Inform Pupils about printer credits

[Aaron]

Just a question for anyone using printer credits how to inform pupils how many are left?

 

We are running server 2008 and windows xp clients and we use print manager plus software although i dont

know how to let pupils know what credits they have left i just keep getting them come to me asking how

many have i left.

 

Is there no way of them getting a pop-up or even something they can click on screen in order to see what

credits are left.

 

Thank you in advance

[TechMonkey]

The NM here programmed a little VB app that queried the database and loaded on start-up. That way they were always shown when they logged on how many they have & then have no excuse to run out. It also tells them when they are low by changing colour and telling them when and where to come to get more. Finally when they do run out it goes red and they have to OK the box to clear it.

[Hecate]

You can get the end user enquiry tool from software shelf which puts an icon in the program tray which they can hover over to show their account balance - it also pops up notification if they try to print more pages than they have credit for. We use it under XP and server 2003 I don't see why it shouldn't work with 2008

[Edu-IT]

Our print management software puts an icon on the taskbar which when hovered over shows current balance.

[Aaron]

Thank you for your replies EDU-IT can i ask what version of print manager you are using?

[Aaron]

Hecate thank you for your reply it may just be that we are using a far older version which is possibly why it doesnt work we will need to update our software to the more recent version of print manager possibly in order to get this feature

[elsiegee40]

S far as I'm aware Print Manager Plus has always done this; i.e., I've never NOT been able to do it. Hovering over the client icon in the systray gives you the balance .

 

To get notification when balance is low, click on "Configure" and choose the "Account Balance" tab to set messages for for Low Balance and Out of Credit

[Nikolai]

You can fire an email off to support at softwareshelf.com. I will mention this thread to support and see if I can't get one of them to have a look.

[Aaron]

we are using a very old version and i rang about this and got a quote for the new software which i think we are going to purchase because at the moment the software is installed and working on the server although no pupil can find out what they have left. I did set it to send a message when credits were low but this doesnt seem to work as i havent seen a message at any time.

[plexer]

We have pmp but not currently using it in anger, I did once write a webpage that took the username of the currently logged on user and then queried the db to see what their balance was.

[SSI_support]

Print Manager Plus has 2 methods of giving user print credit updates.

 

Print Manager Plus End User Inquiry Tool - Windows Only

End user module which provides Client / Authentication features, and adds the ability for end users to see their current balance

[elsiegee40]

we are using a very old version and i rang about this and got a quote for the new software which i think we are going to purchase because at the moment the software is installed and working on the server although no pupil can find out what they have left. I did set it to send a message when credits were low but this doesnt seem to work as i havent seen a message at any time.

 

The client needs to be installed on the local machines for it to work.

[Aaron]

I dont have the client software just the server software

[SSI_support]

Print Manager Plus Client Billing & Authentication - Online Help and Documentation

[SSI_support]

Yes. You must install the client on all machines. It also need a registry key pointing to the printer server.

End User Inquiry Tool (for end user pop-ups)

 

http://downloads.softwareshelf.com/products/PMP2010/Client8.0.133.90_En_EUIT.msi

 

 

Each workstation must have the following key fix added to each

workstation on the network needing this tool.

 

End User Inquiry Tool displays (contacting server…)

Workstations’ registry may need to be configured to look at a specific server instead of broadcasting by the following registry entry.

Location in registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Software Shelf International Inc\Print Manager Plus – Client

 

1) Create a new String value here, named Server.

2) The value of it will be the machine name of the Print Manager Plus server on your network. This example shows the print server as Techsupport2.

 

 

 

There is a way to do this using ORCA MSI Editor.

 

Download the Orca MSI Editor from microsoft to edit these values for a PUSH installation.

Edited April 28, 2010 by SSI_support

[Aaron]

but will this work with print manager plus version 4?

[mb2k01]

We use PaperCutNG and this comes with a self-service web portal for pupils which can be accessed by a small popup utility from their desktop when they log on.

It is very cool - discreet app, nice design and clearly shows number of credits left without any need to click through.

[SSI_support]

If the POP-ups do not work well. Try adding exceptions to the local firewall(s)

we need ports 445,48100 and 48101 to be open.

This must be set on both the server and the client.

[Aaron]

I have the ports open on the server firewall and the client but now the client print manager is not showing any details were as before it was contacting server?

[SSI_support]

I see that you are on PMP version 4 may not work with this POP-up client it is 6 years old.

 

this older client may work...

 

Workstations are not receiving low balance or restriction popups from Print Manager Plus

Issue

Print Manager Plus can use two methods to send out this popup. It can either use the Messenger service, or the End User Inquiry Tool

 

Solution

Using the End User Inquiry Tool with Print Manager Plus:

 

 

The recommended method of sending notifications to end users with Print Manager Plus, is to use the End User Inquiry Tool and is a free add-on for the product

 

This tool can be installed on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/MacOSX and will popup a window when a user's job has been restricted, paused or their balance is low. The Window version also allows them to click on the tool in the task tray to see their current balance.

 

Print Manager Plus 6.0/2008 - End User Inquiry Tool

 

 

 

Print Manager Plus 6.0/2008 - End User Inquiry Tool - Mac Version (Popups Only)

 

 

 

 

Using the Windows Messenger Service with Print Manager Plus:

 

 

 

If you are unable to install the End User Inquiry, Popups can still be sent to workstation using the Net Send Messenger service.

 

This service needs to be enabled and started on the Workstation and the Print Server. In addition to this, NetBIOS over TCP/IP needs to be enabled for this Windows service to function correctly.

 

To Enable this Service: Open Services within Administrative Tools and Locate the service named Messenger. Go to the properties of the service, and set it to 'Automatic' startup and then start the Service.

 

This service can also be set to startup automatically by Domain or OU using Domain Policies, please refer to Microsoft Documentation on globally enabling services.

 

Currently Macintosh, Linux and Unix do not support receiving Net Send messages.

http://downloads.softwareshelf.com/products/PMP2008/PMP_EUIT.MSI

[Aaron]

Thank you for all your help really is appreaciated i think what may be best is as you said this is a really old version of print manager plus so i am going to order the newest version so that i can get the icon that students can just either hover over or click on to view credits this would be better than sending a net send message

[Aaron]

I have just bought the new version of the software and seems to work great although when i try to push the client out to all the workstations it pops up very quickly but doesnt seem to install i have set Client8.0.133.90_En_EUIT under GPO to install as an .msi and the package is only around 520kb but cant understand why its not installing on the workstations can anyone help with this please

[SSI_support]

Aaron-

 

Thanks for the news. This should work easily. Have you restarted any workstation and logged in first?

[Aaron]

Hi Yes i have allocated the software and restarted the machines then i have logged on but cant see the software installed, it works fine if i manually install the program but was hoping to push it out through GPO

[SSI_support]

I do not support Group Policy, but Here is the article I would use.

 

How to use Group Policy to remotely install software in Windows Server 2003