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Re: Authenticating Windows Print Queues

Hello, all. We use a product by A.N.D Technologies called PCounter. For
both platforms (OS X and Windows XP) we use the web-based interface to
authenticate and release jobs. We then take the app generated log (that
captures US name, number of pages printedm the name of the job, etc.) and
parse it for specific info and charge their account. I hope to have a
web-based presentation done in the coming weeks (next 2-3) and posted on
the macosxlabs.org site. This is something a lot of
people/companies/schools still need. The server app must reside on a
Windows server as that is where the queues live. But quthentication from
a Mac or PC is done the same way:

1)print to a specified printer
2)go to a defined web page (set up by your web personnel as a redirect to
the web-page created by PCounter)
3)authenticate via your AD credentials to this web page and select what to
do with the job in queue (you can only see jobs you send from the machine
you release from. You won't see the other 200 jobs sent by the numerous
others in the lab)--print, delete or refresh(the page).
4)go get your job from the printer.

One of our server personnel did most of the heavy-lifting on the Windows
server. But he stated it wasn't all that complicated. The jobs/queus can
also be managed from another web-page as jams do occasionally happen.
Something will get stuck in the queue and ll will back up on that printer.
But it is rather user-friendly. And quite reliable. If the user closes
the job-release web-page then they will have to re-authenticate the next
job they want to print. I have been using it in the public labs for the
past year. So that says something. And the cost was quiet reasonable.
Approx. $400 buy-in and a $250/yr. maint contract/fee. Not bad compared
to others that also may require hardware be installed.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions or issues.

http://www.pcounter.com/pcounterNT.html
http://www.pcounter.com/webClient.html


Thank you,
Vince Spiars
ITS-Instructional Media Technology Specialist
Wesleyan University
Middletwon, CT 06459
860-685-3072

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004, Christianson, Jay wrote:

> We have gotten our test Macs to bind to the Active Directory, and to allow
> users from the domain to login, connect to servers, etc. Unfortunately,
> while file servers don't request a second login from these authenticated
> users, the W2k print queues do request a second login from the user.
>
> Now, when a user does connect to one of these printers by logging in a
> second time, their name and pass is written to the printers.conf file. It
> is all in clear text. You can clear the name/pass from the .conf file, and
> the machine will continue to allow authenticated users to print to the
> printer...but they use the first users authentication. Since we are trying
> to use these W2k so that the print accounting system on them will handle our
> macs, we must have the correct user assigned to the print job.
>
> Now, I've demoed AdmitMac, and it appears to handle all of this correctly.
> Whoever logs in to the computer is the person that shows up as printing the
> job.
>
> So....I'm wondering, short of buying AdmitMac, has anyone determined a way
> to get users who have logged via AD authentication, to be able to print to
> W2k print queues that require authentication?
>
> Thanks,
> Jay Christianson
> Macintosh Support Specialist
> University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
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References: 
 >Authenticating Windows Print Queues (From: "Christianson, Jay" <email@hidden>)



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