Moving to RICOH ProcessDirector from InfoPrint Manager

If you are familiar with the InfoPrint Manager print environment, moving to RICOH ProcessDirector might take some adjustment. The objects and tasks you can do in each system have different names, but many of the functions are similar. The information in this topic maps some of the InfoPrint Manager objects and tasks to similar concepts in RICOH ProcessDirector.

User interface

The first thing that you might notice is that there is only one user interface used to access RICOH ProcessDirector instead of the separate Operations and Administration interfaces that you use with InfoPrint Manager. However, the information and functions that you see in the user interface change based on the security group that the user name you use belongs to. If you log in using a user name that is in the Administrator group, you can access the Administration page of the user interface and do all the actions that are available. If you log in using a user name that is a member of the Supervisor group, you can access the Administration page, but you can only do a subset of the actions. If you log in as a member of the Operator or Monitor group, you do not see the Administration page on the interface.

Objects

An exact mapping does not exist between the objects in RICOH ProcessDirector and InfoPrint Manager, but there are many objects in a RICOH ProcessDirector system that are similar in function to objects in InfoPrint Manager.

InfoPrint Manager objects and similar RICOH ProcessDirector objects

InfoPrint Manager objects RICOH ProcessDirector objects
Logical destination, with or without an Initial Value Job (IVJ) Input device
MVS Download receiver Download input device

This type of input device is only available if the AFP Support feature is installed.

Actual destination Printer
Job Job
Hot folder attribute of a Logical Destination Hot folder input device
Auxiliary sheet Banner page
Transform object Steps created from the RunExternalStep step template
ResourceContext objects The value of the AFP Resource path property on a step, step template, or printer.

This property is only available if the AFP Support feature is installed.

Tasks

In RICOH ProcessDirector, you can do many of the same tasks that you can do using InfoPrint Manager.

InfoPrint Manager tasks and similar RICOH ProcessDirector tasks

InfoPrint Manager tasks RICOH ProcessDirector tasks
Create job and document defaults. Set the job default properties for each step that you add to a workflow.
Submit a job using the pdpr command. Follow the instructions for installing the pdpr script on the client system and configuring RICOH ProcessDirector to receive jobs from it. Submit the job as usual.
    Note:
  • The pdpr script in RICOH ProcessDirector does not accept all of the options that the pdpr command in InfoPrint Manager accepts. See the supported pdpr options information for details.
Receive a multi-dataset job as a single RICOH ProcessDirector job. Open the properties notebook for the Download input device. Click the Advanced tab. Set the Merge dataset property to Yes.

This function is only available if the AFP Support feature is installed.

Check job status. Use the Jobs table to find the job. Click the job number to open the properties notebook for the job. Click the Status tab.
View or change the media, number of copies, priority, and many other properties of a job. Use the Jobs table to find the job. Click the job number to open the properties notebook for the job.
Pause and resume a job. Right-click the job in the Jobs table and click Stop and Continue.
Interrupt a job. Right-click the job in the Jobs table and click Stop. Then, if the job is actively printing, select the option Stop now and remember the last page that prints.
Hold and release a job. Configure a workflow so that it stops processing jobs at a certain point in the workflow until an operator does an action to continue printing the job.
Change the page range to print. Right-click the job in the Jobs table and click Print Again, then select which pages to reprint.
Move a job to a different destination. Right-click the job in the Jobs table and click Schedule.
Make job first. Right-click the job in the Jobs table and click Promote.
Retain jobs. To retain all jobs that are processed using the same workflow for the same amount of time, create a step based on the RetainCompletedJobs step template and set the Retention period property. To retain a particular job for a longer or shorter period, change the value of the Retention period property for that job.
View retained jobs. In the System Summary portlet, click Complete.
Resubmit a retained job. Right-click the job in the Jobs table and click Print Again or Process Again.
Change the retention time for a job. Use the Jobs table to find the job. Click the job number to open the properties notebook for the job. Click the General tab. Change the value of the Retention period property for that job.
Cancel a job. Right-click the job or jobs in the Jobs table and click Delete.

If the job is actively printing, select the job in the Jobs table and click Stop, then select the option Stop now and discard the rest of the job.

Delete a job. Right-click the job or jobs in the Jobs table and click Delete.
View a job log. Right-click the job in the Jobs table and click View Log.
Set the number of error messages that causes jobs to end. To end all jobs that are processed using the same workflow after the same number of error messages, create a step based on the PrintJobs step template and set the Number of messages to stop job property. To end a particular job after more or fewer error messages, change the value of the Number of messages to stop job property for that job.

This function is only available for AFP printers, which are installed with the AFP Support feature.

Create a printer.

On the Administration page, click Devices Printers in the left pane and click Add.

View or change the properties of a printer. In the Printers portlet on the Main page, click the printer name.
Check printer status. Look in the Printers portlet. If the printer icon is light blue, the printer is ready; if the icon is red, the printer needs attention. If the arrow is blue, the printer is enabled; if it is yellow, the printer is disabled. For additional status, click the name of the printer to open the properties notebook for that printer. Click the Status tab.
Pause a printer. Right-click the printer in the Printers portlet and click Stop.
Forwardspace or backspace a printer. Use the Jump to action on the job that is printing on the printer.

This function is only available for AFP printers, which are installed with the AFP Support feature.

Shutdown a printer. In the Printers portlet on the Main page, right-click the printer and select Shutdown.
View a printer log. In the Printers portlet on the Main page, right-click the printer and select View log.
Create a directory to use as a hot folder. Make sure that the RICOH ProcessDirector system user (aiw1 is the default) in the RICOH ProcessDirector group (aiwgrp1 is the default) owns the directories that you specify as the Folder location and Staging location of Hot folder input devices. If you specify directories that do not already exist when you create a Hot folder input device, RICOH ProcessDirector creates them automatically with the correct ownership.
Filter the information that displays in the user interface.

Use the links in the System Summary portlet or the Printers portlet, or type in the Filter field image of the Filter icon at the top of the Jobs table.

Generate accounting information using user exits. The ainurpt7, ainurpt8, and ainurpt9 exits are included with RICOH ProcessDirector and can be set up to run as user exit programs.
Log job completion information using user exits. The ainuxjobcompletion exit is included with RICOH ProcessDirector and writes to the same log as InfoPrint Manager. You can tell which program wrote an entry by the printer name, because in log entries RICOH ProcessDirector appends aiw1 to the printer name as it appears in the RICOH ProcessDirector user interface.
Open online documentation.

Click the (information icon) button in the top right corner of any page and select Help.