Search results matching tag 'HP Web Jetadmin'

WJA: HP Web Jetadmin 10.2 has Re-launched

Brian R. Kneebone — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:57:00 GMT

In a previous post I mentioned that HP Web Jetadmin had launched. It was temporarily pulled to deal with an installer-related issue and re-released super quickly with the necessary hot-fix. I shan't bore you with the details found nestled in the release notes, but I do suggest, if you have the old installer 10.2.58560, ditch it and please use 10.2.59093 exclusively. Many thanks to the WJA and support teams who caught the issue and dealt with it in an expedient fashion. I'm sure people will love WJA 10.2 given all the fantastic new features I mentioned earlier. Take care, B.

Video: Use SNMP to Query Select Device Settings

Brian R. Kneebone — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:59:00 GMT

The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is used in many network appliances like switches, routers, printers, IP console KVMs, etc. While most network administrators would be directed to use tools like HP Web Jetadmin to do the work for them, for various reasons some administrators may prefer to query devices directly. I put together this simple video to show how you can use a simple tool like Net-SNMP to walk the list of OIDs, hunt for a particular value to find its corresponding OID to use in specific SNMP get queries admins may choose to build into their own scripts, programs etc.

Use SNMP to Query Select Device Settings:
Serial Number & MAC Address Example

Click Here to launch the video

Please note that clicking the link above will
redirect you towards my personal website
(a non-HP website) where the video I have
created is hosted.

Firstly a caution. Not all objects are enumerated in SNMP. Examples of objects which typically are in SNMP include low-level objects like serial numbers, mac addresses, system location, system contact, etc. Examples of objects which are not typically found in SNMP include high-level objects used in functions like digital sending such as the type of authentication used and servers jobs are sent to. I may cover a little about scripting and HTTP in the future, but that gets a little more interesting, so mining that from HP Web Jetadmin (or exporting it in a CSV format) might be the easiest.

Secondly, not all devices behave the same way. As you dip into the more consumer oriented devices, SNMP objects may not be as consistent. I don't have specific examples, but don't automatically assume because you can find the object in one device that it will be there for all. There's a good chance it will be but double-check to be sure.

And finally, this is only one technique used to accomplish the goal of looking for an OID and them mining that OID from various devices using Net-SNMP (http://sourceforge.net/projects/net-snmp/). Other approaches could be to navigate a MIB if you're comfortable navigating the trees in tools like iReasoning's MIB Browser (www.ireasoning.com). If you're looking for HP specific MIBs, get them from the "Public SDK's" section on HP's developer website (www.hpdevelopersolutions.com).

Here are some resources for those interested in taking SNMP to the next level in their scripting and programming:

For those managing their own BAT or PERL scripts, "Net-SNMP" is great (http://sourceforge.net/projects/net-snmp/)
I'm fond of "#SNMP for C#" as it's the only set of libraries I was able to use for free with my C# (C-Sharp) programming hobbies (http://lextm.blogspot.com/search/label/%23SNMP). There's many other commercial libraries out there, but as a hobbiest I liked this one since I could play without paying money.
I haven't done much with Java or PHP or C++ or VisualBasic (VB, VBA, VBS), if anyone has any freebie recommendations out there they'd like me to reference, write in your comments.

Take care everyone. B, out.

WJA: HP Web Jetadmin 10.2 has Launched, 10.1 updated as well

Brian R. Kneebone — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:25:00 GMT

HP Web Jetadmin 10.2 (10.2.58560) has launched. There are a lot of really great new features that have been added with a couple altered or removed all-together. Give yourself some time to absorb the new features and treat this like a major upgrade. While the release notes show the detailed "What's New" information, here are some of the highlights I'm mainly appreciative of:

Alternate log-in feature allows users to specify a username and password
(helpful for administrators launching the browser outside of their standard desktop environment)
New device mapping features resurrected from when they were retired with WJA 8.1
Ability to schedule device resets (e.g. power cycles)
Print test pages or push PJL configuration files like Send-to-Self to multiple devices
Fleet configuration of gateway and subnet mask for static IP address assignments
Vastly superior summary view of firmware with JetDirect and Device firmware broken into seperate easier to view sections
Histories can be archived to disk now for configuration, discovery, alerts. etc.
Device groups can be imported and exported now.
Faster PC-connected discovery by allowing a WMI-only interrogation for customers who have not deployed the HP SNMP Proxy Agent
Firmware for JetDirect and Devices can be automated with policies like configuration templates now.
Advanced Storage function for advanced font and macro manipulation including use of templates.
Official support for SQL Server 2005 and 2008 Standard and Enterprise versions (note that by default it installs with 2005 Express). IMPORTANT: I've not performed this myself, but I have reviewed the section entitled "Using a Separate Instance of Microsoft SQL Server 2005" in the "HP Web Jetadmin 10.2 Installation and Setup Guide" (http://ftp.hp.com/pub/printers/software/wja/docs/hpwja_installguide_en.pdf). Read the instructions thoroughly. There are references to HP Web Jetadmin Enterprise Edition. Consult your sales representatives if interested so they can follow-up to you with more information once ready for puchase/release.
Home Screen manipulation on M-series devices now possible.
Configuration of sleep mode with wake/sleep schedules.
Configuration of more digital send functions including message options, file settings, etc.
Dozens of new columns added to the list view for selection and triggering automated groups if desired.
System name shows as a configurable field when using the "Import From" feature
(this was something someone commented on with regards to one of my earlier posts)
Pleanty of other goodies added or issues specific customers had which are now resolved.

NOTE: Supplies Groups have been removed in favour of using standard reporting.

It's worth noting that for those customers who have open bug-fix items through support that HP Web Jetadmin 10.1 is being updated to Service Release 3 in parallel as well (10.1.58563). It doesn't contain nearly the ammount of new items that WJA 10.2 has, but for those requiring hot fixes to items not yet ready to migrate, this might be a good option for you. You'll see both options under the "Download Now" link.

All of the documentation (PDFs) have been updated to reflect the new HP Web Jetadmin 10.2 functionality. It may take a couple of days for the download now link to reflect WJA 10.2 correctly, but I assure you after selecting it you will be brought to the correct download locations. Enjoy!

http://www.hp.com/go/webjetadmin

Many thanks to the HP Web Jetadmin product developers, support personnel, technical marketing and enterprise solutions consulting teams for making this release one of the best ever. Regards, B.

UPDATE (9th July, 2009 @ ~1:30 PM): Please note that the installer for HP Web Jetadmin has been taken off the web temporarily while an issue is investigated for people doing upgrades over-top of previous editions where an issue was uncovered in some environments. It will be reposted when resolved we hope in the next week or two. Look back here for updates or the main HP Web Jetadmin portal.

UPDATE (15th July, 2009 @ ~1:30 PM): The HP Web Jetadmin folks have found out what the issue was with the initially released installer. They are re-releasing and you should see it on the web very soon. I'll do a new post/announcement when it comes to update peoples' RSS readers. Please don't use 10.2.58560. This hot-fixed release with the corrected installer will show as version 10.2.59093 which supercedes 10.2.58560. Please use 10.2.59093 moving forward. It should be on the web in a matter of days.

UPDATE (28th July, 2009 @ ~9:00 PM): The 10.2.59093 update mentioned above did indeed post to the web last week. Given the importants, I referenced in this in a new article. Please download from www.hp.com/go/webjetadmin. I would have updated sooner, but I'm fresh back from vacation. Thanks for everyond advising the update had posted while I was away.

WJA: New Training Videos Online for HP Web Jetadmin 10

Brian R. Kneebone — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:12:00 GMT

Posted by: Brian R. Kneebone
Technology Consultant, Imaging and Printing Group

The HP Web Jetadmin team has put together an amazing series of training videos that are beyond fantastic. I'm really happy to recommend this to customers of all sizes and types who would like a quick crash course in familiarizing themselves with the software or even to use it as a refresher. Many customers use HP Web Jetadmin for some, but not all functionality. Perhaps these videos are useful even to seasoned veterens with WJA interested in using features they may not have even known were available. This may be especially true as security topics continue to interest customers wishing to proactively manage their printing and imaging assets.

The training topics covered (based on the content I just saw today) include:

Introduction to Web Jetadmin – Part 1:
This video is the first of two introductory reviews of Web Jetadmin 10.x, including installation topics and device discovery.
Introduction to HP Web Jetadmin – Part 2:
This video is the second of two introductory reviews of HP Web Jetadmin 10.x, including Proactive Alerts, Reports Generation, Print Management, and Help Resources.
Advanced HP Web Jetadmin Deployment:
This video outlines the installation and deployment of HP Web Jetadmin on various types of servers, including troubleshooting and detailed instructions.
Advanced HP Web Jetadmin Problem Resolution and Proactive Management:
This video outlines areas such as Problem Resolution, Performing Firmware Upgrades, Advanced Alerts, and Supplies Group Management.
Advanced HP Web Jetadmin Security:
This video outlines all areas of HP Web Jetadmin security, including Application Security, Users and Roles, SSL, Device Security, and Other Security Areas.
Advanced HP Web Jetadmin Reporting and Optimization:
This video covers key areas of Reporting and Optimization, such as Data Collection and Reports Generation.

The videos can be accessed by visiting the HP Web Jetadmin Portal (www.hp.com/go/webjetadmin) and clicking on the "Self Help" tab, then selecting the "Training Videos" link. For customers who need more, HP offers advanced onsite consulting and integration services. Talk with you HP sales representative for more information on the options and prices available in your region. Take care, B.

Colour: Devices Designed for Business Continue to Challenge Perceptions

Brian R. Kneebone — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:40:00 GMT

Posted by: Brian R. Kneebone
Technology Consultant, Imaging and Printing Group

Most enterprise customers I work with equate enterprise printing with laser printing. While Hewlett-Packard has a fantastic array of products in its LaserJet and Color LaseJet portfolio, for many needs ink-based solutions may be perceived as inappropriate. Many customers think of the low-cost devices as having higher operational costs, challenges with archivability including water fastness, and issues with tracking and monitoring over the network (especially for USB-connected devices) using tools like HP Web Jetadmin. Hewlett-Packard continues to challenge these perceptions with new advancements in it's HP OfficeJet Pro line-up refreshed in February.

Customers purchasing OfficeJet Pro products may be surprised to learn the following major benefits:

Better cost per page than can typically be found on color laser based devices with a lower acquisition cost.
Advancements with ColorLok using an all pigment ink set providing faster drying, bolder black impressions, vivid colours and improved archivability and water fastness (especially when using ColorLok media).
Better registration and fewer jams with a center paper-pick mechanism.
Advanced direct digital filing in all-in-ones for the ability to scan to email and other destinations without software.
Corporate slim drivers designed for large enterprise business available for download online.
Ability to track and monitor using HP Web Jetadmin, even if connected using USB to client desktops when used with the HP SNMP Proxy Agent.

Want to learn more? Visit the HP OfficeJet Pro 8000 Printer Series and HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 All-in-one Series websites. Take care, B.

Video Tutorial: Importing and Exporting Data with HP Web Jetadmin

Brian R. Kneebone — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:40:00 GMT

Posted by: Brian R. Kneebone
Technology Consultant, Imaging and Printing Group

It's been well over a month since I've posted an update on this portal, so I figured it was time for another video tutorial. This question has come up a couple of times with my various customers around importing and exporing data. This is usually around using asset management fields like exporting a list of serial numbers to compare against an asset management system or even importing tags into HP Web Jetadmin to either help for device identification with helpdesk and/or incorporate into reports.

Importing Configurations
in HP Web Jetadmin 10:
Asset Management Example

Click Here to launch the video

Please note that clicking the link above will
redirect you towards my personal website
(a non-HP website) where the video I have
created is hosted.

While this 20-minute video tutorial just covers the basics, it will give you an understanding on how to get data out of and into HP Web Jetadmin using CSV (Comma Seperated Values) and pointers for how tools like Microsoft Excel can be used as an intermediary to merge data depending on your goals.

Let me know what you think of this video. I'm trying to keep them short and sweet. Too short? Not sweet enough?

Take Care, B.

Solutions: HP Global Solutions Catalogues and HP LaserJet Fonts Portals Updated ...

Brian R. Kneebone — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Posted by: Brian R. Kneebone
Technology Consultant, Imaging and Printing Group

I work with large enterprise customers where they look to Hewlett-Packard to solve universal problems you may be interested in, including: reducing wasted prints, facilitating document capture, improving electronic and paper security, reducing costs of specialty printing, etc. Hewlett-Packard has made strong investments in the solutions space to help customers optimize their infrastructure, manage their environment and improve workflows. For some people, this may be as simple as doing more with the printers, MFPs, scanners, etc. they purchase from HP already. For others, they may look for solutions which alter business process to improve efficiencies. If you're thinking along these lines, I strongly you to take a look at the HP Global Solution Catalog and the HP LaserJet Fonts websites which have been recently updated showing more solution partners, better descriptions, more products, etc.

Take care, B.

DDU: Use the HP Driver Deployment Utility to preconfigure drivers, create network print queues and preserve WHQL

Brian R. Kneebone — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Posted by: Brian R. Kneebone
Technology Consultant, Imaging and Printing Group

A short time ago, Hewlett-Packard had released a utility called the "HP Driver Deployment Utility" (DDU) to the web. Previously the DDU was circulated privately amongst HP's enterprise customers. DDU was designed to be as agnostic as possible with most commercial LaserJet, Color LaserJet and Edgeline drivers including the HP Universal Print Driver. Here are its major features:

Prepare drivers for non-interactive (and silent where possible) deployment for USB-connected devices through your desktop software management tool
Prepare drivers and print queue for non-interactive deployment (and silent where possible) for network-connected devices through your desktop software management tool.
Preconfigure drivers without breaking the Microsoft driver signature (also known as WHQL) where previous tools like the "HP Driver Pre-configuration Utility" would (also known as the "Driver Preconfiguration Editor" or DMC).

I would encourage you to explore the benefits of this software by reading the "HP Driver Preconfiguration Support Guide" which covers pre-configuration of drivers using all of the tools above as well as using tools found on CD like the "Customization Utility".

Note that these methods may not be appropriate for all circumstances. In some cases it may be wise to use the bundle created for administrators on the product support website. For example, I often recommend customers use the "Network Express" (sometimes called "Corporate" or "Slim" or "Basic" drivers) where devices like HP LaserJet all-in-ones are used for print/scan. And some of the lower-end ink products may not be compatible with the DMC and have their own deployment strategies using slim bundles prepared on the product support website available for download.

I'm certainly glad this tool has been posted. It's proven quite useful for a number of my large corporate customers. I hope you find it equally as useful. Take care, B.

TIP: Determining the Manual Proxy for use within HP Web Jetadmin

Brian R. Kneebone — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Posted by: Brian R. Kneebone
Technology Consultant, Imaging and Printing Group

HP Web Jetadmin has the ability to reach out to the HP website for several different reasons including downloading the latest firmware updates, getting troubleshooting information for particular devices, etc. To do so, activate HTTP downloads under the "Tools" -> "Options" menu. If your organization uses a proxy server, HP Web Jetadmin is compatible with most, but not all. Also, it requires the entry of a manual proxy address (automatic proxies are not supported at this time). So what do you do if your organization has an automatic proxy server?

Option 1: download firmware as needed manually from HP.com and import into the firmware repository as required.

I like recommending customers do this anyways since there can be cases where the index for firmware WJA uses takes time to get updated from what's been posted on the web by the product teams. just go to www.hp.com/go/support and type in the name of your product. Once you're on the main product portal select "Download drivers and software". Instead of selecting an operating system, most commercial models have a special section for "Cross operating system (BIOS, Firmware, Diagnostics, etc.)", select this option. You'll notice 3, sometimes four selectable options which contain the same firmware binary:

Macintosh: This is sometimes .SIT or .DMG or .ZIP which Stuffit or modern versions of the Mac OS support natively
Unix / Linux: This is most often a .TAR (Tarball) file which most modern versions of Unix and Linux distributions support natively
Windows: This is sometimes .EXE (self extracting) or .ZIP file which most modern versions of Windows support natively
Windows with Easy Firmware Upgrade Utility: This is sometimes .EXE (self extracting) or .ZIP file which most modern versions of Windows support natively. This is a special version for Windows which was introduced recently for newer products which includes the intellgence to push the file to devices without having to know how to use the other methods described in the readme / release notes for the above options. Not required or recommended for HP Web Jetadmin users since this just has extra bits you won't require.

All of the above options contain the release notes for the firmware plus the firmware itself (a .RFU file). the release notes describe options to deploy the code using native tools within the operating system and/or software you can download (e.g. FTP clients) and/or using HP Web Jetadmin.

For customers looking for the latest version of JetDirect code, download the DLD's from www.hp.com/go/wja_firmware. Note that for these files, since they aren't compressed, right-click and save-as (ensuring you save as "Any Type" otherwise it will download as text and in Windows add the .TXT extension).

Once you have the files, you simply go to the HP Web Jetadmin firmware repository and upload them as needed. I nice feature that was added in Hp Web Jetadmin a short time ago was the ability to upload firmware and "Qualify" it for use by users with lower privaledges if you're using role-based access to limit unqualified releases. This works equally as well for firmware you download off the web as it does for firmware WJA can import from the web directly using HTTP downloads.

Option 2: Resolve a manual proxy address from your automatic proxy

This is where a note of caution goes out. Ensure you follow your internal IT policies and guidelines around using manually defined proxies. Generally speaking, if manual proxies are not published, it is usually frowned upon by IT to define manual proxies. this is due to a number of factors including:

Accounting for different browser connection types (e.g. VPN-connected versus locally-connected users)
Accounting for different browser geographies (e.g. north america versus asia-pacific versus europe)
Accounting for different privaledges and auditing policies (e.g. proxies used for certain user groups which are monitored for content)
Accounting for different target URLs the browser requests (e.g. some traffic may route internally to a different proxy for seperate sites)
Accounting for other JavaScript-able objects beyond the items discussed above

As you can see, you want to be careful that you abide by your corporations policies. You have been warned.

And for usability purposes, be cautious about using proxies where IP addresses are returned instead of fully qualified domain names as there`s a higher likelyhood that they may change depending on your organization`s infrastructure. As general advice, test to see what works below if you know you`re within your IT guidelines and consult with your IT teams for internal best practices. And where uncertain, approach your IT teams first.

So now that I've scared you, now we can explore how to make the magic happen:

Download the Google "pactester" tool (http://code.google.com/p/pactester/). This is very handy and I've used it to help resolve several issues related to proxy resolution in the past outside of imaging and printing. There's versions for Windows and Linux/Unix. While I haven't tested on the MacOS 10.x versions, I suspect since they're command-line based and something you could theoretically do in the console that things might work. Let me know if you find results work for you. I'd love to publish your comments.
Save the .PAC or .DAT file your auto-proxy created to the same directory you extract pactester into. Hint, for those in a Windows environment where the automatic proxy is declared in IE in the "Tools" -> "Internet Options" -> "LAN Settings" -> "Use automatic configuration script" field: copy and paste the URL into your webbrowser's address bar and save the file as needed with the .PAC or .DAT extension. Haven't tested on other platforms, but I'd expect the same results since it's plain-text written in JavaScript.
On the Windows operating system which will be running HP Web Jetadmin, open the command line, navigate to the folder where you extracted the pactester files + saved your proxy configuration file and type in the following command (where <pacfile> is replaced with the file name of the proxy script you saved from the above step):
pactester -p <pacfile> -u http://www.hp.com

You'll typically get one of two types of responses from the above command:

DIRECT: meaning there is no proxy which will be used for the address, so no manual proxy configuration should be required in WJA
List of servers typically in the form of "PROXY <ip/host/fqdn>:<port>" seperated by semicolons if multiple servers

If you get back a list of servers take the first one and use the address (IP address, hostname or fully qualified domain name) and port to enter into HP Web Jetadmin's proxy settings. Again a reminder. If you get multiple addresses coming back, you should definitely talk with your IT teams to ensure that you pick the most appropriate one. Also some proxies may require you to authenticate with a service account. If you're tempted to put in your own credentials, again a friendly warning that beyond testing you should consult internally with your IT teams to be on the safe side. It's considered bad form to put in user credentials with interactive logon capabilities into any server-based or service-based software.

Again, a reminder, you'll want to run this command from the server that WJA is (or will be) installed on as well as point to www.hp.com since may echo back different servers and ports depending on how they are written.

Keep in mind that not all authenticated proxies work the same (manual or not). HP Web Jetadmin is compatible with most manual proxies, but not all. Only testing in your environment will determine whether or not this will work for your organization. Just be safe while doing it.

Take care, B.

WJA: HP Web Jetadmin Updated to Version 10.1.56108 (Service Release 2.0)

Brian R. Kneebone — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:18:00 GMT

Posted by: Brian R. Kneebone
Technology Consultant, Imaging and Printing Group

HP Web Jetadmin 10.1 has been updated to version 10.1.56108 (Service Release 2.0). Please review the "Release Notes" for the upgrade which detail the fixes made with this particular release above and beyond the previous versions. Here are some of the highlights:

New device support for new models of OfficeJet Pro, DesignJet, ScanJet (Yes ScanJet using SNMP Proxy Agent), LaserJet and Color LaserJet devices.
Added the ability to import and export device configuration templates for most settings.
Added more columns within the list views of WJA for administrators wishing to audit and autogroup more.
Enhanced parity with EWS configurable objects (do more now in WJA without having to jump to a device EWS as frequently).
Several fixes we observed and had reported to us by various customers (see release notes).
SNMP Proxy Agents and WJA Migration tools have received updates as well (please review their respective release notes).

Click here to go to the main Web Jetadmin portal.

For those just getting started with HP Web Jetadmin 10.1, this is a simple, print and imaging peripheral management software tool that helps optimize device utilization, control color costs, secure devices, and streamline supplies management by enabling remote configuration, proactive monitoring, security, troubleshooting, and reporting of printing and imaging devices.

The product is free with self-help available online. Contact your sales representative for advanced consultation, customization and support options. Low-cost web-based training is available online as well as highly detailed technical white papers. Of note is the new "Managing Third Party Devices Using HP Web Jetadmin 10.1" white paper which was just added.