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Net
Print
Helping
to Control the Cost of Computer Printing in Education
Automated money collection for print credits and print quota. Links
with Pcounter software for Print Management, Print Auditing and
Print Accounting for Novell NetWare, NDPS, Windows NT, Windows 2000
& Active Directory.
Lease
options now available over 3 or 5 years.
Overview:
The NetPrint system is a combination of hardware and software to
allow clients to update network account balances via easy to use
networked stations. There is one or more NetPrint `servers', each
of which is running Windows NT 4.0 and the NetPrint Manager Service
software. Each NetPrint server may control one or more NetPrint
stations. It is with the NetPrint stations that the end users interact.
Each NetPrint server will communicate with an account holding system
to update and retrieve the user's balance. Currently, this is the
Pcounter software.
Pcounter
is a network based software solution that controls and accounts
for printing on Novell NetWare, NDPS, Windows NT and Windows 2000
networks. The Netprint Moneyloader complements this solution to
remove the burden of manual allocation of print credits to user
accounts.
Authentication
of user credentials is configurable on a per-station basis. Authentication
is provided for the standard NT and NetWare NDS security managers.
A simple plug-in interface also allows custom authentication to
be performed as necessary.
Money
Loader Hardware Description:
The wall-mounted cabinet consists of a High Security steel case
containing a processor and network connection, with high quality
coin and note acceptor, panel mounted keyboard and display. The
system allows users to identify themselves by typing in their user
name and password on the keyboard. The system interfaces with Pcounter
to display the amount of credit in the user’s account and allows
money to be added by the insertion of notes or coins. The display
mounted on the top of the front panel provides visual feedback to
users.
Dimensions
& Specification:
Height: 597mm, Width: 525mm, Depth: 350mm. Weight: 35kg
- Secure
2mm thick steel cabinet with five point locking bar
- Wall
Fixing is achieved with a mounting bracket
- Quarter
size VGA Backlit monochrome LCD
- Panel
mount mini Qwerty style Keyboard
- Coin
acceptor: NRI G1300 6 coin electronic mechanism - configurable
for variety of currencies - pre-set for 10p, 20p, 50p, £1,
£2
- Secure
Lockable Cash Box (capacity of cash box 1500 x £1 coins)
- Note
acceptor: Diversified Systems Vertical Vault Note Validator. Configurable
for a variety of currencies - programmed for £5, £10,
£20 notes with lockable note box (Capacity of note box:
600 notes)
- Electronic
interface for money transactions handled by the STD Serial Data
Board Vr1.5
- Embedded
486 PC (Advantech PCM-4823/L) with 16 MB Ram and onboard NE2000
compatible Ethernet controller with 10Base-T media access
(Media Access converters are available for 10Base-2 networks)
- Recommended
power: 240v Un-switched fused spur rated at 5amp
- NetPrint
management software license including link to Pcounter (NT service
applet requiring NT workstation or NT server)
- Link
to Pcounter requires Pcounter v5.x for NetWare or Pcounter v2.x
for NT, or later
- 1
year maintenance and support
- On-site
hardware installation by ICS
Not
included:
- On-site
software support and installation - at least 1 day on-site is
recommended.
- Pcounter
software license(s).
- Training
System
Architecture:
The controlling factor in any NetPrint installation is the NetPrint
Server (or servers). These servers communicate with the stations
using a custom communications protocol. TCP/IP is used as the transport
layer. Installation of a NetPrint station is simply a matter of
plugging the unit into the local 10Base-T network and configuring
a NetPrint server to manage the new unit. The NetPrint stations
contain no real software of their own - only a boot package to allow
network based booting. This allows for trivial upgrades of the NetPrint
station kernel software.
Since
the stations boot off the network, appropriate support services
must be provided. The distribution of the NetPrint software contains
both DHCP and TFTP servers in order to boot the stations. These
may be disabled if the local network already provides the requisite
services.
Configuration
of the system is achieved via a GUI interface in a Windows NT Control
Panel Applet. This user-friendly applet is used to control every
aspect of each NetPrint station individually. Also provided is a
separate log enquiry applet to allow day-to-day administrative users
to enquire of the system. If required, the stations can be configured
to display a set of rotating messages (for example, for advertisements
or announcements) during idle periods.
Feature
summary:
- "Self
Service" entry of Notes & Coins
- Update
of Pcounter user balance
- Creation
of a "tally-roll" audit trail of money received.
Hardware
requirements for NetPrint:
NetPrint
requires a TCP/IP-networked WinNT server (or workstation) to act
as a controller for the ICS MoneyLoader(s). Minimum memory, 32MB;
minimum free disk space, 64MB.
The
MoneyLoader requires a 10Base-T network connection to a network
running TCP/IP.
Networks
(e.g. Switches, Routers) need to be setup to allow DHCP / BOOTP
Ethernet packets (UDP ports 68 & 67) to be broadcast from the
MoneyLoader to the DHCP server & back. Also TFTP Ethernet packets
(UDP port 69) from the NetPrint controller to the MoneyLoader.
Software
requirements for NetPrint:
[NetWare]
The NT controller needs the Novell Client32 installed on it.
The
ICS MoneyLoader uses a diskless boot ROM that requires a DHCP server
running on the network to enable it to download its software program.
If
you are not using DHCP on your network, a special DHCP server configured
just for the MoneyLoader is included with NetPrint.
If
you are - or soon will want to be - using a DHCP server on your
network, then you must be able to configure it to do one of two
things.
Either:
- Set
it to ignore the MoneyLoader MAC address(es), when you can then
use the supplied NetPrint DHCP server in conjunction with your
DHCP server without conflicts.
Or
- Assign
a Fixed & Infinite address lease and specify DHCP options
13, 66 & 67 to be passed to the MoneyLoader. Also, set the
server to allow a renewal of the lease on the same basis.
Note:
Not all DHCP server implementations support both options.
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