Device Discovery and Deployment Utility

The Device Discovery and Deployment Utility (DDU) is a stand-alone tool for the Secure Print Cloud Connector. It scans your network for printers that can be secured with the Cloud Connector, and must be running while you secure or unsecure those printers from the web console. Only HP and Ricoh printers are cloud-enabled.

You can also use the DDU to:

  • Scan for Ethernet 241 devices and secure printers with Ethernet 241. You secure Ethernet 241 devices in the DDU, not in the Secure Printers dialog. See the Ethernet 241 Deployment Guide.
  • Change the network ranges it scans, and its SNMP and proxy settings. See DDU network settings.

Unlike Device Scout, the DDU doesn't collect printer information on a schedule. Its discovery results are a one-off snapshot. The DDU replaces the MFP Deployment Tool, the command-line tool previously used for cloud-enabled printers.

Before you begin

  • Your environment is set up with the Cloud Connector. The DDU download appears in the Setup Guide only for Cloud Connector environments.
  • You have the Site Encryption Key. See Save or recover the Site Encryption Key.
  • Optionally, you've defined your printer host addresses. The DDU takes them as its default scan range when you download it, so add them first. If there are none, it scans its own subnet. See Define printer host addresses.

Download and run the DDU

1

Download the DDU

In the web console, go to Secure > Setup Guide. In the Download Device Discovery and Deployment Utility section, enter the Site Encryption Key and select Download.

2

Install it

Copy the zip file to a workstation that can reach the printers you want to discover, and extract it. Run Setup.exe.

3

Open the DDU

Double-click the discovery-deployment-utility shortcut.

4

Scan for printers

Select Initiate Device Scan. The DDU scans the ranges in its Network Settings, or the host addresses from the Configure Printer Host Address screen in Secure > Setup Guide. Ranges set in the DDU take precedence. With no ranges, it scans its own subnet.

Note: If you change the host addresses in the web console, restart the DDU to pick up the changes.

Result

The discovered printers are added to the Fleet and Secure Printers grids in the web console.

Secure a printer with the DDU

Selecting the Secure Printers on the DDU directs you to the web console. If you are already signed in it takes you to your last viewed page. If you are not signed in, the sign-in page is shown.

Note: Only HP and Ricoh devices are currently cloud-enabled. If you have other device manufacturers (e.g. Lexmark), use the Device Scout to secure your devices with Secure Print.

Note: The DDU must remain open when securing or unsecuring devices. If the utility is not running in the background, you will not be able to secure or unsecure cloud-enabled devices from the web console.

  1. Run the DDU if it is not already running.
  2. In the web console, go to the Secure > Secure Printers screen.
  3. Select the check box for each printer you want to secure.
  4. Select the Secure Printers button. This opens the Secure Printers dialog box.
    1. In the Available Sign-In Options list, select the desired Sign-In option using the right arrow button. To remove release types, select them from the Enabled Sign-In Options and use the left arrow button to move them back to the Available Sign-In Options list.

    1. In the Select Deployment Connector, the default option is Automatic. You can choose whether to secure the printer using the Device Scout (Local Connector) or the Device Discovery and Deployment Utility (Cloud Connector).

      Note: If Automatic is selected and there are both local device scouts and cloud connectors, a local device scout will be used. If you have cloud enabled devices and you wish to use the DDU (cloud connector) to secure the device, you will need to select the Cloud Connector.

    2. Select the Secure button and then select OK to complete the process.

  5. The Status of the selected printer(s) will be updated to Secured if one or more release types are enabled.

  6. Exit the dialog box.

Unsecure a printer

Unsecuring a printer removes Secure Print functionality from the device. With the current Secure Print experience, a printer is considered secured as long as at least one sign-in option is enabled. A printer becomes unsecured when the last remaining sign-in option is removed.

  1. Run the DDU if it is not already running.

  2. In the web console, go to the Secure > Secure Printers screen.
  3. Select the printer(s) you want to unsecure.

  4. Select Deploy Printer Sign In. The Deploy Printer Sign-In dialog opens.

  5. In Enabled Sign-In Options, remove the sign-in option(s) you no longer want:

    • QR Sign-In

    • Card Reader

    • Keyboard

  6. Select the left arrow to move the selected release types from the Enabled Sign-In Options list to the Available Sign-In Options list.

  7. In the Select Deployment Connector field, select the Cloud Connector to unsecure the printer.
  8. Select Unsecure to complete the process.
    • If at least one sign-in option remains, the printer stays Secured with the updated sign-in configuration.

    • If no sign-in options remain, the printer status changes to Unsecured, the Secure Print app is removed from the printer, and the device no longer participates in Secure Print workflows.

Troubleshoot the DDU

Log Files

The primary means of diagnosing issues in DDU is through logging. By default, DDU logging is configured to always log to a file. This guarantees that if a customer reports a problem, then there are log files available to help diagnose the issue.

Log records are saved in the log.txt file found in the discovery-deployment-utility directory.

Unable to install app error messages when securing a printer using the DDU

Error: Unable to install app: The system was unable to install the app on <printer name> at <printer IP address>. Please try again or check the log file for more information.

Resolution: Only HP and Ricoh printers can be secured using the DDU. This error indicates that you may be securing an unsupported manufacturer. Check the log file log.txt and you'll see an error similar to this one. Use the Device Scout (Local Connector) to secure an unsupported printer for Secure Print.

2021-05-27 14:27:56.513 +12:00 [ERR] MfpDeployment.Install: Exception caught - install request failed discovery_deployment_utility.Exceptions.UnsupportedDeviceTypeException: <Printer manufacturer> device types are currently not supported.

The Card Reader and Keyboard Sign In are not in the Available Release Types when securing a printer using DDU

  • Check that the DDU is running. The Card Readers and Keyboard Sign In options are available only when the DDU is running (or a local Device Scout is running).

  • In the Secure > Settings > Secure Print Settings screen, verify that the Printer Sign In is selected.