recognises from the user name that access codes have been set up for the name entered, the input fields for the access code and password appear on the login screen. Page 8 of / V3.33

9 Following a successful login, the main screen for the FSS software appears in your browser: 4 Main menu The menu tree for selecting the software functions appears in the left-hand section of the main screen for the FSM software. You can switch the language in which the FSM software appears by changing the "Preferred display language for websites" settings in your browser's configuration settings. The current options are German and English. There are plans to add further language options. The functions which appear in the menu tree differ depending on whether a customer, a Page 9 of / V3.33

10 dealer or an administrator has logged into the FSM software. Not all the software options are available to dealers and customers. Only administrators have access to the full range of options within the FSM software, as shown below: The menu tree for the FSM software contains options for printer monitoring, management and configuration of dealers / customers, printers, and to define maintenance-thresholds or alarm events for printing systems, as well as various predefined reports. Clicking on the appropriate menu entry opens the requested option and calls up the information for the selected option on the screen. The docuform Fleet & Service Management server software can be used universally either by end customers for the management and administration of their printing systems, or centrally by the dealer for the management and service of the printing systems belonging to his various customers. To enable this, the FSS software supports the management of customers and dealers. Customers are assigned to their specific dealers and are managed by them. Dealers can set up new customers, whereas new dealers can only be set up by the administrator of the FSM software. If the system is accessed by a dealer, all the information and printing systems relating to the customers who are assigned to that dealer are shown and can be monitored. If the system is accessed by a customer, only the printing systems allocated to that customer are shown. The individual functions of the FSM software are explored more closely below, based on how they appear in the menu tree. 5 Printer monitoring If you click the 'Printer Monitor' entry in the menu tree for the FSM software, an overview Page 10 of / V3.33

11 appears along with an analysis of all the alarm signals which have accumulated and are unresolved from the printing systems of one or more customers, sorted on the basis of various criteria. This provides a dealer with a quick overview of the problems which have occurred on his customers' printing systems. It can also tell at a glance whether the toner levels in those customers' printing systems have passed the warning thresholds configured for the customers. The selection mask in the upper section of the display permits you to select customers for whom you wish to view statistics relating to printer problems which have occurred. The number of printer alarms, which have occurred for the printing systems of each customer selected, are then displayed, categorised in terms of 'Errors', 'Warnings' and 'Information'. If the toner levels in one or more of a customer's printing systems have passed the preconfigured warning thresholds, or if a printing system reports that its toner is low or has run out, a warning icon appears in the 'Toner Status' column of this display. The user can call up a detailed display of the alarm events for a customer's printing systems, itemised by individual printing systems, by clicking a customer entry. Page 11 of / V3.33

12 A precise list of the current alarm events for a printing system can be viewed by clicking this printing system's 'IP Address' entry. Printer monitor displays can be printed via any installed printer driver and can also be exported into CSV files for further processing with other applications. Entries used to initiate these actions can be found along the top of the window shown. Once the error events, which are listed in the printer monitor, have been cleared or new toner has been inserted in response to toner warnings, this is detected from the FSM software, and the corresponding events are automatically cleared from the printer monitor and are transmitted to the event log for the printing system in question. Page 12 of / V3.33

13 6 Reports The 'Reports' area of the menu tree for the FSM software contains a wide range of predefined reports for, among other things, counter readings, click volumes, levels of consumables, coverage prediction for consumables, capacity usage, etc. of the printing systems which are detected and monitored by the FSS software. Reports are also available here for the history of consumables and for the event history of the printing systems. Reports are selected by clicking the name of the report in question. A selection mask is displayed beforehand for each report, enabling the user to refine the criteria for generating the report, such as the selection of the customer, selection of the printing systems for which the report is to be created, selection of the reporting period, etc. Page 13 of / V3.33

14 Once all the selection criteria have been configured, the requested report is prepared by clicking the 'Display' button, and it appears in a separate window. The Dealers / Customers 'Overview' and 'Customer List' reports provide an overview of all the customers of the dealer in question with information about the number of printing systems monitored for each customer, as well as data pertaining to the last and next transmission of detected information from the customer to the FSM server. Furthermore, the version of the FSM Client software which the client has installed is displayed here. In the Dealers / Customers 'Maintenance Preview report, a preview of all current printer malfunctions can be viewed, along with a list of all the maintenance events which are likely to occur by the selected date. This enables service technicians not only to repair all the current malfunctions when they visit the customer, but also to carry out any maintenance events which are likely to occur in the near future, such as an annual service. Page 14 of / V3.33

15 The printer 'Overview' report lists information, such as the name, IP address, MAC address, serial number, etc. of each of the printing systems belonging to the selected customers. It also shows the date on which data was first captured from each printing system by the FSM software. If parts of a printing system, such as the motherboard are replaced, this leads to an inconsistency in counter readings. The FSM software detects these inconsistencies and then creates a new acquisition period for this printing system. These acquisition periods are taken into consideration in reports on 'Click Volume'. The acquisition periods managed in the FSM software for the selected printing systems are displayed in the Printer 'Acquisition Periods' report. The Printer 'Meter Readings' report discloses the values captured for all the meters on the selected printing systems at a point in time selected by the user. Page 15 of / V3.33

16 The Printer 'Click Volume' report shows the number of device clicks generated by the selected devices within the specified period of time. The individual usage of the monitored printing systems can be displayed in the Printer 'Capacity Utilisation' report. The monthly nominal printing volume, the actual monthly printing volume and the resulting percentage usage of the printing system are listed for each of the selected customer's printing systems for the selected period. A coloured bar provides a striking indication as to whether the printing system is being used too much or too little. Page 16 of / V3.33

17 The user can call up a report on the levels of consumables (such as toner) for the selected printing systems by clicking the Printer 'Consumables' report. Based on the information from the integrated toner cartridge database, the detected tonerreplacement cycles and the pages printed, a prediction on the consumables range is prepared in the Printer 'Consumables Range' report and this is displayed in colour. Page 17 of / V3.33

18 The Printer 'Consumables History' report lists all the occasions when the toner and consumables for the selected printing systems have been replaced, in association with an analysis of pages printed per cartridge, coverage rate achieved and the actual click price per page. Page 18 of / V3.33

19 The complete history of a printing system's events, warnings and faults which are detected by the FSM software can be viewed in the Printer 'Event Log' report. This report provides a very quick insight into a printing system's susceptibility to failure. An overview of all notifications configured in the FSM software for a printing system can be created and viewed in the Printer 'Configured Notifications' report. All analyses and reports within the FSM software can be exported into a CSV (Comma Separated Value) file for further processing in external applications and can also be printed on any connected printing system. In order to select these features, please use the 'Export' Page 19 of / V3.33

20 or 'Print' buttons at the top of every report. 7 Dealers / Customers The docuform Fleet & Service Management software can be used universally either from end customers for the management and administration of their printing systems, or centrally from the dealer for the management and servicing of the printing systems of his various customers. To enable this, the FSM software supports the management of customers and dealers. Customers are assigned to their specific dealers and are managed from them. Dealers can set up new customers, whereas new dealers can only be set up by the administrator of the FSM software. The 'Dealers / Customers' menu is used for the configuration and management of dealers and customers entries. The list of configured dealers and customers is displayed by clicking the menu entry. Dealers' entries are highlighted in bold. When a dealer logs in to the FSM software, he only sees his own entries, as well as the entries of the customers which are assigned to him. When a customer logs in to the FSM software, only his own entries appear. You can scroll through the list by clicking the number buttons in the list's header bar. By clicking a dealer or a client entry, information which has been saved for this dealer or customer can be viewed or edited. Page 20 of / V3.33

21 The dealer or customer's access and address information is saved in the 'General' tab. Furthermore, a separate password can be configured here for encrypting the attachments which are used to transmit the printing system information from the FSM Client. When using a separate password, it is important to ensure that identical encryption passwords are always configured in both the FSM Client and the FSM Server. In the 'Access Codes' tab, further means of accessing the FSM Server software can be set up using customer or dealer authorisations. The 'Notifications' tab is used to configure the recipients of FSM software system messages, as well as of automatically generated, periodic s with meter readings and consumables levels. Page 21 of / V3.33

22 8 Printers A list of all the customers' printing systems which are being monitored is called up by clicking the 'Printers' option within the 'Fleet & Service Management' menu tree. Page 22 of / V3.33

23 The search options at the top of the page can be used to locate specific printing systems. You can scroll through the list by clicking the number buttons in the list's header bar. In order to display and configure the options for a printing system, the system is selected by clicking the blue TCP/IP address entry. Information captured from the FSM software for this printing system can be viewed and edited on a number of tabs. If the printing system's website is contactable, it can be opened by clicking the 'Open printer...' button. The functions and features of the printing system's paper feeders are displayed in the 'Features' tab. Page 23 of / V3.33

24 The current counter readings for the printing system can be viewed in the 'Page counters' tab. The levels of consumables are listed in the 'Supply markers' tab. Page 24 of / V3.33

25 The maintenance events which are assigned to the printing system can be viewed and edited in the 'Maintenance' tab. 9 Model data Information about the nominal value of the monthly print volume for the monitored printing systems can be entered in the integrated database for model data. The values entered here are used from the FSM software to calculate the device capacity utilisation. Furthermore, a link can be saved here to any printing system to call up the support page for that particular system. The model data saved in the FSM software can be exported into a CSV file for processing in other applications and can also be imported again. Page 25 of / V3.33

26 10 Coverage The docuform Fleet & Service Management software is equipped with an integrated database for toner cartridges. All the information about the toner cartridges used, which is queried from the printing systems, is automatically entered in this database. In addition, the dealer can also enter information about the nominal print volume, coverage rate and price. The FSM software uses this information to calculate, among other things, actual page coverage rates and actual click prices in the 'Consumables History' report, as well as predictions on toner capacity in the 'Consumables Range' report. Page 26 of / V3.33

27 11 Notifications Based upon configured rules, the FSM software can respond to three different types of events by sending notifications: Occurrence of maintenance events Consumables levels dropping below a defined threshold Occurrence of a printer warning or fault The rules by which the FSM software has to respond to the occurrence of the above events are configured in the menus of the 'Notifications' section, which also contains details of the printing systems and customers for which these rules are to apply. Any number of rules can be defined. A toner threshold rule, an alert rule and up to five maintenance events can be assigned for each printing system. Maintenance events can be defined both in relation to a certain number of printed pages, as well as in relation to a certain period of time having elapsed. When one of the defined maintenance events occurs, the FSM software automatically sends a notification to the addressees saved in the configuration for this event. Page 27 of / V3.33

28 In the 'General' tab, the defined maintenance event is assigned to certain printing systems belonging to one or more customers. Toner threshold Rules specify a certain threshold for a printing system's consumables, such as toner. If the level of one of the consumables in a printing system drops below the defined threshold, the FSM software sends an to the addressees saved in the configuration for this threshold in order to warn them. Furthermore, every time a threshold is crossed, an entry is logged in the "Printer Monitor" menu for the respective printing system. In the 'General' tab, the defined threshold is assigned to certain printing systems belonging to one or more customers. Alert rules define how the FSM software responds if printer faults or printer warnings occur. The FSM software's response can be defined precisely for each group of faults or warnings. Page 28 of / V3.33

29 priorities and escalation stages can be configured separately for every single alert event. If an alert event occurs in a printing system, the FSM software warns the registered recipient(s) with a notification in accordance with the configuration which is saved for this event. Furthermore, every time a printer alarm is activated, an entry is logged in the "Printer Monitor" menu for the respective printing system. In the 'General' tab, the defined alert rule is assigned to certain printing systems belonging to one or more customers. 12 Help The integrated online help system in the docuform Fleet & Service Management software is called up by clicking the 'Help' menu entry and appears in a separate browser window. 13 Logging out In order to exit the docuform FSS software, the user simply has to click the 'Logout' entry in the Fleet & Service Management menu tree. Page 29 of / V3.33