Print Audit 5 Technical Overview

Transcription

1 Print Audit 5 Technical Overview

2 ABOUT PRINT AUDIT 5 Print Audit 5 is the most accurate and powerful suite of print tracking and print management products available. It is used to analyze, reduce and recover costs along with the resources associated with printing and plotting to all networked, local, and direct to IP printers. The Print Audit 5 suite is comprised of the following components: Print Audit Analysis is an inexpensive tool that is used to collect print volume information on all printing devices. It allows companies to get an accurate picture of their print volumes utilizing Print Audit 5 Analysis comprehensive reporting capabilities. This information can then be used to optimize their printing fleet. Print Audit Reduction allows enterprises to restrict color usage by user and device, enforce printing limits and redirect expensive print jobs to the most efficient printing device. Print Audit Recovery allows organizations to accurately bill their clients or users for their printing and copying costs. Recovery automates every step of the chargeback process. Its bullet-proof security and unique capture method ensures that 100% of printing and plotting costs are recaptured. These three components can be purchased as a suite or individually, allowing customers to pay only for the features they require. TECHNOLOGY Print Audit 5 uses a client-based architecture. This has an important advantage over server-based tracking systems in that it allows tracking of all local as well as network printing by printer port and IP address identification, without utilizing valuable network bandwidth. Another equally important advantage is that Print Audit system is safe and easy to install, without any alteration of the existing network whatsoever. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Supports Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Minimum requirements Pentium or equivalent 386 or above. TCP/IP networking Support for Access and SQL database back ends. 3 MB s of free space on the workstation

3 TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES Workstation-based Print Audit 5 tracks from the workstation which enables it to track every print job. This also allows it to retrieve more information about each print job, such as the name of the program or the web site address. Also, tracking from the workstation, rather than the print server, requires less network bandwidth since port monitoring is not required to capture all locally connected and direct to IP devices. Simple installation and setup Print Audit 5 does not require any modification of the local network or print servers to track 100% of the printing activity. Print Audit 5 installs easily to each workstation from a central location on the network. Tracks everything Print Audit 5 is the only print tracking software solution that tracks all print devices out of the box. Whether a print job goes through a print server, directly to a printer with its own IP address or to a local printer, Print Audit 5 captures it. Print Audit 5 creates an inventory of all print devices in use on the network, regardless of whether those devices are known to exist by the network administrator. Controls printing costs Print Audit 5 Reduction can either suggest or force users to print to a more efficient printer based on the number of pages in the print job. Reduction can also disallow color printing from specific individuals, disallow black and white printing to color devices and force duplex printing from specific devices and applications. These features are all unique to Print Audit 5. Flexible reporting Print Audit 5 includes two reporting tools that allow customers to decide on what data they would like to view. Users can design customized reports and export files according to the exact specifications required by their existing accounting and reporting systems. All in one solution Server-based solutions by their nature have to be broken up into various costly components that are needed to perform tasks, such as capturing, analyzing, and recovering costs. Organizations can take full advantage of Print Audit 5 s analysis, reduction and recovery capabilities right out of the box. INSTALLATION Print Audit 5 provides simple, easy to use system of configuration files and batch files to allow organizations to quickly rollout our software to their network. Print Audit 5 can be easily installed to thousands of workstations from a central location on the network using its built in Client Status and Deployment Tool, login scripts, Active Directory, MSI Packages, or any mass installation tool.

4 Detailed installation and mass deployment guides can be found here: PRINT AUDIT 5 INSTALLED FILES The following is a list of files Print Audit 5 installs. Some files in this list are duplicated as they can be installed with one or more of the Print Audit pieces. Note that system files are NEVER replaced if they are newer than the ones we install. Administrator Files Installed to [Install Dir]\admin pa5admin.exe Administrator executable pa5admcm.dll Administrator library pa5dbmnt.exe Database maintenance tool pa5clist.exe Client Status/Push Install tool pa5intfc.exe Support app for Client Status/Push tool pa5jbmrg.exe Job Merge Wizard Installed to [Install Dir]\help pa5admin.chm Admin help file pa5dbmnt.chm Database maintenance help file pa5jbmrg.chm Job Merge Wizard help file pa5clist.chm Client Status/Push Install help file Installed to [Install Dir]\admin\plugins admappls.dll Applications section plugin admfield.dll Custom Fields plugin admnetwk.dll Network/Authentication plugin admpaper.dll Paper sizes plugin admprint.dll Printers plugin admpripf Printer Profiles plugin admsetng.dll Client Settings Plugin admusepf.dll User Profiles plugin admusers.dll Users plugin pa5ivpa4.dll Custom fields import plugin pa5ivpa5.dll Custom fields import plugin Installed to [system32] IGTabs40.ocx Third party tabs control library. IGToolbars50.ocx Third party toolbars control library. PVOutlookBar.ocx Third party outlook frame control library. vsflex8.ocx Third party grid control library mscomctl.ocx Microsoft common control library mscomct2.ocx Microsoft common control library

5 Microsoft Libraries Microsoft Active Directory Client Extensions Only installed on Windows NT4 SP6 if not present. Job Manager Files Installed to [Install Dir]\jbmanage pa5jbman.exe Job Manager executable pa5jeflt.dll Job exporter plugin pa5expinf.dll Job exporter interface. Installed to [Install Dir]\help pa5jbman.chm Job manager help file. Installed to [system32] IGTabs40.ocx Third party tabs control library. IGToolbars50.ocx Third party toolbars control library. vsflex8.ocx Third party grid control library mscomctl.ocx Microsoft common control library mscomct2.ocx Microsoft common control library vsprint8.ocx Third party printing library vsrpt8.ocx Third party reporting library Reporting Files Installed to [Install Dir]\report pa5reprt.exe Analysis Reporting executable Installed to [Install Dir]\report\reports pagevoluser.rpt peakprintergraph.rpt printeraverages.rpt printercosts.rpt printerroi2.rpt printervolume.rpt topvolprinters.rpt topvolusers.rpt useraverages.rpt userprinting.rpt userroi.rpt uservolume.rpt Installed to [Install Dir]\help pa5reprt.chm Analysis Reporting help file. Installed to [system32] IGTabs40.ocx Third party tabs control library. IGToolbars50.ocx Third party toolbars control library. vsflex8.ocx Third party grid control library mscomctl.ocx Microsoft common control library mscomct2.ocx Microsoft common control library

6 vsprint8.ocx Third party printing library vsrpt8.ocx Third party reporting library olch2x8.ocx Third party graphing library Client Files Installed to [Install Dir]\client pa5clint.exe Client executable pa5wtrak.dll Windows tracking dll pa5hook.dll Windows tracking dll pa5ccutl.exe Client configuration tool Installed to [Install Dir]client\plugins paac2000.arx AutoCAD 2000/2000i plugin paac2002.arx AutoCAD 2002 plugin paac2004.arx AutoCAD 2004/2005 plugin paac2006.arx AutoCAD 2006 plugin pa5mtrak.dll Microstation support library pa5mv71.ma Microstation/J plugin pa5mv8.ma Microstation 8 plugin Installed to [system32] psapi.dll Microsoft process information library. (Only installed on WinNT 4.0) snmpapi.dll Microsoft SNMP support library (Only installed on Win95/98 if not present) Microsoft Libraries DCOM95 Microsoft installer for DCOM support. Only installs on Win95 if not updated. Client Communicator Files Installed to [Install Dir]\data pa5clcom.exe Client Communicator executable pa5clcfg.exe Client Communicator configuration tool Microsoft Libraries Microsoft Active Directory Client Extensions Only installed on Windows NT4 SP6 if not present. Copy Audit Files Installed to [Install Dir]\cpaudit pa5cacom.exe Copy Audit communicator executable Installed to [Install Dir]\admin\plugins admcacfg.dll Copy Audit admin plugin Installed to [Install Dir]\help pa5cpaud.chm Copy Audit help file

7 Installed to [system32] mswinsck.ocx Microsoft Windows sockets support library Database Files Installed only if you choose to create an Access database. Installed to selected database directory: pa5db.mdb The Print Audit Access database. pa5db.mdw The Print Audit Access security file. Common Files These files are ALWAYS installed, regardless of what else is being installed. Installed to [Install Dir]\common pa516cal.dll 16-bit support library pa532cal.dll 32-bit support library pa5utils.dll General utility library Installed to [system32] msvcrt.dll Microsoft common C runtime library Microsoft Libraries 401comupd.exe Microsoft common control library update. (Only installed on Win9x if needed) Data Access Layer/VB Support These files are installed if you install the Administrator, Client Communicator, Copy Audit Communicator, Job Manager or Analysis Reporting Tool. Installed to [Install Dir]\common pa5data.dll The Print Audit data access library. One version installed for Access, a different one for SQL Server. Installed to [Install Dir]\help pa5main.chm Intro help file, links to all other help files. Installed to [system 32] comcat.dll Microsoft VB/COM support library. asycfilt.dll Microsoft VB/COM support library. oleaut32.dll Microsoft VB/COM support library. olepro32.dll Microsoft VB/COM support library. stdole2.tlb Microsoft VB/COM support library. advpack.dll Microsoft VB/COM support library. msvbvm60.dll Microsoft VB runtime library.

8 Microsoft Libraries MDAC 2.8 Microsoft ADO library version 2.8 MSXML 3.0 Microsoft XML 3 library MSJet4 SP3 Microsoft JET library, version 4 service pack 3. PRINT AUDIT TOOLS The Print Audit 5 suite consists of several tools. These tools help you install, configure and report on your print tracking. Please note that you may not be able to use all of the features and tools described depending on your licensing. These tools are listed below: Client - The Print Audit Client tracks all printing from a user's desktop. You must install the Client on any computer from which you want to track printing. The Client can also gather custom information from your users at print time. Client Communicator - The Client Communicator handles all communication between the Print Audit Client and the Print Audit database. You generally only need to install one Client Communicator in your organization. Administration - You use the Administration tool to configure all aspects of Print Audit 5. You use it to setup printer profiles, user profiles and any custom field information. You also use the Administration tool to configure printing limits and other reduction features. Job Manager - You use the Job Manager to view, edit and delete your print job information. You can also use the job manager to report detailed job information and export your jobs to other tools. Analysis Reporting - You use the Analysis Reporting tool to generate sophisticated reports that you can use to report on volumes and calculate ROI on your information. Print Audit Database - The Print Audit database stores all of your print job, user and printer information. You can use a Microsoft Access based database or Microsoft SQL Server. For larger organizations we highly recommend SQL Server. Support Tools Client Status/Deployment - You use this tool to monitor the status of Print Audit Clients on your network. You can also use the tool to deploy the client to Windows NT and above computers in your organization. Job Merge Wizard - You can use this tool to merge jobs from one Print Audit database to another. For example you may have several satellite offices and want all of the information merged into a head office database. Database Maintenance Tool - You can use this tool to create SQL databases, compact Access databases and change database passwords.

9 ADMINISTRATION Once the installation of Print Audit 5 is complete, you use the Print Audit 5 Administration tool to configure all aspects of Print Audit 5. Print Audit 5 can be configured centrally from any workstation that has the administration module installed to it. Any changes to the programs configuration, made in the Administrator, are written to the central database and recognized network wide as each client (workstation) reads from, and writes to, that same database. SECURITY Print Audit 5 includes bullet-proof security that ensures the program cannot be overridden and that 100% of the print jobs are captured. The Print Audit Client can be configured so that even users with administrator rights cannot shut it down.

10 REPORTING The full Print Audit 5 suite includes two reporting tools, known as The Job Manager and The Analysis Reporting Tool. The Job Manager is used to view and manage detailed print job information. Administrators can search for jobs using several different pieces of search criteria. Jobs can also be edited, exported and reported on based on the job details. The Analysis Reporting Tool can be used to produce pre-prepared reports for printing volumes and costs. These reports can determine your highest volume printers, distribution of job sizes, percentage of color vs. black and white printing, and more. Print Audit 5 s data can be integrated into any accounting, spreadsheet and reporting package.

11 PRINT AUDIT 5 FEATURES SUMMARY Standard Features and Benefits Easy enterprise wide installation to any number of machines. Tracks 100% of printing, including local, networked, USB and direct to IP. Network push-install tool. Bulletproof security that cannot be overridden. Support for SQL or Access back-ends. Client-based architecture for low network overhead. Does not require a print server. Easy and secure configuration from any workstation. Network integration with Windows NT, Active Directory and Novell Directory Services. Installation wizard. Analysis Tracks printing silently behind the scenes. Contains a powerful volume analysis reporting tool that can help identify equipment inefficiencies and bottlenecks. Tracks device port, duplex information, number of pages, number of copies, network user and much more. Installs silently to tens, hundreds or thousands of workstations. Automatic color and monochrome tracking. Stores detailed information about every device that prints. Automatically builds inventory lists of every user, printing device and computer. Reduction Redirect print jobs from high-cost to low-cost devices. Utilize printing limits with customizable pop-up messages to notify users of print job costs before they print and suggest lower cost alternatives. Specify printing restrictions based on the device and user. Force duplex printing. Restrict color printing per user. Reduce abuse and waste through the knowledge that all printing is being monitored and the stacks of wasted paper left by the printer at the end of the day will disappear. Reduce document creation costs by up to 25%. Recovery Optional job code validation through a userfriendly popup window. 5 customizable (administrator-defined) fields for validation. PIN codes and declining balances for charging users. Specify devices and applications to track or not. Integrates with virtually all accounting systems. Designed to work with all CAD systems. Job snoozing and job batching functionality. Charge your customers or users by the page or by the paper size. Job editing and job deletion. Integrates seamlessly with Print Audit s copy tracking solution, Copy Audit.

12 PRINT AUDIT 5 FEATURES COMPARISON Analysis Reduction Recovery TECHNICAL FEATURES Print tracking at PC PC PC Workstations supported Windows 95 and Windows 95 and Windows 95 and UP UP UP Novell Network Service Support yes yes yes new Active Directory Support yes yes yes Citrix Server Support yes yes yes new Centralized network push-install tool yes yes yes new Client status monitor yes yes yes Centralized data collection yes yes yes Centralized administration yes yes yes Tracks network/local/lpt/com/usb printing yes yes yes Installation wizard yes yes yes SECURITY FEATURES new Data encryption yes yes yes new User security profiles yes yes yes new (Individual) user tracking options yes yes yes Document name tracking yes no yes REPORTING FEATURES Print job level reporting tool yes no yes new Print volume reporting tool yes no no Analytical reports yes no no new Job editing and deleting yes no yes new Reporting groups for users or printers yes no yes ANALYSIS FEATURES new Automatic user, printer and computer inventory yes no yes new Track duplex printing yes no yes new Store detailed information about device that prints yes no yes Silent print tracking yes no yes Print job by print job breakdown yes no yes COST REDUCTION FEATURES Active print job redirection tools no yes no Specify maximum pages per print job on printers no yes no new Soft and hard printing limits no yes no new Force duplex printing no yes no new Disallow Printing tracking option. no yes yes new Disallow color printing no yes no new Logical/physical pages duplex tracking yes no yes

13 Analysis Reduction Recovery COST RECOVERY FEATURES Popup on workstation for billing information entry no no yes User PIN number no no yes User quotas with declining balance no no yes new Up to 5 custom input fields no no yes User may override costs (if permitted) no no yes Interface to accounting systems no no yes Job batching no no yes new Job snoozing no no yes new Add validated codes on the fly no no yes new Multiple authentication types no no yes CAD and IPLOT plug-ins no no yes new User level custom fields no no yes new Five alphanumeric validated entry fields no no yes Integration with Copy Audit no no yes new Track cost by user defined paper size yes no yes new Track cost by square meter yes no yes Specify paper sizes yes no yes Specify devices to track or not yes yes yes Specify applications to track or not yes yes yes new Specify unit cost, unit percentage, job cost and job percentage modifiers yes no yes FIELDS TRACKED Network user name yes no yes Computer name yes no yes Printer name and port yes no yes Number of pages yes no yes Number of copies yes no yes Total number of pages yes no yes Date printed yes no yes Cost per page yes no yes Total cost per print job yes no yes Cost per unit yes no yes new If job was duplexed yes no yes new If duplexed as one yes no yes new Job origin (Windows, Mac, Copy Audit, etc.) yes no yes new Job type (Print, Copy, Fax, etc.) yes no yes Total number of square feet yes no yes new Total number of square meters yes no yes Application name yes no yes new Printer model yes no yes new If job was printed N-up (multiple pages per sheet) yes no yes If color was used yes no yes Document name / Website address yes no yes Time printed yes no yes Paper size from the driver yes no yes Paper width yes no yes Paper height yes no yes new Up to five alphanumeric validated entry fields no no yes Whether the job was measured in square feet or by the sheet no no yes Cost per square foot no no yes User identification based on PIN Code no no yes

14 ROLLOUT CHECKLIST To help ensure a successful deployment of Print Audit 5, it is recommended that the following rollout checklist is completed before attempting to install the software. Do you understand how the Print Audit 5 licensing works and how many licenses you require? Are all the workstations you wish to track running Windows 95 or newer Operating Systems? Does your network use the TCP/IP Protocol? Are you going to be installing to 100 or more workstations? If so, a SQL or MSDE database server is strongly recommended. For larger installations, do you have a mass software deployment method in place? Do you have a server or workstation that can house the Print Audit 5 database and remain accessible at all times?