I have a Data Directive BPM that is setup to autoprint a Job Summary BAQ Report.
When i select the “Client” printer option in the Autoprint setup - it works fine. However, i would like to defploy this to all our MES stations and i would prefer to use the “Network” printer or “Default” printer.
However, both the Network printer and the Default printer fail in the system agent with "Unable to open printer. Error 1801: The Printer name is invalid.
I have double checked the UNC many times and it seems to be OK. The Printer is shared on the network.
The Classic Client will print reports upon demand to a network printer because it has access to it. Epicor is not going to send a print job to your network printer (and you probably don’t want to expose your printer to the entire internet anyway…), so yes, that is what the Edge Client should do for you. @Rich spoke about installing the Edge Client on a server as a service to handle these kinds of print jobs.
But not in a cloud SaaS environment, right? Or am I getting confused. If I am using client on SaaS, my printer is on my network but Epicor is on another network, which would require the Edge Agent to interface? Maybe it is said better as to network print on SaaS, you need to set up your network printers in Printer Maintenance and the only way to interface to your network printers is through Edge Agent?
If I understand correctly it looks like the Edge Agent Network Install - has me installing the edge agent on an “always on” server and configured as an Appserver.
Then clients on the network would configure their Edge Agent to “talk” to the local Edge Agent Appserver?
One point i am a little fuzzy on is the setup requires an HTTP:// address - does that address need to be open to the internet? or just to local users on the network?
Installed for Client Printing via the Browser - available for All Kinetic users
Installed as a Network Print Service - available for Epicor SaaS users
The Edge Agent is needed in Client mode to send print jobs directly to Client printers without manual action. Browser based applications are prevented from direct access to most local system resources (printers, file system, connected devices, etc.) by Browser security restrictions.
In the Client mode, the Edge Agent can address any printer available to the System the Browser is running on. This is referenced as “Client” as the Edge Agent is running locally on the Client system so can only address printers available to that system. The printers can be locally installed or network printers but they have to be defined / installed for use by the local system.
In the Client mode, it is the Browser version of the System Monitor that interfaces with the Edge Agent - there is no interaction between instances of Edge Agent installations. The Browser System Monitor sees that a report has completed, fetches it from the Server, and sends it to the Edge Agent with instructions to print to the printer selected during report submission. This mode requires an active Browser session - similar to how the Smart Client works where a user needs an active connection to the AppServer for reports to print.
When installed in Network Printing mode, the Edge Agent provides Server style printing from the Epicor Cloud AppServer. In this mode, the Edge Agent is connected to the Cloud AppServer and it is notified when a report sent to a “Server” printer is ready for printing. The Edge Agent fetches the completed report and the printer information specified when the report was submitted.
In network mode, there is no requirement that a user needs to be actively connected. As long as the Windows Service for the Edge Agent is running, reports can be sent to the Printers defined within Kinetic.
The Help on defining Printers attached to network Edge Agents is good.
