11. Configuring an Enterprise Deployment

When a single deployment of the PriApps Application Server is not appropriate, PriApps offers a number of multi-server Enterprise Deployment options. An Enterprise Deployment option is recommended when the environment is larger than a single PriApps Application Server can cope with, usually in excess of 100 MFPs, or the users and devices are widely distributed geographically. Another driver might be where the network infrastructure is unable to support a centralized deployment.

*Scaling PriApps Application Servers
Deciding on how many PriApps Applications Servers are required for a particular customer deployment is not quite as simple as just looking at the number of users and print devices being managed. The volume and profile of Print as well as Copy jobs is actually more important. However few customers are able to provide this information before using a solution such PriApps to provide detailed print and copy analytics.

*For example, customers may require multiple PriApps Application Servers if there are peak loads, such as teachers printing and copying documents prior to the start of the school day. A large volume of mobile print jobs may require a dedicated application server as these jobs are submitted in their native format and need to be rendered into a print ready format prior to release. Also the make / model of the printer or MFP may be a consideration. Some OEM brands are not as efficient as others in the way they process user authentication and print release requests.

A PriApps Enterprise Deployment provides a number of additional features over single, stand alone PriApps Application Server installation. These include

• Central configuration
• Central reporting
• Server synchronization
• Server backup and standby

Typically servers are arranged in a a PRIMARY / SECONDARY server configuration, with the Primary Server providing the Central configuration and reporting functions and the Secondary Server(s) handling the actual printing and MFP management.

The Primary Server is usually deployed at a central location and the Secondary Server(s) at distributed sites as necessary. There is only ever one Primary Server but there can be multiple Secondary Servers

The Secondary Servers handle the printing and MFP management at a specific location, for a specific number of print devices and users. The Secondary Server is typically deployed where it can conveniently and efficiently handle the local population print devices and users if network bandwidth is an issue.

The Enterprise Deployment described in this documentation follows a very typical PRIMARY / SECONDARY application server deployment. The Primary Server is installed at a central location and a Secondary Server is installed at each remote location that supports printers. The locations are referred to as Hubs. The Secondary Server Hub will control all the printing at one or more actual locations that are physically close to it.

In this example the Primary Server is called Hub0 and the Secondary Server(s) are Hub1, Hub2, Hub3 etc. We will first install PriApps on all the servers then configure the Primary Server which will automatically configure the first two Secondary Servers. Following this we will look at adding an additional Secondary Server, Hub3, to the deployment.

Install the PriApps Software

1. install and License a PriApps Application Server on the PRIMARY, Hub0
2. install and License PriApps Application Server on the SECONDARY, Hub1
3. install and License PriApps Application Server on the SECONDARY, Hub2