If you use configurations wisely, they can help you manage your system more effectively. You can also create configurations that will help workstation users meet their specific printing needs efficiently and conveniently.
Configurations are properties assigned to a NDPS Printer object that specify how the printer will handle print jobs. For example, configuration properties can specify the number of copies to print, event notification, what kind of media to use, job priority, banner instructions, and whether to hold or retain a job and for how long.
NDPS automatically assigns a default configuration to all NDPS Printer objects when they are created. However, administrators can modify that configuration or create new configurations for use by workstation users.
NDPS Printer objects can have multiple configurations. When a user installs a printer on his or her workstation, that user chooses one of those configurations. Each time a job with a particular configuration is submitted, the printer will handle the job according to the instructions contained in that configuration.
When a job is submitted, it inherits the properties of the installed printer's configuration. The configuration of the job can then be modified, if needed, by the job's owner or a printer Operator. When configurations are modified at the individual job level, additional configurable properties are available which are not included in the original configuration. For example, the job can be delayed, and advanced attributes can be viewed and modified.
Use the following procedure in NetWare Administrator to create a new configuration based on the current Default Configuration.
Select the NDPS Printer object that you want to create a configuration for.
Click the Configuration button.
The Printer Configurations window in that dialog lists the Default Printer Configuration and any other configurations that have been created for this printer in NetWare Administrator.
Click Create.
Enter the name you want to assign to this configuration.
Assign the configuration properties you want for print jobs.
For specific information about these tabs, see Configuration Options.
If you want to lock certain configuration properties so that workstation users cannot modify them, see Setting Configuration Locks.
Click OK in the Printer Configuration dialog box.
Click OK in the NDPS Printer Details dialog box.
Your new configuration will not be saved until you have done this.
The following sections describes the configuration options available in NDPS.
Copies: The number of copies that will be printed for this configuration.
Max Copies: The maximum number of copies that a user can print using this printer.
Priority: The priority assigned to jobs using this configuration. Max Priority: The maximum priority (Low, Medium, High) set by the administrator for jobs using this printer. This setting determines when the job will print in relation to other jobs with different priorities sent to this printer.
Banner: A list of banner pages users can select from. Banner pages will be printed at the beginning of print jobs using the configuration. (If multiple copies of a document are printed, the banner page will only be printed at the beginning of the first copy.) If your client, printer, and server are not all configured for the same language, you may experience problems with the output of your banner pages, such as the job name being corrupted. If you are working in this type of mixed environment, you should consider not using banner pages.
Medium: The medium (form) on which jobs can be printed without stopping the printer to mount a different medium (form). The default on the printer is Any Medium, which allows jobs to be printed using the currently mounted medium regardless of media specified in the job data. If a medium is specified for this configuration, and a different medium (anything other than Any Medium) is mounted on the printer, this condition will cause the printer to pause for the given amount of time (default is 15 minutes) or until the new media is mounted. If this Job Wait Time expires, the job is placed on hold and returned to the spooling area. Media are mounted by the administrator or Operator at the Printer Control/Control pull-down menu of NetWare Administrator.
Operator Hold. Jobs do not print until the Operator releases them.
User Hold. Jobs do not print until the user who submitted the job releases it.
Delay Printing Until. Jobs do not begin printing until the time and date specified.
Pause Printer on Job Start. Force the printer to pause at the beginning of jobs submitted using this configuration. The message entered is sent to the printer Operator. Only an Operator can release the pause. (By default, the printer will resume printing after a 15-minute pause if an Operator does not intervene. This setting can be changed at the server console by changing the Configuration setting Job Wait Time.)
Pause Printer on Job End. Force the printer to pause after printing each job that is submitted using this configuration. The message entered is sent to the printer Operator. Only an Operator can release the pause. (By default, the printer will resume printing after a 15-minute pause if an Operator does not intervene. This setting can be changed at the server console by changing the Configuration setting Job Wait Time.)
Retain Job No Longer Than. The maximum amount of time that jobs using this configuration can be retained after printing before being deleted (Minutes, Hours, Days, Years). By default, jobs are not retained.
Retain Job For. The amount of time that a job using this configuration should be retained (regardless of when it is printed) until it is deleted (Minutes, Hours, Days, Years).
By specifying event notification for a printer configuration, you allow job owners to receive notification of printer or job events that occur during the processing and printing of a job. Notification configured in this way is sent by pop-up message box only.
Print job notification allows you to designate the event types for which notification messages should be generated (warnings, errors, or reports). For more information, see Optimizing Event Notification.
In NetWare Administrator, administrators can use the Access Control feature to configure event notification for interested parties, that is, non-job-owners you wish to be notified of specific events. See Configuring Interested-Party Notification for more information. At the workstation, individual users can use the Novell Printer Manager to configure event notification pertaining to their own jobs only. See Configuring Job-Owner Notification for more information.
To modify an existing configuration, complete the following procedure.
At the main NDPS Printer Details window in NetWare Administrator, click the Configuration button.
In Printer Manager, select the printer you want to work with and then select the Printer/Configuration option.
The Printer Configurations window lists the default printer configuration and any other configurations that have been created for this printer in NetWare Administrator.
Select the configuration you want to modify and click Modify.
Assign the configuration properties you want for print jobs.
For specific information about these tabs, see Configuration Options.
If you want to lock certain configuration properties so that workstation users cannot modify them, see Setting Configuration Locks.
Click OK in the Printer Configuration dialog box.
Click OK in the NDPS Printer Details dialog box.
Your changes will not be saved until you have done this.
Properties of the Default Printer Configuration can be locked by the administrator to be nonconfigurable; that is, they cannot be modified or overridden by the user. Locked properties can be either of the following:
Maximum limits. Certain properties, those that specify limits, are always locked: Maximum Copies, Maximum Priority, and Retain Job No Longer Than. Even if the Manager does not specify a limit for these properties, they are grayed out and inaccessible to users who are modifying their own configurations.
These properties relate to a range in which the maximum value in that range is specified. For example, if the default configuration has a locked property limiting the maximum number of copies of a job that can be printed to five, any number of copies up to five is allowed, but a job calling for 10 copies will be rejected.
Individual locked properties. Many properties are tied to a specific setting. For example, you can lock the priority of jobs to be printed using this configuration, or designate a specific banner page that must be used when jobs are submitted.
Once a default configuration property has been locked, it will be locked for all jobs submitted to that printer and for all new configurations created for that printer as well, whether that configuration has been created with NetWare Administrator or by a workstation user when creating a new configuration for an installed printer.
Any job submitted to an old configuration must conform to the new locked property or the job will be rejected.
Use the following procedure to lock one or more properties for a printer.
In iManage, click iPrint Management > Manage Printer.
Browse to and select the printer you want to lock a property on.
Click the Configuration tab.
Check the check boxes of the properties you want to lock.
Click OK.