Search results matching tag 'Management'

UPD: HP Universal Print Driver 5.01 Released

Brian R. Kneebone — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:52:00 GMT

The HP Universal Print Driver 5 released earlier this summer. A maintenance release of this version corrects some items listed in the "Breaking News" tab of the HP Universal Print Driver site. Please review the following sources of information:

Detailed release notes for the original HP Universal Print Driver 5.0 launch
NEW: Universal Print Driver System Administrator's Guide
Other documents for WTS, Citrix and Cluster environments published under the "Documents" tab of the UPD site.
Compatibility with plug-and-play as well as print language support for devices under the "Specifications" tab of the UPD site.

As always, if you have questions for new or existing product, please consult the support resource your sales team provided to you. If you have not been working with an HP Sales representative for enhanced support, call 1-800-HP-INVENT. Regards, B.

BladeSystem Firmware Management

Daniel Bowers — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:39:00 GMT

Here's a new BladeSystem best-practices whitepaper on the topic of firmware: HP BladeSystem ProLiant firmware management best practices

It talks about different scenarios for firmware maintenance (like local vs. remote, online vs. offline), and goes over doing whole-enclosure as well as single-component updates.

Some of the highlights:

Always align firmware versions with one of the columns of the HP BladeSystem Compatibility Chart (click on the "Compatibility" tab).
Bare-metal deployment should use the HP BladeSystem Firmware Deployment Tool – Offline for unattended installation and HP Firmware Maintenance CD for attended installations.
Updates to existing servers should use the HP BladeSystem Firmware Update Bundles for Windows and Linux.
Most firmware can be updated with individual smart components, but the recommended deployment tool is HP System Update Manager (HP SUM), which includes a discovery engine and dependancy checkers.

Win: Getting ready for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2

Brian R. Kneebone — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:13:00 GMT

As many IT administrators know, the launch of Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Server 2008 R2 are quickly coming around the corner. The MS Windows 7 wide release comes on the 22nd of October, 2009. I know most of my customers are looking forward to this release from Microsoft. Administrators managing devices such as printers, scanners, multifunction and all-in-one products will likely want to plan for compatibility and readiness.

Commercial LaserJet, Color LaserJet and Edgeline Drivers:

Customers who have moved to simplify their deployed drivers on print servers and clients are in good shape with the HP Universal Print Driver. While they may be fine with earlier versions, officially support from HP comes with the current 5.0 version (www.hp.com/go/universalprintdriver). Specifications on what hardware models are supported by this print driver and method of connectivity are listed on the "Specifications" tab from the UPD's website. For administrators sharing drivers from print servers or hosting as direct-IP or USB connections for compatible devices, this is a good option and the recommended one to go with by Hewlett-Packard in most cases.

Other Imaging and Printing Products including printers, scanners, all-in-one's, etc.:

HP has posted a Windows 7 readiness portal at www.hp.com/go/win7. It’s been recently updated with the link for “HP Imaging and Printing Software and Driver Information for Windows® 7”. Click this link to see if your product is (or will be) supported in the Windows 7 environment. Consider the following:

Right now the device list looks relatively complete and detailed. If you do not see your device there, talk with your HP sales representative as you plan for fleet deployments or contact your support contact for confirmations if required on what is or is not supported. There are always options for unsupported devices, including trade-up programs and seasonal trade-in promotions.
Customers will not see download links for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 drivers just yet on the HP portal, but the Windows 7 Readiness portal advises: "HP Software & Driver downloads will be available closer to the official release of Windows® 7, which is scheduled for October 22, 2009." Customers can expect to see those download links appear as the URL advised closer to the launch date.

Kind regards, B.

UPDATE (01-OCT-2009): Customers will start seeing links on download locations appearing for HP's commercial products like Laserjet, Color LaserJet and Edgeline devices showing "Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit)" and "Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)". There's not much content there yet, but as I start to see drivers post for various products I'll advise. No such links exist yet for the consumer and small business and commercial direct-attached oriented products like DeskJet and OfficeJet products, but when I see stuff, I'll advise. Don't forget the "Windows Update" feature for many drivers which are already available for distribution from Microsoft documented here: www.hp.com/go/win7.

Top ten tips for doing business in Asia

susie.wee — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:22:00 GMT

The NY Times published an article about President Bill Clinton’s visit to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-il about releasing the two imprisoned American reporters, Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The result was simple and surprising- they were released! I found this article particularly interesting because it describes not only the result, but the approach that was used to achieve it. The article included the approach that was used for the meeting request and the meeting itself. As I read the article, I saw many parallels with the experiences that I have had when doing business in Asia. This post contains ten tips for doing business in Asia which I gleaned from this article and my experiences, which includes successes and failures.

Doing business in Asia is critical for every industry I can think of, but doing business in Asia is different from doing it in any other part of the world. In order to be effective in your career, you need to be aware of these differences.

For a little bit of background about me, while both of my parents are from Asia, I was born and raised in western NY with American friends who come from multi-generation American families, and English is the only language I speak fluently. In college and grad school some of my friends were Asian-American and Asian. But when I started doing business in Asia I had as much to learn as anybody else. Since then, I’ve had research collaborations and business interactions in Japan, China, Singapore, Korea, and Taiwan and I’ve managed teams in Japan and China. While I bumped heads a lot at the beginning and still manage to bump heads every so often today, I have also built some of my closest working relationships there, and some of these working relationships have evolved into close friendships. But despite all this, I know I still have a lot to learn.

Back to my tips... In my mind, the biggest thing to remember is that being effective at doing business in Asia requires building credibility, building relationships, and building trust. With each interaction you can build this up or tear it down, but if you achieve trust then you will be able to accomplish more than you could ever imagine.

Without further ado, here are my top ten tips for doing business in Asia.

Plan your meetings carefully with an insider who knows and understands the people, the relationships, and the culture.
- Do not presume that you understand the culture; there are many levels of subtlety and depth that even the most well-studied and experienced foreigner will never understand.
Plan meetings where you match the levels of the meeting attendees as much as possible. Send the meeting request to/from a well-respected person of the appropriate level.
Be thoughtful, polite, and respectful at all times. This should be in the tone used in a meeting request, every interaction, the meeting itself, and the follow-up. Respect the people and their situation- there's probably a lot more going on there than you think.
Be humble and avoid any hint of superiority or righteousness. You might be well-established in your own community, but when you are working in Asia you have to establish yourself in their community.
Focus on building the relationship as much as achieving the goal.
- Bonus tip: If you achieve trust in your relationship, then you will succeed.
Read the smallest gestures (e.g., a light invitation, a small comment, or a small request) and reciprocate. This is a sign that things are going well.
Provide a way for your counterpart to offer alternatives without saying No and without losing face. Conversely, provide a way for the host to end with a good result and save face.
- Do not force him/her into a corner.
- Do not force the conversation to go into other highly substantive or controversial discussions.
- Do not force decisions to be made on the spot. He/she usually needs to consult with others to make decisions.
Allow your counterpart to prepare for the meeting. Give him/her an opportunity to consult with others on the issue at hand before the meeting.
Do not presume anything about anyone. The must unassuming-looking person in the room could be the most influential. You will never know.
Accept that you may need multiple visits to achieve the desired outcome, as it will only come when you build the relationship, credibility, and trust. This may seem inefficient at first, but if you stick with it the result will be a working relationship and friendship that is stronger than you could ever imagine.

One thing I’d like to note is that while this post is called "Top ten tips for doing business in Asia", different Asian countries have very different cultures. For example, Japan and China are as different as France and Germany. But these tips should be universal and I’ll save some of the finer details I learned for later posts.

Finally, I’d like to thank my Asian collaborators from the past and present. You have been very patient with me through my mistakes and you taught me a lot, and we are friends and collaborators for life. Thank you!

What do you think of these tips? Do you have comments fom an Asian or non-Asian perspective? Do you have tips to add?

DSS: HP MFP Digital Sending Software 4.15 Released

Brian R. Kneebone — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:26:00 GMT

This is just a quick note to share that DSS 4.15 released a short time ago. If you're updating from DSS 4.14, there are no new features really as this is mainly a maintenance release. This updated software package will address customer issues identified through HP's support and escalation personnel. If you're updating from previous releases, review the release notes to see what the new software enhancements are. The release notes for this product are not published like other HP products on the download site, so I've extracted the "Read Me" and posted on my personal site:

http://www.briankneebone.com/docs/copiedfromhp/dss/v4-15/dss-4-15-readme.rtf

Currently DSS is supported only in Windows 2K, 2K3 (including R2) and XP environments. It is not supported or possible to install in any 64-bit environment. Even though not supported, I've tried installing in 2K8 (which I presume would be a similar experience for Vista, 7 and 2K8R2) and while the install goes well, there are issues with devices getting added in the "MFP Configuration" tab and possible other side effects. But for reference, even though 2K8 and 64-bit are not supported today they'll be coming. It's far enough out however that I cannot comment publicly here. Work with your sales team for more information.

DSS 4.15 can be downloaded from www.hp.com/go/dss_software

Regards, B.

UPDATE (09-SEP-2009): One of my extended colleagues was kind enough to inform me that the downlod format (previously .ZIP in versions 4.14 and earlier) has switched to ISO. If you're not familiar with manipulating ISO's, this is essentially an image of a CD-ROM (or can be DVD as well). This ISO can be mounted virtually for those interested in keeping archived electronically (I prefer to use MagicDisc for this since it's supported in all flavours of Windows) or it can be copied to a blank CD-ROM (I prefer to use ImgBurn for this since its quite flexible as well). But other tools like Toaster; Nero; etc. can do the trick as well. Use what you prefer to mount or copy as needed within the terms of the agreements. Thanks Dave G., I owe you next time I see you!

MFP: Digital Sender and Multifunction Firmware Updates (2009 - 1)

Brian R. Kneebone — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:17:00 GMT

The HP LaserJet, Color LaserJet, Edgeline and Digital Senders have new firmware updates which officially launched on the HP website recently. I've shown a list of the devices below with their new and previous firmware versions. I've done a couple other things with this list since past versions including:

I have added a column showing an "OXPd Type". If you're not sure what this means, trust me when I say you don't need to know. It's only meaningful if you're working with our document capture solution partners such as Omtool, Kofax, Perceptive, etc. who will give you guidance on what firmware version to use depending on how their solution is implemented and tested.
I've added HP Edgeline classed devices to the table below even though updates typically happen asynchronously from LaserJet and Color LaserJet MFP releases. In this case, the release coincided with the rest of the MFPs so I've included it in the list.

Device	OXPd Type	Previous Firmware	New Firmware
Devices Launched between Fall 2004 and Summer 2006 ...
HP Digital Sender 9200c	Group 10	20081211 (09.131.1)	20090605 (09.131.1)
HP LaserJet 4345mfp	Group 10	20081211 (09.131.1)	20090605 (09.141.4)
HP LaserJet 9040mfp	Group 10	20081206 (08.120.9)	20090604 (08.131.3)
HP LaserJet 9050mfp	Group 10	20081206 (08.120.9)	20090604 (08.131.3)
HP Color LaserJet 4730mfp	Group 10	20081211 (46.211.2)	20090604 (46.221.3)
HP Color LaserJet 9500mfp	Group 10	20081205 (08.120.9)	20090604 (08.131.3)
Devices Launched Fall 2006 and later ...
HP Digital Sender 9250c	Group 20	20081208 (48.071.1)	20090604 (48.081.2)
HP LaserJet M3035mfp	Group 20	20081208 (48.081.2)	20090605 (48.091.4)
HP LaserJet M4345mfp	Group 20	20081208 (48.081.2)	20090605 (48.091.4)
HP LaserJet M5035mfp	Group 20	20081208 (48.081.2)	20090605 (48.091.4)
HP LaserJet M9040mfp	Group 20	20081209 (51.031.2)	20090605 (51.041.3)
HP LaserJet M9050mfp	Group 20	20081209 (51.031.2)	20090605 (51.041.3)
HP Color LaserJet CM3530mfp	Group 50	20081210 (53.011.2)	20090603 (53.021.2)
HP Color LaserJet CM4730mfp	Group 20	20081208 (50.061.2)	20090604 (50.071.3)
HP Color LaserJet CM6030mfp	Group 40	20081205 (52.031.1)	20090605 (52.041.5)
HP Color LaserJet CM6040mfp	Group 40	20081205 (52.031.1)	20090605 (52.041.5)
Edgeline Devices ...
HP CM8050 Color MFP with Edgeline Technology	Group 30	20081028 (75.020.0)	20090616 (76.008.0)
HP CM8060 Color MFP with Edgeline Technology	Group 30	20081028 (75.020.0)	20090616 (76.008.0)

The HP devices listed above include the following enhancements, changes & resolutions:

Highlights for devices launched between Fall 2004 and Summer 2006 (Group 10 Devices):
- Mainly fixes to issues discovered with various customers. Read the firmware "Read Me" or "Release Notes" for the summarized list.
Highlights for devices launched fall 2006 and later (Group 20, 40 and 50 Devices):
- Enhancements to customers using Smart Cards for authentication for additional card supported card types and email encryption using PKI.
- Fixes to issues discovered with various customers. Read the firmware "Read Me" or "Release Notes" for the summarized list.
Highlights for Edgeline devices:
- Added more advanced sleep option handling, especially after working with infrequent print jobs, the release notes describe the features in more detail.
- Added a digital send log.
- Added support for improved longevity with supplies when used before the expiry date.
- Added support for a service account when accessing information from the LDAP authentication method.
- Improved the diagnostic screens that field services technicians (HP or HP Authorized) can access to better diagnose conditions while on-site. While this screen is not accessible to customers directly, it does benefit them with improved service from HP and authorized service providers working on behalf of HP.
- Fixes to issues discovered with various customers. Read the firmware "Read Me" or "Release Notes" for the summarized list.

I hope this helps as a general update keeping administrators "In the Loop". Remember to subscribe to email alerts if you want the official updates for specific product you care about and/or general security alerts for imaging and printing product by going to the IT Resource Center (ITRC).

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.

From Work-Life Balance to Work-Life Bursts and Work-Life Teams

susie.wee — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:20:00 GMT

From Work-Life Balance to Work-Life Bursts and Work-Life Teams

I was reading a colleague’s post on work-life balance, where she was referencing Jack Welch’s statement that there is no such thing.

Those who know me would certainly laugh if they knew I was commenting on work-life balance, but I might have one valuable perspective to offer-- the perspective of a manager of people who strive for success at work AND success in life. Let me talk about a model that I’ve seen work.

As a manager, I need a team that can deliver results and handle the demands of a fast-paced work environment. But, work demands do not understand family demands. Work demands do not understand 40 hour work weeks (or 60 hour work weeks). Work demands do not understand children’s needs. Work demands do not understand unexpected illnesses. In essence, work demands do not understand life demands.

While I don’t know much about work-life balance, I did make one realization about some of my top performers. Basically, there is the mythical 40 hour work week where you work 8 hours a day 5 days a week forever. While this might work for an average or good performer, but I haven’t seen this work for a top performer. I find it more realistic to think of a "bursty" work schedule. There are times when work demands bursts. There are times when life demands bursts. As a manager, I have found that my top performers are able to accommodate “work bursts”. They can spend the extra hours when we’re in a clutch. They go the extra mile to deliver the work that is needed when it needs to be done. I see them do acrobatics in their lives to get the job done when the demands are there. On the other hand, since I know they are doing acrobatics in their lives to accommodate the bursty demands of work, as their manager I feel compelled to do acrobatics to accommodate the bursty demands of their lives. In essence, they have done acrobatics for me, so I do acrobatics for them. Together, we try to achieve success and find balance. So, work gets taken care of when work demands come flying in, and life gets taken care of when life demands come flying in. Win-Win!

Now, the problem comes in when work demands and life demands collide. Let’s face it, this happens all the time. When this collision happens, I find the saving grace to come from the team, in work or in life. I love it when I have teams that work together to deliver their results, and work together to accommodate each other’s life’s demands. From my perspective as a manager, the team has hit their deliverables and deadlines on time with high quality work. But, under the covers the team has done acrobatics to cover for each other so that one person could care for a sick child or an ailing parent. When I see a work team operate this way, I have a big smile inside because I know that this team has bonded in a way that will get them through the toughest demands of work and life.

One thing I should note is that having a team like this at work or in life is not automatic. It takes sustained effort to build the relationships needed for this type of teamwork. It means being helpful, even when it’s not convenient. It means being thoughtful to find out when someone needs help, because people in need seldom come out and say it. I find that people who are helpful and thoughtful even when it’s not convenient in turn get unbounded help from their teammates when they are in their time of need.

In summary, I don’t have an answer on whether work-life balance is achievable, but here’s one approach to try:

Life demands and work demands are bursty… and they don’t know about each other. In order to succeed at work, you must be able to work in bursts. In order to succeed in life, you must be able to live in bursts. In order to succeed in work AND life, you need to build teams around you, in life and in work, that allow you to handle those bursts. In order to build those teams, you must be thoughtful and helpful to those around you.

Work-life balance may be one of those mythical dreams, but it’s still a dream worth trying for. Good luck!

So, do you think this approach can work? Have you seen or experienced situations where this approach has succeeded or failed?

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.