4. Groups

Groups can be used to control access to printers and deploy printers based on users’ and computers’ group membership.

• How to work with groups
• About groups
• Exclusive access examples

How to work with groups

• How to enable Azure AD groups
• How to enable Google groups
• How to add groups to a print queue
• Groups page
• Group properties, Print queues tab
  • Print queue properties, Groups tab
• Group properties, Users tab
  • User properties, Groups tab
• Group properties, Computers tab
  • Computer properties, Groups tab

About groups

• Azure AD groups
  • Users’ and computers’ membership of groups is maintained in Microsoft Azure (portal.azure.com)
  • Groups are synchronized automatically at approximately 12 minute intervals. Only changes are synchronized.
  • Nested groups are not supported.
  • Enable dynamic memberships to manage memberships through the rules you specify.
  • Please refer to the Microsoft Azure AD documentation.

*Printix will only synchronize users/group membership for users that are registered in Printix and for groups once these groups are used within Printix, that is, if users are a member of a group that: A) Is used with print queues, or B) Is used in connection with Secure print, that is (Must print securely groups, Printer later by default groups, or Secure print level groups).

• Google groups
  • Users’ membership of groups is maintained in your Google Admin console (admin.google.com)
  • Groups are synchronized automatically at approximately 12 minute intervals. Only changes are synchronized.
  • Nested groups are not supported.
  • Computer groups are not supported.
  • Please refer to the Google G Suite Administrator Help.

• Print queues
  • Print queue/group membership is maintained in Printix Administrator by adding groups to print queues.
  • A print queue that has Exclusive access checked for one or more groups, can be accessed ONLY by the users in any of those groups.
  • A print queue that does not have Exclusive access checked for any group, can be accessed by all users.
  • Printing to a print queue without access will result in a message like: Print to BNM is not allowed.
  • A print queue that has Add print queue automatically, will be added automatically to the computer, when a user in any of those groups signs in.
  • A print queue that has Set as default printer checked, will become the default printer for the users and computers in the group.

Access to print queues is obviously also subjected to restrictions imposed by networks.

Exclusive access examples

Shows how access to print queues within a network can be controlled for five users, four print queues (ASD, BNM, CVB, and DFG) and three groups (G1, G2 and G3).

• Jane (member of the groups G1 and G2) is allowed to use print queue: ASD, BNM, CVB, and DFG.
• Paul (member of the group G1) is allowed to use print queue: ASD, BNM, and DFG.
• Mary (member of the groups G2 and G3) is allowed to use print queue: ASD, CVB, and DFG.
  If Mary attempts to print to the BNM print queue she will see the message: Print to BNM is not allowed.
• John (member of the group G3) can use print queue: DFG.
• Bob (not a member of any group) can use print queue: DFG.