HP Managing Third Party Printers In Web Jetadmin ENWW C01675324

User Manual: HP HP Web Jetadmin - Managing Third-Party Printers

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MANAGING THIRD-PARTY PRINTERS

in HP Web Jetadmin

CONTENTS

Overview ................................................................................................................................ 2

Discovering devices .................................................................................................................. 2

Device plug-ins ......................................................................................................................... 2

Level of support ........................................................................................................................ 3

Reserved functionality ............................................................................................................... 5

Functionality definitions ............................................................................................................. 5

Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................ 7

Summary ................................................................................................................................. 8

Appendix A—Third-party support examples ................................................................................. 9

Appendix B—HP vs. third-party support summary ....................................................................... 10

2

OVERVIEW

Administrators want the ability to effectively discover and manage printers offered by all major printer

vendors from a single software interface. Only having to install one software and learn a single

interface saves valuable time and money. The tool also has to provide adequate levels of support for

all vendors. Fortunately, HP Web Jetadmin is a premier printer management solution that can

effectively discover and manage non-HP printers. The level of support provided depends on the ability

of the device to adhere to a set of industry standards.

DISCOVERING DEVICES

During discovery of devices, HP Web Jetadmin uses SNMP queries to gather information from the

device. If HP Web Jetadmin concludes that the device is a peripheral such as a printer, plotter, or

multifunction device, it will display it in the list of discovered devices. In order for HP Web Jetadmin to

conclude that a device is a peripheral, the device must be able to answer a set of industry-standard

questions.

A Management Information Base (MIB) is a set of objects that defines the types of SNMP queries that

can be asked of a device. For example, the Standard Printer MIB (RFC 1759) is a generic set of

objects to which most peripherals should be able to provide answers when queried. The Standard

Printer MIB consists of objects that describe functionality and capabilities of the printer such as page

counts or media types. Other common MIBs include MIB2 (RFC 1213) and the Host Resources MIB

(RFC 1514). Device vendors also have a set of proprietary MIBs that contain information unique to

their devices. HP Web Jetadmin must have knowledge of MIB objects in device plug-ins before it can

send queries to devices using those MIB objects.

Devices must be able to answer queries defined in the common industry-standard MIBs in order for

HP Web Jetadmin to discover the devices. Otherwise, there is not enough information pertaining to

the device to warrant displaying it in the list of discovered devices. HP Web Jetadmin focuses on

printer management, and it would be increasingly difficult to distinguish devices as printers unless

they can answer a standard set

of questions such as those

defined in the Standard Printer

MIB.

Once a device is discovered in

HP Web Jetadmin, the level of

support that can be provided will

depend on the depth of queries

defined in the respective device

plug-ins.

DEVICE PLUG-INS

Device plug-ins in HP Web

Jetadmin contain SNMP queries

to support functionality for a

device. The more definitions that

exist in the plug-in that are

unique to that device, the higher

the level of support that is

provided.

HP Web Jetadmin has no

specific knowledge of

Figure 1—Third-party device support

3

proprietary objects for a third-party device, therefore a single plug-in containing industry-standard

objects is used for each vendor. The level of information that can be provided depends on the ability

of the device to answer the standard queries.

For HP devices, a device plug-in exists for every HP model that contains proprietary objects to provide

advanced support.

LEVEL OF SUPPORT

Third-party device support in HP Web Jetadmin can be quite extensive—however, it is strictly the

responsibility of the device to answer the standard queries. A significant amount of HP Web Jetadmin

functionality can be supported through standard queries such as basic status, configuration, alerts,

reporting, and page counting. HP Web Jetadmin attempts to support the following functionality for

third-party devices using standard queries for basic support:

 Device Page

 Status tab

 Device

A single picture of a generic device to represent the vendor

Device Model, IP Hostname, IP Address, System Contact

 Status

Basic status (online/offline, toner low, toner out, media low, media out, paper jam,

cover open, service requested)

Front panel display

 Supplies

Input tray remaining levels

Supplies remaining levels

 Detailed Info tab

 General category

Serial Number

Engine Cycle Count

Contact Person

System Contact

System Location

Interpreter information (language, version, date)

 Jetdirect category

HW address, protocols, packets, system uptime, system name

 Config tab

 Device

Contact Person

System Contact

System Location

Control Panel language

Printer Job Langauge (PJL) Configuration

Company Name

 Network

System Name

IP Address

 Troubleshoot tab

 Reset device

 EWS button

 Capabilities

 Installed components such as input tray capacities, interpreter languages, duplexer, hard

disk, total memory

4

 Supplies tab

 Input tray levels

 Supplies levels

 Alerts tab

 General alerts only, polling only of SNMP Alert table and status Object Identifier (OIDs)

 Alerts (limited set of events via polling only, no traps)

 Service (online, offline, error, disconnected)

 Supplies (paper out, toner low, toner out, other supplies low/out/replace)

 Media Path (paper jam, cover open, output full)

 Reports

 Device Inventory

 Device Utilization (Total Page Counts only)

 Columns

 Supplies remaining levels

 Input tray capacities

 Input tray remaining levels

 Engine Cycle Count

 Storage such as hard disk and installed RAM

 Serial Number

 Contact Person

 System Contact

 System Location

 System Name

 System Up Time

Figure 2—Third-party device support: Status page

Figure 3—Third-party device support: Column samples

5

RESERVED FUNCTIONALITY

While a majority of functionality in HP Web Jetadmin is provided by using SNMP queries, some

functionality is reserved for HP devices only, as the functionality requires techniques beyond querying

SNMP objects. The basic and advanced support provided for non-HP devices is restricted to the

usage of industry-standard or vendor-specific SNMP queries to gather information. Functionality that is

reserved for HP devices due to non-SNMP techniques to provide it includes:

 Firmware upgrades

 Print queue creation

 Some extended configuration items

 Print Test Page button

 Secure disk erase

 Font and forms management

FUNCTIONALITY DEFINITIONS

The following section provides definitions for many of the supported features for third-party devices

and the objects used for obtaining the information. The feature is supported if the device can answer

the industry-standard query defined in these definitions.

Bitmap and Icon

HP Web Jetadmin displays any predefined bitmaps and icons that have been created in a device

plug-in. HP devices have a unique matching picture, while third-party support provides one generic

picture per third-party vendor.

Model

The printer model name appears according to the response to hrDeviceDescr.

Status

Device status, indicating the current state of the printer (for example: Online, Paper jam) is displayed

based on responses to standard objects such as hrPrinterDetectedErrorState.

Control Panel Display

The current message on the printer front panel is displayed using prtConsoleDisplayBufferText.

Serial Number

The Serial Number is a unique manufacturing identifier for the printer. The serial number is a critical

identifier item for HP Web Jetadmin that is used to determine the uniqueness of a device along with

other items such as MAC Address and IP Address. Some functionality, such as Reports, is blocked in

HP Web Jetadmin if the serial number cannot be obtained. Therefore, HP Web Jetadmin makes

strong efforts to obtain the serial number from third-party devices. The most typical and widely

supported object for obtaining serial number is prtGeneralSerialNumber.

Engine Cycle Count

Engine Cycle Count is a value stored on the printer that represents a cumulative total of pages printed

for the life of the printer. Engine Cycle Count is displayed if a printer supports prtMarkerLifeCount.

Page counts for monochrome, color, simplex, duplex, fax, copy, and scan are only obtainable via

proprietary queries and only supplied for HP devices.

IP Hostname

IP Hostname is displayed as long as the operating system can resolve an IP address to a hostname

from a name server such as DNS or WINS using a GetHostByAddr call. System Name, which can be

6

the hostname if the NIC registers it with a name server, is displayed if the device answers the

sysName MIB2 object.

System Contact

System contact is displayed according to the response to sysContact.

Description

Description is displayed according to the response to sysLocation.

Storage

Presence of storage media such as hard disk, flash disk, RAM disk, and installed RAM can be

detected using hrDiskStorage objects. Additional storage information is provided under the Storage

tab for certified devices.

Capabilities

Capabilities such as installed languages, trays, and accessories are displayed on the Capabilities

and Detailed Info tabs using Status page as supported by the device and based on objects such as

prtInterpreterDescription or prtInputDescription.

Remaining Toner Levels

The approximate amount of toner or ink remaining in the cartridge cavity is determined by calculating

a percentage based on the prtMarkerSuppliesLevel and prtMarkerSuppliesMaxCapacity.

Remaining Input Tray Levels

The approximate amount of paper remaining in a particular tray is displayed by calculating a

percentage based on responses to the Standard MIB objects prtInputCurrentLevel and

prtInputMaxCapacity.

Alerts

Polling at a specified interval is used to provide alerts based on status queries that match certain

conditions or prtAlerts table objects. Standard status queries can typically determine the following

types of alert conditions:

 Toner Out

 Toner Low

 Paper Out

 Paper Low

 Cover Open

 Offline

 Paper Jam

 Printer Error

HP devices can process traps for real-time alerts when events occur for most items under General

category. Polling of remaining supplies levels to provide Supplies alerts at desired thresholds is also

available for HP devices.

Configuration

The following items are provided at minimum for configuration, assuming the device supports the

objects:

 System Contact (sysContact)

 System Location (sysLocation)

 Control Panel Language (prtConsoleLocalization)

7

 Contact Person (prtGeneralServicePerson)

 System Name (sysName)

HP devices can provide extended configuration items using proprietary objects.

Reports

Third-party support includes only reports that indicate Device Inventory or Engine Cycle Counts. HP

devices include reports that make use of the various supported page count values such as Accessories

Inventory (capabilities), Supplies Utilization (marker supply info), Device Utilization (page counters),

and Peak Usage (hourly page counters).

TROUBLESHOOTING

Trying to determine why a particular third-party device supports what it does usually boils down to the

ability of the device to answer the queries HP Web Jetadmin sends. HP Web Jetadmin is at the mercy

of the device to answer industry-standard queries. Some devices support more gauges than others

and it cannot be assumed that all devices from a particular vendor will support the same features. For

example, one Xerox model may support the control panel display while another Xerox model does

not. Common explanations for why particular items may not appear for devices include:

Issue: A gauge may be present for a

consumable but the gauge is hashed out

instead of containing a remaining

percentage.

Reason: If a device answers

prtMarkerSuppliesDescription correctly,

the gauge is present, since HP Web

Jetadmin knows the consumable exists.

However, if the device cannot answer

either prtMarkerSuppliesMaxCapacity or

prtMarkerSuppliesLevel correctly, the

percentage cannot be calculated and

HP Web Jetadmin displays hashes

instead to indicate an “unknown” level.

Issue: A paper tray gauge does not

indicate a remaining percentage.

Reason: If a device answers the

prtInputType query to indicate a tray is

present, the device may respond to the

prtInputMaxCapacity and

prtInputCurrentLevel queries with either

valid values or indicate that at least one

sheet remains. If valid values are

returned, a calculation is presented. If

valid values are not provided, HP Web

Jetadmin displays either “empty” or “not empty” depending on whether the device indicates at least

one sheet remains.

Issue: Control Panel displays “Not Supported” or “Unknown”.

Reason: “Not Supported” indicates the device did not respond to the prtConsoleDisplayBufferText

object. “Unknown” may indicate that the device recognizes the prtConsoleDisplayBufferText object

but did not respond with any text.

Figure 4—Supplies gauges contain hashes instead of levels. Generic HP

bitmap

Figure 5—Device utilization report displays only total pages

8

Issue: The model name for the

device appears to be much

longer than the true name of the

device.

Reason: HP Web Jetadmin relies

on hrDeviceDescr to display the

model name. Properly truncated

model names are generally

provided in proprietary objects.

HP Web Jetadmin does not know how to truncate a response to hrDeveiceDescr if it contains too

many characters. For example, if a Lexmark printer responds with “Lexmark X652de 7932M8R

LJ.MN.P092”, HP Web Jetadmin cannot know where to truncate the string.

Issue: No consumable gauges

are present for items such as

toner or fuser.

Reason: A device must answer

prtMarkerSuppliesDescription

correctly, otherwise HP Web

Jetadmin has no idea the

consumable exists and cannot

display a gauge.

SUMMARY

By supporting third-party printers in HP Web Jetadmin, LAN administrators can now discover and

manage printers from all major printer vendors with a single software interface. By simplifying printer

management with a single, powerful tool, HP Web Jetadmin can save administrators significant time

and effort.

Figure 6—Unknown front panel message. Non-truncated device model name.

Figure 7—Missing supplies gauges. Unknown front panel message. Generic HP

bitmap

9

APPENDIX A—THIRD-PARTY SUPPORT EXAMPLES

The following table contains a list of potential functionality that HP Web Jetadmin supports for

third-party devices. An asterisk (*) next to a consumable gauge indicates the gauge is present, but the

device is unable to reflect an exact value. In the case of Paper Trays, since it can reflect a value of

“Empty” or “Not Empty”, it is considered a “Y” (yes) for support. In the case of the other consumable

gauges, since it reflects no value at all, it is considered an “N” (no) for support.

Device Name

Serial Number

Page Count

Control Panel Display

Consumable gauges

System Location

System Contact

Toner /Ink

Fuser

Cleaning Kit

Transfer Unit

OPC

Paper tray Level

Canon iR 5070

N

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Canon iR C2880

N

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Canon iR C4080

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N*

N

Y

Y

Y

Canon iR2230

N

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Canon iR5000

N

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Canon MF8170

N

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Gestetner DSC 38

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

KONICA MINOLTA bizhub 420

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

KONICA MINOLTA bizhub C253

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

KYOCERA MITA Printing System

N

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Lanier 2138

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Lanier MP C7500

Y

Y

N

N*

N

N

N*

N

Y

Y

Y

Lexmark Optra Se 3455

N

Y

Y

N*

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Lexmark Optra W810

Y

Y

Y

N*

N*

N

N

N*

Y*

Y

Y

Lexmark T632

Y

Y

Y

N*

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Lexmark X646e

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Lexmark X652de

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Okidata C5100

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Ricoh Aficio 2051

N

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Ricoh Aficio 3260C

Y

Y

N

N*

N

N

N*

N

Y

Y

Y

Ricoh Aficio AP 3800C

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Ricoh Aficio MP 2510

N

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Ricoh Aficio MP 4500

Y

Y

Y

N*

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Ricoh Aficio MP C2500

Y

Y

Y

N*

N

N

N*

N

Y

Y

Y

Ricoh Aficio MP C4500

Y

Y

Y

N*

N

N

N*

N

Y

Y

Y

Samsung SCX-6x55 Series

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Savin SLP 38C

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Sharp MX-2700N

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Toshiba e-STUDIO2500c

Y

Y

Y

N*

N

N

N*

N

Y

Y

Y

Xerox DocuColor 3535

N

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Xerox Phaser 6250DP

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Xerox Phaser 8560

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Xerox WorkCentre 4150

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Y*

Y

Y

Xerox WorkCentre 4260

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Xerox WorkCentre 5645

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Xerox WorkCentre 7242

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Xerox WorkCentre Pro 128

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Xerox WorkCentre Pro 65

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

APPENDIX B—HP VS. THIRD-PARTY SUPPORT SUMMARY

This table includes a summary of feature differences between HP and third-party device support.

Function

Third-party

HP

Picture

One standard bitmap per

vendor or generic HP bitmap if

vendor plug-in undefined

Unique customized bitmap to

match each device for which a

device plug-in exists

Model

hrDeviceDescr

Same, but may use HP-specific

objects for better representation

Status

hrDeviceStatus

Same, but may use HP-specific

objects for better representation

Control Panel Display

prtConsoleDisplayBufferText

Same

Control Panel Language

prtConsoleLocalization

Same

Serial Number

prtGeneralSerialNumber

HP-specific objects for better

representation

Page Counts

prtMarkerLifeCount

HP-specific objects to represent

total, monochrome, color, simplex,

duplex, copy, fax, scan, and so

on

Contact Person

prtGeneralServicePerson

Same

System Contact

sysContact

Same

System Location

sysLocation

Same

System Name

sysName

Same

Remaining Supplies Levels

prtMarkerSuppliesLevel

prtMarkerSuppliesMaxCapacity

Same

Remaining Input Tray

Levels

prtInputCurrentLevel

prtInputMaxCapacity

Same

Alerts

Polling only of status objects and

prtAlerts table to provide alerts

for following events when

present during polling interval:

Toner Out

Toner Low

Paper Out

Paper Low

Cover Open

Offline

Paper Jam

Printer Error

Processing of traps for real-time

alerts when events occur for most

items under General category;

polling of remaining supplies

levels to provide Supplies alerts at

desired thresholds.

Reports

Device Inventory and Device

Utilization (total page count

only)

Includes reports that make use of

the various supported page count

values such as Accessories

Inventory (capabilities), Supplies

Utilization (marker supply info),

Device Utilization (page counters),

Peak Usage (hourly page

counters)

© Copyright 2015 HP Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without

notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying

such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be

liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

c01675324EN, Rev. 2, August 2015