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Using a Printer Agent

    Downloading the Printer Enrollment Tool

    If you do not have a copy of the Printer Enrollment Tool (PET), download it from the Cloud Fleet Management portal.

  1. From the Fleet Management web portal, do one of the following:

    • If some printers are already enrolled, then click Printers > Enroll Printer using > Printer Agent > Download PET.
    • If enrolling printers for the first time, then click Use Printer Agent > Download PET.

  2. To accept the End User License Agreement (EULA) and download, click Accept and Download.

  3. Extract the compressed folder.

    Using the Printer Enrollment Tool

  1. Run the Printer Enrollment Tool launcher.

  2. Log in using the same email address and password used to connect to the Cloud Fleet Management portal.

    Note:  If a newer version of the PET is available, then you will be prompted to download it.

  3. If you manage multiple organizations, then select an organization, and then click Next.

  4. Click on the upper‑right corner of the page, and then configure the following:

    • Discover and enroll native agent-capable printers using—Determines whether Native Agent-capable printers are enrolled using the Native Agent or Printer Agent.
    • Time out for Printer Discovery—Determines how long the PET waits for a response to each network broadcast. The value can be increased to improve printer discovery in slow networks.
    • Time out for Printer Enrollment—Determines how long the PET waits for the Printer Agent to enroll the printer. The value can be increased to improve the printer enrollment process of older printers.
    • Logging detail levels—Set the logging level to Detailed.
    • SNMP settings—The SNMP settings in the PET must match those of the printers to be discovered.

      • Note:  Printer discovery first occurs using mDNS, and then by Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). If SNMP discovery is preferred, then mDNS must be disabled on the printers.

  5. From the Discovery Type menu, select any of the following:

    • Search local network—Finds all printers on your local subnet. Use this method if you have several printers on the subnet but you do not know their network parameters. This method may take several minutes to locate complete.
    • Advanced search—Lets you refine the search by specifying network parameters to find printers. Use this method if you have a small number of printers or if the network parameters of the printers are known. This method is usually faster than the Search local network method.

      • The following are the network parameters:

      • Specific IP address
      • Subnet
      • Range
      • Fully qualified domain name (FQDN)

      Notes:

      • To discover printers successfully, make sure that mDNS is enabled on the printer or that the SNMP configurations of the PET and the printers match.
      • Printers in the Eligible to Enroll tab can be enrolled with the Native Agent if their agent type is set to Native. 

  6. Select one or more printers to enroll, and then click Enroll Printers.

    Note:  The selected printers do not have to be of the same agent type. Each selected printer is enrolled using the indicated agent type.

  7. If necessary, log in to access the printer Embedded Web Server, and then click Apply Credentials. Otherwise, click Skip This Step.

    Notes:

    • When using a Native Agent or Printer Agent and a Fleet Agent, or multiple Fleet Agents within the same organization, care must taken while defining the Printer Discovery settings. Only one agent can manage a printer. If overlapping Printer Discovery criteria exist, then printers may not be managed by the intended agent.
    • The enrollment process may take several minutes to complete.
    • After successful enrollment, wait several minutes for the printers to appear in the Cloud Fleet Management printers list.
    • When a printer is enrolled using the Printer Agent, the PET installs an embedded (eSF) application, called the Printer Configuration Agent (PCA), on the printer. The PCA is the communications path between the printer and the cloud.

Verifying the printer enrollment status

After running the PET to enroll printers, do the following to verify that an enrolled printer can communicate with Cloud Fleet Management. For more information on troubleshooting, see Fleet Management troubleshooting.

  • Check for printer enrollment failures in the PET.
    • For security-related failures, re‑enroll printers using the correct security credentials.
    • If the printer date and time are not correct, then an error message appears.
    • Make sure that the printer firmware is at least at the minimum recommended level.
  • Verify that embedded applications appear on the printer Embedded Web Server (EWS) application page.
    • If no applications appear, then power cycle the printer.
    • If the issue persists, then re‑enroll the printer.
  • Verify that the PCA embedded application is enabled or running on the printer. If the PCA is disabled or stopped, then enable or start it.
  • Verify that the PCA application status is enrolled.
    • Open the Printer Configuration Agent application from the printer EWS. If the PCA status is unenrolled, then re‑enroll the printer.
    • Click Test Agent Connection to verify that the network and credential settings are correct.

Verifying the connection status after placing the printer in service

Do the following to verify the Cloud Fleet Management connection status of a printer after it is placed in service or its network environment is changed. For more troubleshooting information, see Fleet Management troubleshooting.

  • Click Test Agent Connection to verify that the network and credential settings are correct.
  • On e‑Task v5 or later printers, do the following:
    • When editing contacts in the printer address book, do not modify or delete the Lexmark_PCA_User entry.
    • When importing or applying the contactmanager.xml file, edit the contactmanager.xml file to set <addressbook clear=”false”>.
  • On the Cloud Fleet Management portal Printers page, do the following:
    • Verify that the printer is listed. If it is not, then re‑enroll the printer.
    • Check the communication status of the printer.
      • If it is Communicating, then verify communications by going to the Printer Details page clicking Refresh Printer Information, and then checking the status in Task History.
      • If it is Not communicating, then do the following:
        • Verify that the printer is in service and has network connectivity. Open the Printer Configuration Agent application from the EWS, and then click Test Agent Connection to verify that the network and credential settings are correct.
        • Verify that the printer is in service in this organization. If the printer that you are enrolling was previously enrolled in another organization, then its Communication status will be Not communicating in the previous organization. To prevent this scenario, unenroll printers that are being moved to a new organization.
        • Re‑enroll the printer, in any of the following cases:
          • The application status of the PCA is unenrolled.
          • The printer security login has changed since the printer was enrolled.
          • The Lexmark_PCA_User account has been modified in any e‑Task v5 or later printers.
          • The printer DHCP/DNS configuration has changed or does not match the customer’s environment.
          • The printer date and time settings are not correct.
        • If a firewall is being used, then verify that the appropriate Lexmark Cloud Services URLs have been added to the Allow List. For more information, see Deployment readiness checklist.
    • If “Agent needs credentials” appears, then the agent is communicating with Cloud Fleet Management, but administrator credentials have been applied to the printers after enrollment. A lock symbol appears in front of the IP addresses of these printers.
    • You can apply credentials from the Cloud Fleet Management portal. For more information, see Managing enrolled printers. You can also apply credentials by opening the Printer Configuration Agent eSF application and then clicking Update Credentials.
    • If “gent not communicating” appears, then the Fleet Agent associated with the printer is no longer communicating with Cloud Fleet Management. Verify that the Fleet Agent is still running and that it has a constant Internet connection.
    • If a firewall is being used, then verify that the appropriate Lexmark Cloud Services URLs have been added to the Allow List. For more information, see Deployment readiness checklist.

Setting the correct date and time

The printer date and time must be set correctly to avoid failures in printer enrollment or in the processing of Cloud Fleet Management tasks. If it is not set correctly, then printer enrollment or the processing of Cloud Fleet Management tasks may fail. It is best to configure the printer’s date and time by enabling the use of a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server. NTP servers are usually available from domain servers. Publicly available NTP servers can be found through an internet search.

If the printer’s date and time are not correct when it is enrolled, then the printer’s date and time will be set to the date and time of the Printer Enrollment Tool (PET) workstation if:

  • The Enable NTP is not selected
  • The Enable NTP is selected and the NTP Server address is blank
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