SNMP Support Enhances VPS Connectivity
[SPRINGFIELD, IL - January 30, 2009] - Recent enhancements to the VPS and VMCF products allow LRS customers to take advantage of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) functionality for monitoring their printing environments. This new connectivity option, along with existing support for PJL and direct sockets printing connections, gives VPS customers unprecedented control over their enterprise output management assets.
Advanced Bi-Directional Device Communication
After the new SNMP keywords are enabled, VPS software begins polling for SNMP enabled printers in a TCP/IP network. The VPS system sends an SNMP probe to proactively determine the status of all defined printers, regardless of whether there are pending print jobs. If a given printer is out of paper, out of toner, or otherwise disabled, VPS software senses the condition and will not attempt to send a report to that device.
A new SNMP keyword allows administrators to specify how many times the VPS software should try to connect to a given printer and how long to wait between each attempt. The VPS system can be configured to either EDRAIN the printer after reaching the maximum number of attempts or ignore the failed attempts and rely on standard VPS error processing.
Error Notification As You Like It
After sensing that a device is incapable of receiving output, the VPS system can inform stakeholders of error conditions in a variety of ways. Administrators can view the SNMP status of any printer using updated VMCF screens. VPS software can also notify a TSO user of the condition.
In addition to these methods, the VPS system can also notify users and administrators of intervention required conditions via email. As with all errors and status conditions, the VPS system supports extensive logging of SNMP feedback messages. This logging capability is useful for auditing/problem resolution and can provide valuable input to system automation tools.
Benefits
For years, LRS products have supported PJL and other advanced printer feedback mechanisms. However, while these bi-directional communication protocols provide detailed information about printer capabilities and status, such information is typically gathered only at the time of printing.
With the addition of SNMP support, the VPS system can regularly query the status of system-defined printers?even when no documents are being printed. The ability to identify potential printing errors before they happen enables VPS customers to proactively manage their IT environments. This in turn helps organizations improve business processes, increase worker productivity, and decrease costs.
For more information on this enhancement and other LRS product features, please consult the Support section of the LRS website (www.VPS.com) or contact your LRS marketing representative.
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