Xerox FreeFlow® Print Server version 6.0 User Manual
System guide, Xerox freeflow, Print server
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Table of contents
Document Outline
- Print Server version 6.0
- April 2007
- 701P25032
- Xerox FreeFlow® Print Server
- System Guide
- Introduction
- 1 Gateway and Network Configuration
- 2 Backup and Restore
- 3 Printing
- 4 Finishing
- 5 Fonts
- 6 Accounting and Billing
- 7 Troubleshooting
- 8 Hints and Tips
- Gateway and network configuration is a set of features that allows administrators to integrate the Xerox FreeFlow® Print Server operation with a variety of protocols and gateways through a common user interface. The Xerox FreeFlow Print Serve...
- Administrators have a wide range of network options available for configuration through the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server. IP settings, network speed, and name service among other settings can be handled easily and quickly.
- This section of the guide describes how to use the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server interface for the following gateways:
- This section also addresses the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server support for the following network configuration settings:
- This release of the Xerox FreeFlow® Print Server introduces a new JDF Gateway.
- The JDF is a job ticket and workflow specification language. It provides the means to describe print jobs.
- The ability to support JDF job tickets with PDF data files adds flexibility when users want specific settings for jobs instead of default queue settings.
- The benefit of this Gateway is that it processes the JDF job tickets and returns updated JDF job tickets containing job status information and the process times required.
- JDF Gateway (JDFGW) processes the JDF job tickets and sets job attributes accordingly for files to be printed. Upon receiving a JDF job ticket from Hot Folder (HF) Observer, JDF Gateway uses JDF Toolkit to process the ticket and submit the da...
- After each job submission to the FreeFlow Print Server, JDF Gateway updates and outputs the JDF job ticket into a specific or default folder.
- When a file is dropped in the Hot Folder, HF Observer checks if the file is a JDF job ticket. If it is, HF Observer will submit the ticket to JDFGW.
- The JDF Gateway is invoked to parse the ticket and create a JDF Node based on the ticket. JDF Toolkit then transforms the JDF Node into a Combined Digital Printing (CDP) Node.
- After a CDP Node is formed, the job attributes are converted into the common CPSS representation.
- The JDFGW converts the CPSS representation of job attributes to the FreeFlow Print Server representation and submits data files along with these job attributes to the Print Server for printing.
- After each job submission to the FreeFlow Print Server, JDF Gateway updates and outputs the JDF job ticket into specific or default folders depending on the job submission status.
- The updated JDF job ticket contains a relative job status and the process time required.
- The location of a specific folder is specified in the JDF job ticket by "TargetRoute". For example, a JDF job ticket has the following:
- ….
- <NodeInfo TargetRoute="/var/spool/XRXnps/JDF_Output"/>
- …
- This means, that the updated JDF job ticket, after job submission, is moved to directory: "/var/spool/XRXnps/JDF_Output/"
- If such information does not exist in a JDF job ticket, then the default folders will be used to hold the updated JDF job ticket.
- The default failure folder is named "error" and is a sub-directory of Hot Folder directory. The default success folder is named "output" and is a sub-directory of Hot Folder directory. Both names and locations of these default folders are con...
- If the JDF job ticket has unsupported structural features, such as a JDF Process node that is subordinate to a Product node, or if it includes a supported attribute whose value is not supported or which has an invalid syntax (i.e., for which ...
- FreeFlow Print Server will display the following error messages:
- JDF Workflow Example
- 1. User enables "hot folder" for the queue in the FreeFlow Print Server.
- 2. FreeFlow Print Server UI creates an associate Hot Folder for the queue.
- 3. Hot Folder Observer will create an "Error" folder in the Hot Folder if a job fails to submit to the FreeFlow Print Server.
- 4. FreeFlow Print Server exports the Hot Folder onto the network for job submissions.
- 5. User drops a data file, in a specific location in FreeFlow Print Server. The submitter drops the associated JDF job ticket into Hot Folder.
- 6. Hot Folder Observer sends the JDF job ticket to JDFGW.
- 7. JDFGW processes the ticket and sends job attributes along with data file into the FreeFlow Print Server for printing.
- JDF Gateway Considerations
- Troubleshooting JDF Gateway
- JDF Workflow Example
- The following logs are important for troubleshooting problems:
- If there was no response from the agent to the browser, one or all of the following can be done.
- 1. Enter the following command at a terminal:
- 2. Logging files are located at /var/spool/XRXnps/log/ JdfJmfGateway.log.0
- 3. Upon a new restart of FreeFlow Print Server or new restart of JDFGW, the JDFGW log shows:
- 4. By default, JDFGW is configured to log all messages. There are many levels of logging:
- SNMP displays the status of network devices. Using the SNMP tab in the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server Gateways, the administrator can select among a number of features and settings for SNMP.
- Xerox recommends the following third-party SNMP software managers:
- SNMP support for the following features are product dependent:
- The following table specifies which Xerox products have these SNMP supported features:
- These attributes can be changed via ‘SET’:
- For additional information on attributes, MIBs, and localization, see device profiles.
- The Xerox FreeFlow Print Server SNMP MIB files use the Xerox Common Management Interface (XCMI) version 4.0. The following list indicates the MIB files included for this version of the Print Server software:
- Additionally the following MIBs files are supported:
- Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) is a function that assists in the accounting and billing process. The feature can be supported using:
- With the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server, SNMP text and units of measure can be independent of the locality selected as part of the Local User Interface (LUI).
- Although the default is set so that the SNMP locality and unit of measure is the same as that of the LUI, the new feature allows the administrator to select a different locality or unit of measure for the SNMP gateway.
- Remote SNMP clients can control the localization of text objects of syntax
- LocalizedDescriptionStringTC by setting the MIB object:
- prtGeneralCurrentLocalization
- Access is changed from Read-only to Read/Write.
- However, Remote SNMP clients cannot control the units of measure localization of numeric MIB objects. The localization of these objects can only be controlled from the LUI.
- Of the many parameters that are available for SNMP configuration, only the ones of common interest to Xerox customers are shown in the following table:
- The following table shows the mapping between the LUI and MIB:
- SNMP can broadcast messages about the printer and the jobs on the system. Printer messages may announce that the printer is idle, printing, or out of paper. Job messages announce that jobs are pending, processing, or completed. Other job-rela...
- The information that is displayed at an SNMP Manager may not always reflect the exact status of a job or printer on the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server Controller. Those Managers that do not support loading of Management Information Bases (MIBs) ...
- In Gateways, using the AppleTalk tab the administrator can enable or disable the protocol. If the protocol is enabled, the administrator can also select a default queue set for Appletalk.
- In Gateways using the Queue Server tab, the administrator has the option to enable or disable NetWare and to define a Preferred Server Name. This entry field allows the administrator an easy method to directly point to a replica or NDS server name.
- In Gateways using the NetWare tab, the administrator can configure the NetWare Network automatically or manually. If the automatic mode is selected, a “wizard” steps the administrator through the configuration of the Novell Server and the Net...
- If the manual mode is selected, the interface enables manual entry and filtering for the Novell setups and printer queues.
- In Gateways using the LPD (Line Printer Daemon) tab, the administrator can enable or disable the LPD protocol, set the default queue, and set the LPD port. The default port is 515, the most commonly used port.
- Within the System Administration part of the user interface, Network configuration options are presented.
- In Network Configuration, using the IP Address tab, the administrator can enable or disable IP. If IP is enabled, the administrator can adjust or change the following settings:
- The administrator must also select the IP Configuration Method. The drop down menu presents two options: a “Static” IP configuration which allows the user to specify the IP values, or “DHCP” method which allows a DHCP server to provide IP information.
- DHCP automates the configuration of computers using TCP/IP and performs the following functions:
- The following services are supported by Xerox FreeFlow Print Server software.
- This network configuration option allows the administrator to enable/disable the WINS service. The text entry option when left blank allows WINS to broadcast the request to the first available WINS server on the network. WINS provides the abi...
- The DNS service maintains host names to IP Address mappings. DNS is also a Directory Service that stores arbitrary objects not necessarily related to name-to-IP information.
- In Network Configuration, using the DNS tab, the administrator can enable/disable DNS. If enabled is selected, the administrator must provide the information requested in the text entry windows.
- The DNS protocol has also been enhanced to allow for dynamic updating of DNS. The enhancement is referred to as Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS). To invoke this service the administrator enables it on the DNS tab.
- NIS and NIS+ are network lookup services that provide information that must be known throughout the network as well as all machines on the network.
- The administrator can enable or disable either the NIS or NIS+ service. If either of these is enabled, the administrator must supply the information requested by the text fields or choose “Find NIS+ server” which will provide this same information.
- The Xerox FreeFlow Print Server interface provides a “wizard” that enables the administrator to add ADS domains and permits Print Server integration into Windows NT ADS networks.
- In Network Configuration, the SM/FTP tab allows the administrator to enable or disable filing using one of three different technologies:
- Xerox FreeFlow Print Server-driven systems can now be targeted to existing NPS customers for both black and white, and highlight color. The Print Server now supports the following options.
- There is support for NPS lp-o and lpr-c options; the lp/lpr options are received by the LPR gateway and mapped to Xerox FreeFlow Print Server attributes.
- The following NPS lp/lpr options are supported:
- In Network Configuration, using the Connections tab, the administrator can select the speed of the Ethernet. The default is set to automatic and the software/NIC card automatically detects and transmits at the highest speed available. However...
- The need to set a specific speed may occur if a switch is set to a particular speed and does not support automatic negotiation. Under these conditions, the full Xerox FreeFlow Print Server controller may need to be set to the same speed as the switch.
- With the addition of several interface options as well as user settings, the administrator may want to restore factory settings. The interface provides a [Restore Defaults] button in Network Configuration that permits the administrator to res...
- What is the basic purpose of Configuration Backup and Restore?
- What is the basic purpose of System Backup and Re store?
- What does Configuration Backup and Restore actually save?
- What does System Backup save?
- How big are the files?
- Where are the files saved?
- How long does the process take?
- What schedule should be used?
- Troubleshooting
- Activity logging
- 1. Open a terminal window and logon as root user
- 2. Enter pwd to verify that /export/home/xrxusr is the current directory.
- 3. Enter ls to display the contents of the directory. One of the files listed should be backup.log.
- 4. Change the log name to your desired name by entering the following command:
- Testing the backup tape
- 1. Ensure that the tape drive is connected and powered on. Insert the backup tape in the tape drive. If the backup required more than one cassette, make sure that the first tape (Vol 1) is inserted.
- 2. Open a Terminal window and logon as root user.
- 3. Enter mt -f /dev/rmt/0 status to check the tape drive status. The system returns a message indicating the type of tape drive.
- 4. When the tape drive location has been verified, enter the following command:
- Checking the tape drive
- 1. If the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server is running, follow the procedures in your customer documentation to shut down and power off the controller. If the system displays a # prompt, enter halt. When the OK prompt is displayed, power off the controller.
- 2. Power off the tape drive.
- 3. Ensure that the SCSI cable connecting the tape drive to the controller is securely connected. If the tape drive is your system's only external SCSI device, there should be only one SCSI cable connected to the tape drive, and it should be c...
- 1. If the tape drive is an older unit (for example, an 8mm DocuTech tape drive) with a 50-pin SCSI connector, a terminator must be installed on the Out connector if the tape drive is the last device on the SCSI chain.
- 2. Check the SCSI ID selector and ensure that it is not set to 0, 1, 3 or 6. These settings could possibly conflict with internal SCSI devices on some controller types. If there are other external devices, ensure that no two devices are set t...
- 3. Ensure that the tape inserted in the drive is a regular tape and not a cleaning tape.
- 4. Power on the tape drive, and wait 10 seconds.
- 5. Power on the controller.
- 6. Press <Stop + A> as soon as the banner screen appears.
- 7. Ultra-SCSI devices only: Check that both green LEDs on the back of the tape drive are lit.
- 8. At the ok prompt, enter boot -r to perform a reconfiguration boot.
- Activity logging
- First In/First Out (FIFO) printing
- Resource based scheduling
- 1. Select [Setup] on the main menu.
- 2. Select [System Preferences].
- 3. Under Scheduling Mode, click Resource Based Scheduling.
- 1. Right-click on a queue
- 2. Select [Hot Folder]
- 3. Select [Enable Hot Folder]
- 1. Is the first job eligible for Parallel RIPing? If yes, the Xerox Freeflow Print Server processes the job using all the available Parallel RIPs and no additional jobs can be processed.
- 2. If no, the Xerox Freeflow Print Server routes the first job through a single RIP.
- 3. The Xerox Freeflow Print Server determines whether the next job is eligible for parallel RIPing.
- 4. If yes, the Xerox Freeflow Print Server processes the job using all the remaining RIPs. No other job can be RIPed until one of the jobs is completed.
- 5. If no, the Xerox Freeflow Print Server routes the job through the next single RIP path. The Print Server continues through the cycle.
- ASCII and the PS or PCL decomposers
- setpclcontrol utility
- setlp/lprcopycount utility
- NPS lp-o and lpr-c
- TIFF orientation
- Supported TIFF tags
- 1. Copy the VIPP startup file into /var/spool/XRXnps/vipp and then restart the Print Server. The file must exist in this directory and cannot be changed. However, you can set a symbolic link to other locations.
- 2. In Queue Manager, create a print queue named VIPP. Change the default document format from ASCII to PostScript. If this is not done, all VIPP jobs runs as ASCII unless the data file begins with “%!”.
- 3. Select the PDF/PostScript tab, and select [Start File]. Browse to the startup file and select this file.
- Save job options
- Scan to digital input on Nuvera 1xx
- Copy input for multiple page TIFF files
- RIP input
- Copy/move/delete saved jobs
- Copying and saving jobs to CD
- Saving custom templates
- Editing thumbnails
- Using the PDF editor
- Creating jobs to use subset finishing
- Subset offset (Page Level Jog)
- PCL offset/separator/subset finishing command
- PCL Offset Stacking
- Using the PCS Separator
- Tray confirmation
- Mapping trays to media
- Downloading fonts from the network
- Resident fonts
- Non-resident fonts
- Font substitution
- Auto exporting accounting log
- Accounting exported values
- Accounting file fields
- Job ID
- Container ID
- Report ID
- Host Job Number
- Record status
- Document Name
- Document Date
- Sender Name
- Recipient
- Account
- Disposition
- Job Status
- Interrupt Status
- Print Server Name
- Virtual Printer
- Machine Type
- Printer Type
- Job Source
- Channel Idle Time (milliseconds)
- Job Submission Date
- Input File Size (bytes)
- Job Format
- PDL Format
- Start RIP Time
- Stop RIP Time
- Elapsed RIP Time (seconds)
- Account ID
- User ID
- Additional Job Data
- RIP Interrupt Time (seconds)
- Initial JDL
- Initial JDE
- Records Read
- DJDE Records Read
- Data Blocks Processed
- Data Blocks Skipped
- Number Pages RIPed
- Total Pages Trapped
- Total Anti Aliased Pages Processed
- Start Date
- Completion Date
- Pages To Print
- Collate Mode
- Copies Requested
- Copies Printed
- Total Sheets Greater than 9” Wide Printed
- Total Sheets Greater than 345mm Wide Printed
- Total Sheets Printed
- Total Impressions Printed
- Pages to Bin
- Pages to Tray
- Number 1-Sided Sheets Printed
- Complexity Induced Skips
- Number 2-Sided Sheets Printed
- Lines Printed
- Pages Spaced
- Total Black Only Pages Printed
- Total Color Pages Printed
- Complexity induced Skips
- Finishing Applied X
- Medium X, Number Printed
- Medium X, Type
- Medium X, Size
- Medium X, Color
- Medium X, Name
- Medium X, Opacity
- Medium X, Holes count
- Medium X, Grain
- Medium X, Finish
- Medium X, Weight
- View and Print the Billing Report
- Billable events
- Billing meters
- Printer fault
- Job fault
- SNMP problems
- Client problems
- Windows problems
- Macintosh problems
- 1. Verify that the AppleTalk network is up and that there is at least one router on the network.
- 2. If there is no router on the AppleTalk network, jobs cannot be submitted through the AppleTalk gateway. When a router becomes available, reboot the controller to submit jobs through the AppleTalk gateway.
- 3. If there is a router on the Apple Talk network, delete the “/ opt/XRXnps/bin/atports” file at the controller and reboot.
- FreeFlow problems
- GUI problems
- Tape Client problems
- Print quality problems
- 1. Retrieve the error page if one was printed.
- 2. Submit the job to a draft PostScript printer if one is available to determine if the master is valid.
- 3. Ensure that jobs are sent to the correct queue.
- 4. Ensure that a valid PDL is used.
- 5. If the problem still exists, recreate the job with a different print driver and resubmit the job to the printer.
- Font problems
- 1. Determine if the font is being downloaded with the job.
- 2. If the font is not being downloaded with the job, determine if the font is loaded on the server by viewing the Fonts module of the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server.
- 3. If jagged characters are seen, determine if there is a scalable option available for that font and whether the user selected that option.
- 4. For incorrect characters or text that runs off the page, determine if the document was created with one driver and printed with another driver.
- 5. If you are comparing prints from a proof printer, ensure that the same PDL file was used to make the prints on both printers.
- 6. If small fonts are printing ragged, change the default font renderer in Print Manager from the “Adobe Type Manager” to the “Font Solution”.
- Inoperable system problems
- Job flow problems
- 1. Hold the job.
- 2. Resubmit the job to a draft PostScript printer to determine if the master is corrupted. If the job prints without problems, contact the Customer Support Center.
- 1. Open the printer door. If a message appears in the faults and messages frame, then the communication with the printer is working.
- 2. Restart the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server software. If the problem still persists, contact the Customer Support Center.
- Job integrity problems
- 1. Check the job properties to ensure proper programming.
- 2. Check for any queue override attributes that may be conflicting with the job programming.
- 3. If the job is PCL or PostScript, check for job ticket information that may have created a problem with the job. Make changes and resubmit the job.
- Tray to media mapping problems
- Gateway problems
- PDL problems
- PostScript problems
- TIFF problems
- PDF problems
- Editor problems
- 1. Login as root.
- 2. Kill XRXuiEdit and GUI process.
- 3. Copy the updated executable class file over to the system:
- 4. opt/XRXnps/XRXuiEdit/bin/pdfView Edit/*.class files and
- 5. opt/XRXnps/XRXuiEdit/bin/pdfParser/*.class files.
- 6. Restart the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server GUI using./ startGUI command.
- 7. Verify the /opt/XRXnps/logs/ui_logs from a terminal window to monitor its output message.
- Restore password
- 1. Open a terminal window.
- 2. Enter the password and select <Enter>.
- 3. At the prompt (#), enter the following: cd /opt/XRXnps/ XRXui61XX/data and select <Enter>.
- 4. Type: ls -la and select <enter>.
- 5. Delete the files “.npw” and “.sum” by typing rm .npw .sum and selecting <enter>.
- 6. Open the System menu and select [Logon]. Select the desired user type and enter the password. Select <OK>.
- 7. An error message displays, “A problem was detected in the password file.” Select <OK> and retype the default password again and select <OK>.
- 8. A message displays in the main window which reads, “Missing password file recreated.”
- 9. Select on the “missing password file” recreated message. A pop-up window displays the service code C03-501. Another message is displayed which reads, “The missing password file has been recreated. All current passwords are now valid. Conta...
- 10. Select [Reset].
- Restart Xerox FreeFlow Print Server software without rebooting
- Productivity and performance problems
- 1. Check the job status in the Job Manager window.
- 2. If the job status is Hold, select [Release] to process the job.
- 3. If the job is RIPing, check the performance meter. If the CPU activity is high, the decomposer is working. If this is not true, restart the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server software.
- 4. Submit the job to a draft printer to determine if the master is valid.
- 5. Check the time on the decomposer that is working on the job. For example, if the job is a PostScript job, type the following in a Terminal Window: ps -ae|grep ps_cdf
- 6. If problems still persist, contact the Customer Support Center.
- Problems when saving a job
- all_jobs_log
- system_log
- status_log
- ep_exception_log and ep_primary_log
- LPR logs
- Printing the accounting log
- LP/LPR and the ASCII job tickets
- 1. Open a terminal and login as root
- 2. Enter: setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH/opt/XRXnps/lib
- 3. Enter: [/home/rlech/bin]getAttrsTv
- 4. The program executes and lists valid options.
- 5. Enter: g j, the job number from Job GUI>
- 6. The job attributes display.
- 1. Place your mouse cursor in the background outside of the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server Print Services window.
- 2. Right-click and select [Programs].
- 3. Select [Terminal].
- 4. Put your mouse cursor in the window and type: su
- 5. Select <Enter>.
- 6. Type in your root password.
- 7. Select <Enter>. A # symbol displays.
- 8. Type: sync; sync; halt
- 9. Select <Enter>. The system reboots.
- 10. A Program Terminated message and an OK prompt display. Type boot -s
- 11. Select <Enter>. The system reboots.
- 12. When you receive the following message, “Type Ctrl-d to proceed with a normal startup, (or give root password for system maintenance)” type the root password again.
- 13. Select <Enter>.
- 14. Select the <Ctrl> and <d> keys on your keyboard at the same time to complete the boot.
- 1. Select the Peripherals tab.
- 2. Right-click on the drive entitled “floppy0.”
- 3. From the right-click menu, select [Eject/Unload]. This dismounts the floppy media, and protects the platform from damage caused by attempting to eject the media manually.
- 4. Select [OK] to close the “Removable Media Manager” window.
- 5. Now use the floppy [Eject] button to eject the floppy diskette.
- Disabling the Solaris Screen Saver
- 1. Open a Terminal window.
- 2. Type the following path: cd /usr/openwin/bin.
- 3. Type dtpower.
- 4. Select Yes from the Scheme Confirmation window that opens. The Power Saver screen is displayed.
- 5. From the Current Power Saver Scheme pull-down menu, select Disable.
- 6. Select OK, and close the Terminal window.
- Settings for enhanced color output
- Color job processing efficiencies
- Job submission hints
- Number of images
- PostScript preScan and full scan
- PostScript factory settings
- Ethernet
- Gateways
- Job submission order
- Job RIP hints
- Variable data
- Image Quality (IQ)
- Job printing hints
- Skipped pitches
- 1. Process the job in N-1 order rather than 1-N order. This forces the job to be completely RIPed before the print engine is started up. When the print engine starts it consumes pages at 60 ppm until all pages are printed.
- 2. The user could pause the printer (the green button on the Xerox FreeFlow Print Server interface) until a large number of pages in the job have been RIPed. If the user then resumes the printer at the right time (some time before the whole j...
- Perform a trace
- 1. Login as Administrator.
- 2. Select [System - Online Manager].
- 3. Select:
- 4. Channel Gateway - Enable
- 5. Input Device - Online
- 6. Input Control - Start
- 7. Submit a job from the host.
- 8. After the job is completely received by the Controller, select Input Control - End.
- 9. Open a Terminal window.
- 10. Type cd /opt/XRXnps/XRXgrpset/bin and press <Enter>.
- 11. Type ./dspTrc > FileName.txt and press <Enter>.
- 12. Type ls -l and press <Enter> to see the new file and the file size.
- 13. If the file size is greater than 1.44 MB, type compress FileName.txt and press <Enter>. If the file size is less than 1.44 MB, go to “Export the trace file to floppy”.
- Export the trace file to floppy
- 1. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the floppy drive.
- 2. Type volrmmount -i and press <Enter>.
- 3. If you used the “compress” command above, type cp FileName.txt.Z /floppy/floppy0 and press <Enter>. If you did not use the “compress” command above, type cp FileName.txt /floppy/floppy0 and press <Enter>.
- 4. Type eject and press <Enter>.
- Troubleshooting