Start monitoring network printers | Help Center

Learn the first steps to start monitoring network printers. It starts with:

The installation of the DCA and Cloud Connector agent on the computer or server connected to the devices to be monitored;
Enabling and configuring monitoring rules;
The configuration of services, determining which printers will be monitored.

By following these steps, you ensure that the environment is correctly configured so that printers are automatically registered in the portal and have their data collected, including registration data, meters, supplies, and events.

Instructions

Follow the steps below to start monitoring network printers:

Step 1. Generate the agent installer (Windows)

Who can use this feature

Users with the Administrator or Generate installer permission

The installer is generated directly in the NDD Orbix portal and can be customized according to the organization's needs:

Warning

If the agent is already installed to monitor another device, it is not necessary to reinstall it on the same computer or server.

In this case, go directly to Step 3. Enable and configure monitoring rules and following.

Generate an installer without configured IP addresses: after installation, you will need to define which printers will be monitored

Create the customer, as instructed at Create customer, site and department
After creating the customer, access the menu Installations > Installers > Generate installer
In the Install Network Printer Monitoring option, click Select
Click Generate installer
In the side tab, select the desired customer
Click the Generate installer button
Copy the link of the generated installer or click Send by email to send the installer link to the configured emails
When pasted into the browser, the file download will start automatically.
1. When you click Send by email, a side tab will open
2. Define the recipients:
  1. System emails: select users registered on the NDD Orbix portal;
  2. External emails: enter the email address in the field indicated and click Add. Repeat the process until you have included all the desired emails;
  3. Both.
3. Click the Send installer button to immediately send the installer link to the configured emails

The link is valid for 90 days. After this period, you will need to generate a new installer.

Generate an installer with all IP addresses configured (broadcast search): the agent will be installed ready to automatically search for all printers

Create the customer, as instructed at Create customer, site and department
After creating the customer, access the menu Installations > Installers > Generate installer
In the Install Network Printer Monitoring option, click Select
Click Customize
Select the desired customer
Enable the Automatic printer search option
Using the broadcast method, an automatic search for printers will be performed on all IP addresses in the subnets, using the SNMP protocol.
In the Communicator connection to the cloud field, if Gateway Connector is being used to communicate with NDD Orbix servers, enter the address (IP or hostname) and port of the computer/server where Gateway Connector was installed, in the following format: IP:port
If filled in, the address and port will be predefined in the installer.

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Example

192.168.0.1:9635

Information

To install Gateway Connector, access Install the gateway on Windows.

Click the Generate installer button
Copy the link of the generated installer or click Send by email to send the installer link to the configured emails
When pasted into the browser, the file download will start automatically.
1. When you click Send by email, a side tab will open
2. Define the recipients:
  1. System emails: select users registered on the NDD Orbix portal;
  2. External emails: enter the email address in the field indicated and click Add. Repeat the process until you have included all the desired emails;
  3. Both.
3. Click the Send installer button to immediately send the installer link to the configured emails

The link is valid for 90 days. After this period, you will need to generate a new installer.

Generate an installer with specific IP addresses configured: the agent will be installed ready to automatically search for the defined printers

Create the customer, as instructed at Create customer, site and department
After creating the customer, access the menu Installations > Installers > Generate installer
In the Install Network Printer Monitoring option, click Select
Click Customize
Select the desired customer
Disable the option Automatic printer search
Click the button Configure
To configure specific network addresses (supports IPv4 and IPv6):
1. Under Fixed network addresses, click View and edit
2. Click the ✚ button in the upper right corner
3. Under Add manually, enter the specific network address
4. Under Import CSV, upload a CSV file containing the addresses
  1. Download the import template under Download template
  2. Fill in the CSV file with the addresses
  3. Save the CSV file and select or drag it to the portal
    The maximum file size allowed is 100kb.
  4. Click the Add button to add the addresses and remain on the add screen, or click the Add and Close button to add the addresses and return to the registration screen
To configure unicast search addresses (supports IPv4):
1. Under Search for unicast, click View and edit
2. Click the ✚ button in the upper right corner
3. Under Add manually, add the initial and final network addresses
4. In Import CSV, upload a CSV file containing the initial and final addresses
  1. Download the import template at Download template
  2. Fill in the CSV file with the initial and final addresses
  3. Save the CSV file and select or drag it to the portal
    The maximum file size allowed is 100kb.
  4. Click the Add button to add the addresses and remain on the add screen, or click the Add and Close button to add the addresses and return to the registration screen
To configure broadcast search addresses (supports IPv4):
1. In Broadcast addresses, make the Search for printers by broadcast option active
2. To restrict the search to a specific location, click View and edit
  If no address is registered, the search will take place on the default subnet.
3. Click the ✚ button in the upper right corner
4. In Add manually, add the network address and subnet mask
5. In Import CSV, upload a CSV file containing the addresses and masks
  1. Download the import model at Download template
  2. Fill in the CSV file with the addresses and masks
  3. Save the CSV file and select or drag it to the portal
    The maximum file size allowed is 100kb.
  4. Click the Add button to add the addresses and remain on the add screen, or click the Add and Close button to add the addresses and return to the registration screen
To configure the daily printer search:
1. In Schedule daily printer search, click View and edit
2. Click the ✚ button in the upper right corner
3. Enter the desired time
4. Click the Add button to add the time and remain on the add screen, or click the Add and Close button to add the time and return to the registration screen
To configure SNMP communication:
1. In Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) settings, click the + Add button
2. Enter the SNMP protocol settings
3. Click the Add button to add the SNMP protocol and remain on the add screen, or click the Add and Close button to add the SNMP protocol and return to the registration screen
4. Click the Save button
Click the Save button
In the Communicator connection to the cloud field, if Gateway Connector is being used to communicate with NDD Orbix servers, enter the address (IP or hostname) and port of the computer/server where Gateway Connector was installed, in the following format: IP:port
If filled in, the address and port will be predefined in the installer.

💡

Example

192.168.0.1:9635

Information

To install Gateway Connector, access Install the gateway on Windows.

Click the Generate installer button
Copy the link of the generated installer or click Send by email to send the installer link to the configured emails
When pasted into the browser, the file download will start automatically.
1. When you click Send by email, a side tab will open
2. Define the recipients:
  1. System emails: select users registered on the NDD Orbix portal;
  2. External emails: enter the email address in the field indicated and click Add. Repeat the process until you have included all the desired emails;
  3. Both.
3. Click the Send installer button to immediately send the installer link to the configured emails

The link is valid for 90 days. After this period, you will need to generate a new installer.

Step 2. Install the agent in the environment (Windows and Linux)

Install manually on Windows operating system

Warning

If the gateway is used for communication between the agent and the portal, install the Gateway Connector before installing the DCA and Cloud Connector agent.

Note

The installer is customized for each customer and cannot be used for customers other than the one selected at the time of generation.

Check the installation prerequisites at Agent installation prerequisites
Access the link generated by the portal to download the installer
Run the downloaded file
Select the desired language and click Próximo

First, the Microsoft .NET Runtime, Microsoft ASP.NET Core Runtime, EpsonNet SDK for Windows, and PawnIO applications will be installed. If they are already installed, steps 5 through 7 will be skipped, and the installation will proceed from step 8.

Click Next on the prerequisite installation welcome screen
Click Next to start installing the prerequisites
Wait for installation

Once the prerequisites have been installed, the installation of the DCA and Cloud Connector agent will begin.

Click Next on the agent installation welcome screen
Choose the Installation folder and Work folder and click Next
Click Next on the provider and customer information screen.
The fields will be filled in automatically according to the configurations generated in the installer portal.
Under Additional settings, if desired, select the type of communication (proxy or gateway) and click Next
1. If no option is selected, communication will take place directly between the agent and the portal
2. If Use proxy for communication with NDD Orbix servers is selected, enter the necessary proxy connection settings (address, port and authentication, if any) and click Next
3. If Use Gateway Connector to communicate with NDD Orbix servers option is selected, enter the address (IP or hostname) and port of the computer/server where the Gateway Connector was installed and click Next
  If the address and port have been previously configured in the NDD Orbix portal when generating the installer, these fields will already be filled in.
Click Install
Wait for installation and click Finish

Install silently on Windows operating system

Warning

If the gateway is used for communication between the agent and the portal, install the Gateway Connector before installing the DCA and Cloud Connector agent.

Note

The installer is customized for each customer and cannot be used for customers other than the one selected at the time of generation.

Check the installation prerequisites at Agent installation prerequisites
Run the downloaded file via Command Prompt
1. Navigate to the directory where the agent executable is located via Command Prompt
2. Enter the name of the executable (NDD - Network printer monitoring.exe or NDD - Local monitoring.exe)
3. Enter the other desired parameters, listed below

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Example

C:\Downloads\DCA> NDD - Network printer monitoring.exe APPDIR=C:\test WORKFOLDER=C:\test /quiet

DCA and Cloud Connector silent installation parameters

The parameters with "*" are mandatory and must be observed.

The parameters with "**" may become mandatory depending on other parameters used.

Warning

The silent installation of DCA and Cloud Connector must be performed using the parameters documented below. The other options displayed in the installer help (/? or /help) should be disregarded.

APPDIR – Configures the installation directory of DCA and Cloud Connector

Setup option: enter the path where you want to install the agent.
Requirement: optional.
Behavior if not configured: installs in the default directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\NDD TECH\DCA and Cloud Connector.
Example: APPDIR=C:\test

WORKFOLDER – Configures the directory of the DCA and Cloud Connector work folder

Setup option: enter the path where you want to create the agent's work folder.
Requirement: optional.
Behavior if not configured: installs in the default directory: C:\NDD TECH\Workfolder.
Example: WORKFOLDER=C:\test

ENABLEPROXY – Enables the use of the proxy

Setup option: checked = enabled.
Requirement: optional (do not use the parameter if you do not want the proxy to be enabled).
Behavior if not configured: proxy will not be enabled.
Example: ENABLEPROXY=checked

**PROXYADDRESS – Configures the proxy server address

Setup option: enter the proxy address.
Requirement: mandatory if proxy use is enabled (ENABLEPROXY=checked).
Behavior if not configured: proxy will not be configured correctly.
Example: PROXYADDRESS=192.168.17.10

**PROXYPORT – Configures the communication port of the proxy server

Setup option: enter the proxy port number.
Requirement: mandatory if proxy use is enabled (ENABLEPROXY=checked).
Behavior if not configured: proxy will not be configured correctly.
Example: PROXYPORT=12

ENABLEGATEWAY - Enables the use of the gateway

Setup option: checked = enabled.
Requirement: optional (do not use the parameter if you do not want the gateway to be enabled).
Behavior if not configured: gateway will not be enabled.
Example: ENABLEGATEWAY=checked

**GATEWAYADDRESS - Configures the gateway address

Setup option: enter the address (IP or hostname) of the computer/server where the Gateway Connector was installed.
Requirement: mandatory if gateway use is enabled (ENABLEGATEWAY=checked).
Behavior if not configured: gateway will not be configured correctly.
Example: GATEWAYADDRESS=192.168.17.10

**GATEWAYPORT - Configures the communication port of the gateway

Setup option: enter the gateway port number.
The default gateway port is 9635, but you can enter another one if you wish.
Requirement: mandatory if gateway use is enabled (ENABLEGATEWAY=checked).
Behavior if not configured: gateway will not be configured correctly.
Example: GATEWAYPORT=12

Install on Linux operating system

Access the detailed documentation:

Step 3. Enable and configure monitoring rules (Windows and Linux)

Who can use this feature

Users with the Admin or Managing service rules and Enable or disable general service rule permissions

If the DCA and Cloud Connector agent is installed on Windows using the installer generated in Step 1. Generate the agent installer, the monitoring rules will be enabled and configured automatically, according to the computers or servers where it was installed.

Manual enablement and configuration are only necessary in the following cases:

When the agent was already installed to monitor another type of device.
When the agent is installed on Linux.

Go to Installations > Enable services
Locate the Network printer monitoring option
Click on the Edit button
Enable the service
If you enable it, all the registered rules will be activated.
If you disable it, all the registered rules and the services that monitor network printers (NDD - Printer Monitor) will be deactivated.
Click the Save button
Click on the Configure Rules button

By default, the NDD Orbix portal will have a rule registered for all customers and all computers, but disabled. You therefore need to create specific rules to configure network printer monitoring for the computers you want.

Click the ✚ button in the top right corner
In the side tab, select the computer you want to enable network printer monitoring on (the agents installed on the selected computer will be monitored)
Click the Add button to create the rule and remain on the add screen, or the Add and Close button to create the rule and return to the grid
You can select and add only one computer at a time.

When the rule is created, the services of the agents linked to the computer will be synchronized. The service will then be immediately available for other configurations.

If synchronization fails when the rule is created, select the desired rule in the grid and click the Synchronize button in the top right corner. If there is no synchronization, the service will only be available when the agent is next read.

If a rule is deleted and no new rules are registered for the same computer, device monitoring will stop.

Step 4. Configure the service (Windows and Linux)

Service configuration is only necessary in the following cases:

When the Windows installer was generated without previously configured IP addresses.
When the agent is installed on Linux.

In both scenarios, access the documentation below to define which printers will be monitored:

Filter network printer monitoring by manufacturer and model (optional configuration): to configure the monitoring filter by manufacturer and model.
Configure addresses for searching network printers for the service (mandatory configuration): to configure the addresses for searching for printers.
Configure network printer search for the service (optional configuration): to configure the scheduled search for printers or start the search immediately.
Configure network printer service synchronization (optional configuration): to configure service synchronization.
Configure network printer service monitoring (optional configuration): to configure the printer service monitoring.
Configure network printer service communication (optional configuration): to configure service communication.

Once you have completed the steps above, all network printers will be automatically registered on the portal. From that moment on, registration data, meters, supplies, and events will be collected. The printers will be available in the inventory and will begin to be monitored. To view the printer inventory, access View printer inventory.

In addition, you can also create a printer manually and associate it with an agent so that it is monitored. For more detail, access Create printer manually.