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Configure the DCA and Cloud Connector agent

The DCA and Cloud Connector is the monitoring agent for NDD Orbix, responsible for collecting, processing, and sending information from monitored devices to the platform’s portal. It establishes continuous communication between the devices in the customer’s environment and the NDD Orbix cloud, serving as an essential component for the solution’s operation.

In addition to the agent, the NDD Orbix architecture also supports monitoring through embedded modules (NDD Print Client Collector) on compatible printers.

Proper installation and configuration of the DCA and Cloud Connector ensure secure, centralized, and automated monitoring of the environment.

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DCA and Cloud Connector

Objectives

The DCA and Cloud Connector serves the following objectives:

  • collect data from printers, thermal printers, computers, and software, including meters, odometers, supplies, events, and equipment statuses;

  • allow centralized device management through the NDD Orbix portal;

  • automate operational tasks, such as driver installation, print queue configuration, and the application of energy-saving policies (EcoPrint);

  • keep the solution’s components up to date at all times through the automatic update mechanism (LiveUpdate).

Architecture

The DCA and Cloud Connector is installed as the system’s main service. This is the only service configured for automatic startup and has two responsibilities:

  • to establish communication with the cloud and with the NDD Orbix portal via the NDD communication SDK;

  • to locally control and activate the other NDD Orbix agent services.

The other services are installed alongside the main agent but remain disabled until enabled by the NDD Orbix portal, according to the configuration set for each environment. Each service is independent, starts manually, and is automatically launched by the main agent when necessary.

Data collection is performed based on the device type, using protocols such as SNMP, HTTP, TCP, and USB.

Available services

The DCA and Cloud Connector is available for Windows and Linux, but not all services are supported on both operating systems.

In addition, each service collects specific information according to its purpose.

Services available on Windows

Service

Name on Windows

Function

DCA and Cloud Connector

nddSmart.DCA.Agent

The main service responsible for communicating with the portal and managing the other services. It also collects basic local information about the computer on which it is installed.

Data collected by DCA and Cloud Connector

  • Hostname

  • Machine UUID

  • IPv4 address (all interfaces)

  • IPv6 address

  • MAC address

  • Operating system

  • Serial number

  • Logs

  • Disk size

  • Disk usage

  • Processor

  • Processor usage (%)

  • RAM memory size

  • RAM memory usage (%)

NDD - Printer Monitor

NDDPrinterMonitor

Monitors printers connected via a network or WAN using the SNMP and NPAP protocols, collecting information on inventory, meters, supplies, and events.

Data collected by NDD - Printer Monitor

  • Serial number

  • Manufacturer

  • Model

  • MAC address

  • IP address or hostname

  • Name collected

  • Connection type

  • Port number

  • Subnet mask

  • Firmware

  • Location

  • Contact

  • Features (whether it is a copier, fax, scanner, duplex, prints, prints in color)

  • Quantity of meters (total, monochrome, color)

  • Meter type

  • Supply description

  • Supply part number

  • Supply color

  • Supply level

  • Supply serial number

  • Supply type

  • Maximum supply capacity

  • Supply usage time

  • Supply manufacturer

  • Pages printed by the supply

  • Supply meter

  • Supply receipt date

  • Events/alerts

NDD - Printer Monitor USB

NDDPrinterUsbMonitor

Monitors printers connected via USB, collecting information on inventory, meters, supplies, and events.

Functionality depends on the equipment’s compatibility. We recommend checking with a brand specialist.

Data collected by NDD - Printer Monitor USB

  • Serial number

  • Manufacturer

  • Model

  • MAC address

  • IP address or hostname

  • Name collected

  • Connection type

  • Port number

  • Subnet mask

  • Firmware

  • Location

  • Contact

  • Features (whether it is a copier, fax, scanner, duplex, prints, prints in color)

  • Quantity of meters (total, monochrome, color)

  • Meter type

  • Supply description

  • Supply part number

  • Supply color

  • Supply level

  • Supply serial number

  • Supply type

  • Maximum supply capacity

  • Supply usage time

  • Supply manufacturer

  • Pages printed by the supply

  • Supply meter

  • Supply receipt date

  • Events/alerts

NDD - Thermal Monitor

NDDThermalMonitor

Monitors thermal printers connected via a network or WAN, collecting inventory, odometers, supplies, and events.

Data collected by NDD - Thermal Monitor

  • Name

  • Serial number

  • Manufacturer

  • Model

  • Machine UUID

  • IP address or hostname

  • MAC address

  • Device type

  • Connection type

  • Firmware version

  • Operating system

  • Odometer count (in distance, quantity, or cuts)

  • Odometer type

  • Supply part number

  • Supply color

  • Supply charge status

  • Supply serial number

  • Supply type

  • Maximum supply capacity

  • Events/alerts

NDD - Thermal Monitor USB

NDDThermalMonitorUSB

Monitors thermal printers connected via USB, collecting inventory, odometers, supplies, and events.

Data collected by NDD - Thermal Monitor USB

  • Name

  • Serial number

  • Manufacturer

  • Model

  • Machine UUID

  • IP address or hostname

  • MAC address

  • Device type

  • Connection type

  • Firmware version

  • Operating system

  • Odometer count (in distance, quantity, or cuts)

  • Odometer type

  • Supply part number

  • Supply color

  • Supply charge status

  • Supply serial number

  • Supply type

  • Maximum supply capacity

  • Events/alerts

NDD - Computer Monitor

NDDComputerMonitor

Monitors computers, collecting information on hardware, operating system, resource usage, and events.

Data collected by NDD - Computer Monitor

  • Hostname

  • User

  • UUID

  • Serial number

  • Manufacturer

  • Model

  • MAC address

  • IP address

  • BIOS version

  • Uptime

  • Device type

  • Disk name

  • Disk model

  • Disk size

  • Disk serial number

  • Disk PNP Device ID

  • Disk volume (name, format, size, free space, and usage percentage)

  • Network interface name

  • Network interface IP address

  • Network interface MAC address

  • Network interface subnet mask

  • RAM memory

  • RAM memory type

  • RAM memory frequency

  • RAM memory manufacturer

  • RAM serial number

  • RAM model

  • Average RAM usage

  • Operating system name

  • Operating system version

  • Operating system installation date

  • Operating system architecture

  • Operating system serial number

  • Processor name

  • Average processor usage

  • Wi-Fi network name

  • Wi-Fi network MAC address

  • Wi-Fi network channel

  • Wi-Fi network signal

  • Wi-Fi network signal strength

  • Driver name

  • Driver description

  • Driver version

  • Driver version date

  • Driver manufacturer

  • Battery name

  • Battery manufacturer

  • Battery voltage

  • Design capacity of the battery

  • Total charged capacity of the battery

  • Events/alerts

NDD - Software Monitor

NDDSoftwareMonitor

Monitors the software installed on the computer, including manufacturer, version, installation date, resource usage, and events.

Data collected by NDD - Software Monitor

  • Software name

  • Software version

  • Software manufacturer

  • Software installation date

  • Software usage time

  • CPU usage by the software

  • RAM memory usage by the software

  • Events/alerts

NDD - Print Queue

NDDPrintQueue

Monitors drivers and print queues, allowing for their installation and management.

Data collected by NDD - Print Queue

  • Printer name

  • Printer serial number

  • Printer manufacturer

  • Printer model

  • Printer IP address or hostname

  • Computer name

  • Computer IP address

  • User logon

  • User domain

NDD - Supply Watch

NDDSupplyWatch

Applies saving rules (EcoPrint) to monitored equipment.

Data collected by NDD - Supply Watch

  • Data from the NDD - Printer Monitor and/or NDD - Printer Monitor USB services

  • Data from the NDD - Print Queue service (when print queues are used as members in the rules)

  • Printer manufacturer

  • Printer model

  • Printer serial number

  • Monochrome pages in the print job

  • Color pages in the print job
Services available on Linux

Service

Function

DCA and Cloud Connector

The main service responsible for communicating with the portal and managing the other services. It also collects basic local information about the computer on which it is installed.

Data collected by DCA and Cloud Connector

  • Hostname

  • Machine UUID

  • IPv4 address (all interfaces)

  • IPv6 address

  • MAC address

  • Operating system

  • Serial number

  • Logs

  • Disk size

  • Disk usage

  • Processor

  • Processor usage (%)

  • RAM memory size

  • RAM memory usage (%)

NDD - Printer Monitor

Monitors printers connected via a network or WAN using the SNMP and NPAP protocols, collecting information on inventory, meters, supplies, and events.

Data collected by NDD - Printer Monitor

  • Serial number

  • Manufacturer

  • Model

  • MAC address

  • IP address or hostname

  • Name collected

  • Connection type

  • Port number

  • Subnet mask

  • Firmware

  • Location

  • Contact

  • Features (whether it is a copier, fax, scanner, duplex, prints, prints in color)

  • Quantity of meters (total, monochrome, color)

  • Meter type

  • Supply description

  • Supply part number

  • Supply color

  • Supply level

  • Supply serial number

  • Supply type

  • Maximum supply capacity

  • Supply usage time

  • Supply manufacturer

  • Pages printed by the supply

  • Supply meter

  • Supply receipt date

  • Events/alerts

NDD - Printer Monitor USB

Monitors printers connected via USB, collecting information on inventory, meters, supplies, and events.

Functionality depends on the equipment’s compatibility. We recommend checking with a brand specialist.

Data collected by NDD - Printer Monitor USB

  • Serial number

  • Manufacturer

  • Model

  • MAC address

  • IP address or hostname

  • Name collected

  • Connection type

  • Port number

  • Subnet mask

  • Firmware

  • Location

  • Contact

  • Features (whether it is a copier, fax, scanner, duplex, prints, prints in color)

  • Quantity of meters (total, monochrome, color)

  • Meter type

  • Supply description

  • Supply part number

  • Supply color

  • Supply level

  • Supply serial number

  • Supply type

  • Maximum supply capacity

  • Supply usage time

  • Supply manufacturer

  • Pages printed by the supply

  • Supply meter

  • Supply receipt date

  • Events/alerts

Warning

Linux only supports monitoring services for network and USB printers. The other services are available exclusively for Windows.

Information

To see which operating systems are compatible with the DCA and Cloud Connector, access Which operating systems are compatible with DCA and Cloud Connector?.

Files generated by DCA and Cloud Connector

During the process, DCA and Cloud Connector generates files in .JSON format, with approximately 400 bytes per file, containing the data collected by each service. Each file contains information for 1 device.

Note

The LocalSystem account is used to run all services internally on Windows, as the installers do not allow you to specify a specific service account for cybersecurity reasons. This means that the services run as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM.

Communication with the portal

The DCA and Cloud Connector can communicate with the NDD Orbix portal in three ways, depending on the customer’s infrastructure:

  • Direct communication: The agent communicates directly with the portal when no proxy or gateway is configured.

  • Proxy: A feature of the customer’s infrastructure responsible for mediating communication between devices and the internet.

  • Gateway Connector: uses a gateway provided by NDD, which acts as an intermediary for communication between the agents and the portal and caches data for certain solution features.

The communication flow occurs as follows:

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NDD Print Client Collector

Currently, this technology is available for equipment from the following manufacturers: HP Workpath, Kyocera, Lexmark, and Ricoh Android, eliminating the need for an agent to collect information from these devices.

To collect data via embedded modules, NDD Orbix uses two NDD Print products:

  • NDD Print Client Collector: software that runs on the printing device’s operating system. It allows you to monitor meters, supply status, and alerts for a single device or multiple devices via network/WAN communication and the SNMP protocol.

  • Embedded Configuration Tool (ECT): software for Windows environments that allows you to configure devices before the installation of the embedded Collector module.

Information

To check device compatibility, access the Manufacturer Compatibility Guide.

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Prerequisites for the NDD Print Client Collector and the ECT

See the specific prerequisite documentation for each manufacturer and for the ECT:

Installation of the NDD Print Client Collector and the ECT

See the specific installation documentation for each manufacturer and for the ECT:

Files generated by NDD Print Client Collector

The embedded modules generate:

  • files in the .NSL format, approximately 4 KB per file, containing meter and supply data. Each file contains information for up to 200 devices.

  • files in the .NPA format, approximately 4 KB per file, containing event and alert data. Each file contains information for 1 device.

For detailed instructions on installation, configuration, and updating the agent, see the following documentation:

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