Deploy a Print Scout update

Review, publish and monitor Print Scout updates using the Print Scout API. For background, see How the Print Scout Auto Updater works.

Before You Begin

  • Preview enrollment
    Beginning with Print Scout 8.4, the Print Scout Auto Updater is available only to customers enrolled in the preview. To request access, contact HP Support. The feature is controlled by a feature flag and is not visible to organizations that are not enrolled.
  • Supported Print Scout version
    Auto-updating requires Print Scout 8.1 or later, which introduced MSI-based installation. Earlier EXE-based installations must be upgraded manually before they can participate in the auto-update process.
  • API permissions
    You must have the appropriate permissions to access the Print Scout API. Read permissions are required to view available updates, and write permissions are required to publish or remove updates.
  • Network requirements
    Print Scouts download update packages through a HP-managed download path rather than directly from the underlying storage location. If your organization restricts outbound connections, ensure that the required HP endpoint is allowed. When using the internal-network hosting workflow, ensure that the package URL is accessible over HTTPS from all targeted workstations.
  • API documentation
    The Print Scout endpoints are documented in the Swagger definition provided for your tenant. For example: Print Scout API Swagger. Use the Swagger documentation as the authoritative source for endpoint definitions, request parameters, response codes, and schema details.
NotePublishing an update makes it available for download but does not install it immediately. Print Scouts detect and install applicable updates during their next check-in cycle.

Deploy a Print Scout Update

To deploy a Print Scout update:

  1. Create a Print Scout Application in HP Insights web console.
  2. Review the available updates and select the package to deploy.
  3. (Optional) Download and validate the MSI package.
  4. Publish the update.
  5. Wait for Print Scouts included in the rollout to check in and download the update.
  6. Verify that the update installs successfully on the pilot group.
  7. Expand the rollout if the update is successful.
1

Create a Print Scout Application

A Print Scout Application is an API application registration in HP Insights that provides the credentials needed to access Print Scout API endpoints. Creating one generates the Client ID and Client Secret used to authenticate to the Swagger page for managing Print Scout updates.

Create the application by following the HP API connection instructions in Connecting to APIs, then use those credentials when signing in to Swagger.

Required authorization scopes: When authorizing the Print Scout Application in Swagger, select the following scopes:

  • cloudprint:scouts — Read/write access to Scouts
  • cloudprint:scouts.readonly — Read-only access to Scouts
2

Review available updates

Use GET /updates in the Print Scout Updates section of Swagger to retrieve the Print Scout update packages available for your customer.

Retrieve a list of Print Scout update packages

  1. Open the Print Scout API Swagger documentation for your tenant and authenticate using the Client ID and Client Secret obtained from Step 1.
  2. Locate GET /updates. The response lists available update packages only.

For the response fields and an example response, see Response fields.

NoteIn Swagger, Example Value shows sample data from the API definition. It will not match the actual packages available to your customer. Always use the Response body returned when you execute the request to see the real update packages for your environment. Review the available updates and identify the package you want to deploy. Confirm the target version, source version, applicability, and release identifier.
3
Optional for HP-hosted delivery

Download and prepare the package

Required only for customer-hosted delivery; optional for HP-hosted delivery.

Choose the download workflow based on where Print Scouts will retrieve the update package:

  • HP-hosted delivery: Choose this option when targeted Print Scouts can download updates directly from HP. You do not need to download or host the package unless your organization requires inspection or security scanning. When publishing the update, leave custom_url empty.
  • Customer-hosted delivery: Choose this option when your organization requires the update package to be reviewed, approved, or served from an internal location. Download and verify the update package (.zip), then host the unchanged .zip file at an HTTPS URL that every targeted Print Scout can access. When publishing the update, set custom_url to that URL.

To download the Print Scout Updater package:

  1. In Swagger, open GET /updates/{version}/download-link.
  2. Paste the Print Scout version into the version path parameter and click Execute.
  3. From the Response body, copy the URL provided in the downloadLink field.
  4. Download the Print Scout updated package. If hosting it internally, keep the original file and filename unless your tooling requires an approved rename.
  5. For customer-hosted delivery, keep the original .zip update package unchanged and host it at an HTTPS URL that every targeted Print Scout can access without interactive authentication.
4

Publish the update

Publishing an update activates a selected Print Scout version for rollout. After you publish, eligible Print Scouts receive the update instructions during their next check-in, then download the package from either the HP-hosted location or the customer-hosted URL you provide in custom_url. Publishing does not install the update immediately, so review the customer ID, Print Scout ID, applies-to version, update ID, and custom URL fields carefully before submitting.

  1. In Swagger, open POST /updates/publish and authenticate.
  2. In the request body, set version to the Print Scout version you want to publish. Copy this value from the available updates response, such as 8.4.4.130.
  3. Set appliesToVersion to the currently installed Print Scout version or version pattern that should be eligible for the update, such as 8.4.*.
  4. Set downloadUrl based on the delivery workflow:
    • For HP-hosted delivery, set downloadUrl to null so Print Scouts download the package from HP.
    • For customer-hosted delivery, set downloadUrl to the HTTPS URL where the unchanged .zip update package is hosted.
  5. Review the remaining fields, such as type, notes, and scoutId. Use scoutId to target a single Print Scout for pilot testing, or set it to null for all eligible Print Scouts that match the customer, platform, and version criteria.
  6. Click Execute to publish the update, then save the response for change-management records.

For an example request body and a description of each field, see Publish request fields.

NotePublishing an update makes it available for download but does not install it immediately. Print Scouts detect and install applicable updates during their next check-in cycle.
5

Verify the update deployment

  1. Keep pilot Print Scouts online and let their next scheduled check-in complete.
  2. Verify that the targeted Print Scouts have checked in and are running the expected Print Scout version.
  3. On a pilot workstation, confirm printing still works and Print Scout services remain available.
  4. Follow your organization’s process for any required restart, especially on shared or actively used workstations.
  5. Once the pilot group reaches the expected version, expand the rollout using the same publish workflow with a reviewed target scope.
  6. Investigate failed devices individually before republishing or broadening the target.
RecommendationValidate the update on a small pilot group before expanding the rollout to additional devices.

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