6.6. How to discover printers by hostname

*This is coming functionality in response to out of scope request (OOS 18020). Contact sales.printix@kofax.com if you have questions. .

By default Printix will discover printers via the print queues installed on the computer and also broadcast for printers based on network subnet information. The discovered printers are registered in the Printix Cloud by their IP address. Printers are registered by IP address because reverse DNS lookup is not always working. Printix does support hostnames, and you can at any time open the Printer properties page and modify the Printer address to be the printer’s hostname instead of the IP address.

Discover printer by hostname is a feature that is relevant for organizations where printers do not have static IP addresses and their Domain Name System (DNS) is up-to-date with their printers’ hostnames and IP addresses (achievable if their DHCP servers does DNS dynamic updates). The organization also has a process in place where new print queues (refencing the printers by hostname) are added on Windows print servers first and the subsequently those print queues are registered in Printix Cloud when Discover printers is started on the print server in question.

If your organization want to discover printers by hostname only, then please submit a support request to have your Printix Home configured to discover printers by hostname.

If you have already registered many printers and do not want to manually change their IP address to hostname on the Printer properties page, then you need to provide a semi-colon (;) separated CSV file with the printers’ IP address, Hostname and Network. This will be used once to update the printers’ IP address to their hostname.

IP address;Hostname;Network
192.168.1.9;NPI02078A;Network1

Requirements

• Printix Home is configured to discover printers by hostname. See also: How to enable discover printers by hostname.
• Printix Client version 1.3.1256 or later.
• Network must support ping of printers by hostname. This implies that the organization’s Domain Name System (DNS) must be up-to-date with the printer’s IP addresses and hostnames. Can be archived by having DHCP servers do DNS dynamic updates.
• The recommended way of registering new print queues (printers) in Printix is to have the new print queues added on a particular Windows computer (print server) and then subsequently start the Discover printers from that particular computer. The particular Windows computer must have DiscoverPrintersByHostname set to 1.
• The Printix Administrator offers a number of ways to Discover printers, but going forward it is recommended to only start Discover printers from the Computer properties page of the particular computers that has DiscoverPrintersByHostname set to 1.
  • Discover printers on the Computer properties page (recommended) only takes effect if the computer has DiscoverPrintersByHostname set to 1.
  • Discover printers on the Printers page only takes effect if the computer that receives the task has DiscoverPrintersByHostname set to 1.
  • Discover printers on the Sites page only takes effect if the computer that receives the task has DiscoverPrintersByHostname set to 1.
  • An entry will be written in History under Computers whenever a Discover printers request is rejected. Looks like this: Computer COMPIX not configured to discover printers by hostname.

How to enable discover printers by hostname

1. Submit a support request requesting to have your Printix Home configured to Discover printers by hostname.
2. If relevant respond to the support request and attach a semi-colon (;) separated CSV file with the printers’ IP address, Hostname and Network.
3. When you have confirmation that changes have been made, you can proceed:

For each computer (typically a server) on which print queues are maintained and referenced by hostname, you must install Printix Client and then add the Windows Registry setting DiscoverPrintersByHostname.

4. Select Windows logo key + R to open Run.
5. Type: regedit, and select OK.
6. In Registry Editor browse to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\
   printix.net\Printix Client\
7. Add the DWORD value name DiscoverPrintersByHostname and give it the value 1.

Start discovery from a particular computer (print server)

1. Open the Computers page.
2. Select the computer (print server) and select Modify.
   Optionally Filter on Type and select Server.

3. On the Computer properties page, scroll to the Discover section.
   Optionally select a SNMP configuration.

4. Select Discover printers.
5. Select Confirm.