Appendix G. Upgrading from PaperCut Quota

Table of Contents

Upgrade process
Step 1 - Stop and disable PaperCut Quota
Step 2 - Install PaperCut NG
Step 3 - Configure and test printers
Step 4 - Import the existing User Balances
Step 5 - Upgrade client software
Step 6 - Optionally uninstall PaperCut Quota

This appendix describes the process for moving from PaperCut Quota to PaperCut NG, and includes instruction of importing user balances and restriction settings from the old PaperCut Quota installation.

These instructions assume that PaperCut NG will be installed on the same machine as PaperCut Quota, however the instructions can also be applied when PaperCut NG is installed on a new machine.

Upgrade process

Step 1 - Stop and disable PaperCut Quota

Firstly the PaperCut Quota services should be stopped to ensure that they do not interfere with PaperCut NG. You should not uninstall PaperCut Quota at this stage because we need the user database to import user balances into PaperCut NG.

To stop and disable the PaperCut Quota services:

  1. Open the Windows services manager ( StartControl PanelAdministrative ToolsServices).

  2. Find the PaperCut Print Charging service.

  3. Right-click on the server and select the Properties menu.

  4. Change the Startup Type to Disabled

  5. Press the Stop button to stop the service.

  6. Press OK to save the settings changes.

Step 2 - Install PaperCut NG

Install PaperCut NG as discussed in Chapter 2, Installation.

During the setup wizard, it is recommended that the user import settings be set up in the same way as was configured in PaperCut Quota. For example, if you import users from the full Active Directory domain in PaperCut Quota, also set this up in PaperCut NG.

Check that the users have been imported correctly. To adjust the user import settings and re-perform the user synchronization process, go to the OptionsUser/Group Sync screen. This is similar to the Tune-up function in PaperCut Quota.

Once installed it is recommended that the groups are set up in the same way as in PaperCut Quota. Groups are used to determine the default settings for new users and also how quotas are allocated. For more information on groups see the section called “Groups in PaperCut NG”.

Step 3 - Configure and test printers

The next step is to set up the printers in PaperCut NG to reflect the require page costs and print restrictions. To do this:

  1. Navigate to the Printers section.

  2. Select the printer to adjust by clicking on the printer name.

  3. Enter the cost and filter settings.

  4. Press the OK or Apply buttons to save the changes.

For a detailed explanation of setting printer costs and restrictions, see Chapter 7, Advanced Printer Management.

Tip

If all your printers are configured with similar costs and filters then the settings can be copied from one printer to the other printers. This is discussed in the section called “Copying Printer Settings”.

Tip

It is recommended that the administrator set up the [template printer]. This printer is used as a template when new printers are added to the system. The template printer is discussed in detail in the section called “The Template Printer”.

To ensure that the printers are setup correctly, perform a test print to one of the configured printers. Once printed, check the print log (PrintersPrint Log) that the job was recorded and the correct cost calculated.

Step 4 - Import the existing User Balances

Moving the user balances and restricted status from PaperCut Quota to PaperCut NG is a simple process. If the server is running Windows then:

  1. Navigate to the Users section.

  2. Click the Batch import ... action (on the left).

  3. Press the Browse and locate the PaperCut Quota user database (PCUserDB.mdb). This is typically located at: C:\Program Files\PaperCut\Database\PCUserDB.mdb

  4. Press the Import button to start the import process.

  5. Upon successful completion, the number of users updated and created will be displayed.

  6. Perform some checks of the user balances and restricted statuses to ensure they are set to the values from PaperCut Quota.

If the PaperCut NG server is not running on Windows, the PaperCut Quota database converter can be run manually on a Windows system, and the resulting text file can then be imported in a process similar to the above. To convert the PaperCut Quota user database manually:

  1. Copy the [app-path]/server/bin/win/PCQuotaExport.exe file from the server (running the non-windows OS), to the Windows machine running PaperCut Quota. Copy the exporter to the PaperCut Quota database directory (usually c:\Program Files\PaperCut\Database).

  2. Open the command prompt, by running cmd.exe from StartRun.

  3. Change to the PaperCut Quota database directory. e.g.

        cd "c:\Program Files\PaperCut\Database"
                            

  4. Run the converter, with the location of the PCUserDB.mdb as the argument. For example:

        PCQuotaExport.exe "PCUserDB.mdb" > user-export.txt
                            

    If running the exporter from a different directory to the database, the full path to the database should be provided.

  5. The above command creates a text file called user-export.txt that contains the user data from PaperCut Quota. The file can be opened in a text editor to review the contents.

  6. The file can then be imported into PaperCut NG. First log in to PaperCut NG.

  7. Navigate to the Users section.

  8. Click the Batch import ... action (on the left).

  9. Press the Browse and locate the user-export.txt file, created in the above step.

  10. Press the Import button to start the import process.

  11. Upon successful completion, the number of users updated and created will be displayed.

  12. Perform some checks of the user balances and restricted statuses to ensure they are set to the values from PaperCut Quota.

Step 5 - Upgrade client software

The old PaperCut Quota client software is not compatible with PaperCut NG. The old client software must be uninstalled off all workstations and the new client software deployed. The zero-install deployment method can greatly assist with this process. More information on the client deployment is detailed in the section called “User Client”.

Note: It is not 100% accurate to claim that the old client software must be removed. Once the old server-side software is disabled, the old client will sit in an inactive state and do no harm. Having said that however, it will consume some system resources on the workstations and hence it is generally recommended that it be uninstalled.

Step 6 - Optionally uninstall PaperCut Quota

Once the PaperCut NG installation is completed and tested you can optionally uninstall PaperCut Quota. If you would like to view historical print data then we recommend keeping the old application installed so you can view the historical data. If this is not important then the application can be uninstalled.

To uninstall:

  1. On the Windows server running PaperCut Quota, go to: StartControl PanelAdd or Remove Programs).

  2. Find and select PaperCut Quota in the list of installed programs.

  3. Click the Remove button to start the uninstall process.