Print Server

Objectives

Set print server settings so printing via non-FullCount terminals can routed through a different machine.

Prerequisites

Access to back office

Instructions

Overview

The print server allows for non-FullCount terminals (typically Android tablets) to print requisitions, receipts, etc. This works by having a separate machine on-premise at the community that serves print jobs to the requisition printers. The non-FullCount terminals send a request to the application server and waits for a response. The print server requests new jobs every 5 seconds and sends them to the print server. Once the application server receives a response, it is sent to the terminal. If no response is received in 30 seconds, the user will be alerted on the terminal. See image below for additional details.

Overview – Multiple Print Servers

In some instances, communities want multiple print servers. This could be to provide a backup in case the existing print server goes down. This could also be because the community is not on one flat network and one print server does not have access to all printers at the community. In these cases, multiple print servers can be configured to be used on a per-mode basis. A multiple print server set-up works by adding Print Queue Modes to each print server, so it will only request jobs from a specific mode when requesting jobs from the application server. Having multiple print servers active without configuring print queue modes for them may result in unintended behavior.

Back Office Settings

1. Add print server serial number on the Terminals page.
2. For each mode where print server printing can be done, change Print Jobs From Non-FullCount Machines to Yes.
3. On the terminals page, set up Receipt Printer Type and Receipt Printer IP Address for the localhost serial number and any additional serial numbers using this setting. This may include non-Linux tablets in the future.

Back Office Settings – Multiple Print Servers

1. Add each print server serial number on the Terminals page.
2. For each mode where print server printing can be done, change Print Jobs From Non-FullCount Machines to Yes.
3. On the terminals page, for each print server, set up Receipt Printer Type and Receipt Printer IP Address for the localhost serial number and any additional serial numbers using this setting. This may include non-Linux tablets in the future.
4. On the terminals page, for each print server, add a row to the Print Queue Modes table for each mode that this print server will use when requesting print jobs.

Single Print Server:

Multiple Print Servers (Using East/West buildings as an example):