Install the User Client on Windows

You can deploy the PaperCut NG User ClientThe User Client tool is an add-on that resides on a user's desktop. It allows users to view their current account balance via a popup window, provides users with the opportunity to confirm what they are about to print, allows users to select shared accounts via a popup, if administrators have granted access to this feature, and displays system messages, such as, the "low credit" warning message or print policy popups. to workstations using a variety of deployment methods. The deployment options are covered in detail in the [app-path]\client\README.txt file.

Options include:

• If you're after a manual "setup wizard" style installer, run the program client-local-install.exe located in the network share PCClient. You can access this share by typing the following address into Windows Explorer. \\<MyServer>\PCClient\win, where MyServer is the name of the server where PaperCut NG is installed.

• Administrators looking for an automated install/deployment option should consider the "zero install" strategy. This is the recommended strategy for most Windows network environments as it's 100% self-maintaining.

• Administrators can also deploy via MSI package, allowing the Client software to be remotely installed via Group Policy. This option is available for advanced sites that already leverage MSI packages for staged software deployment and want to continue with this procedure.

The recommended approach with Windows networks is the "zero install" strategy. This involves configuring the workstations via group policy or otherwise, to run the client executable directly off the PCClient share - a share set up during installation. This avoids the need to for a separate installation process on each workstation and ensures the client software is automatically updated in conjunction with server updates.

You can run the client directly from the PCClient share setup on the server. Two executables provide this launch functionality:

• pc-client.exe
• pc-client-local-cache.exe

pc-client.exe launches the client directly off the network share. The "local-cache" version (pc-client-local-cache.exe), is a smarter version that first copies itself and associated files to the local drive and launches itself from there. The local-cache version has the advantage that any future start ups use the local copy, which minimizes network traffic. The cache is self-managing and kept up-to-date ensuring that any new versions of the client are automatically and transparently copied down to the client.

Using pc-client-local-cache.exe is recommended on large networks. It does, however, require a globally writable cache directory. By default, the cache is created in a directory on the system drive (normally C:\Cache). You can specify an alternate cache with the --cache command-line switch. Administrators should ensure that standard users have write access to the system drive, or manually create the cache directory if required.

The zero-install deployment option is not appropriate for all situations. A local install is recommend on Windows laptop systems that are not permanently connected to the network or centrally managed by network administrators. The client-local-install.exe program can assist end users with a standard "setup wizard" install process. You can also streamline/automate this installer by using command-line options. For more information, see Automating installation on Windows.

The recommended way to launch the pc-client-local-cache.exe on start up is to add a line to your domain login script:

cmd /c "start \\servername\PCClient\win\pc-client-local-cache.exe --silent"

See below for other automatic start options.

For more information on alternate deployment options see the [app-path]\client\README.txt file.