Synchronize user and group details
One of the most important tasks when managing PaperCut is to configure the User and Group synchronization options. PaperCut synchronizes user and group information from a source such as Windows Active Directory (Windows domains). This simplifies the administration of the system because you do not need to manage a separate database of users and groups. If a user is added to the domain or is removed from a group then PaperCut automatically synchronizes this information without any intervention from the administrator. For example:
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Jason configures PaperCut to assign an initial credit of $10 to users who are members of the "Students" windows security group.
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At the start of the new school year Jason has just added 100 new students to the Windows Active Directory.
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Jason also adds all the users to the "Students" Windows security group.
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When PaperCut next synchronizes with Active Directory, the 100 new users are added to PaperCut and automatically assigned the $10 initial credit. This is done automatically without any additional work by Jason.
Usernames are stored in PaperCut MF as all lower case, regardless of the capitalization of the username in the source directory. Entry of a username by an end user, however, is not case sensitive as it is converted to lowercase before the account is validated.
You can synchronize with the following user directories:
- Windows Active Directory
- LDAPThe Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is a directory service protocol that runs on a layer above the TCP/IP stack. It provides a mechanism used to connect to, search, and modify Internet directories. The LDAP directory service is based on a client-server model. (Apple OpenDirectory, Novell eDirectoryAlso called Netware Directory Services, Novell eDirectory is directory service software that is used to centrally managing access to resources on multiple servers and computers within a network. The eDirectory software is part of the Novell Compliance Management Platform., OpenLDAP, etc.)
- Windows Standard (local users and groups for workgroup environments)
- SambaSamba is a Windows interoperability suite of programs for Linux and Unix. It is used to integrate Linux/Unix servers and desktops into Active Directory environments. It can function as both a domain controller or as a regular domain member.
- Unix Standard (local users and groups / NIS / POSIX)
For more information, see:
- Synchronize user and group details with Active Directory
- Synchronize user and group details with LDAP
- Manually synchronize with a user directory
- On demand user creation
By default, PaperCut MF automatically syncs user and group information with your directory each night. However, you can perform additional full user/group syncs by scheduling a script to run the appropriate server-command command. For more information on using the server-command, see Tools - database, server-command scripting, and APIs (Advanced).