Question: What value can HP Web Jetadmin provide to my first level helpdesk that must diagnose, resolve or escalate a printer related issue within a maximum 5-10 minute timeframe?

Answer:

First level helpdesk engineers can easily leverage HP Web Jetadmin to remotely resolve a printer related issue or gather pertinent escalation information in just minutes. The list below outlines some HP Web Jetadmin functionality typically associated with helpdesk troubleshooting.

• Quick Device Find
• View Printer Status
• Test Page Generation
• Perform Cold Reset
• Power Cycle the Printer
• Set Offline/Online
• View Diagnostic Information
• Upgrade Firmware
• Reconfigure Device to Specifications
• Instant Support

Question: My helpdesk states they can remotely locate a printer through the device’s Embedded Web Server, but are unable to via HP Web Jetadmin. Why?

Answer:

The issue is most likely related to SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). The device Embedded Web Server uses TCP/IP (HTTP) for its primary method of communication, whereas HP Web Jetadmin uses SNMP. Below is a list (in no particular order) of the most common reasons for SNMP communication failure:

• SNMP is disabled at the device
• SNMP Get Community String conflict
• SNMP Response Time exceeds the WJA
• SNMP Timeout value
• SNMPv3 is implemented at the device, but not as a WJA credential
• SNMP packet is blocked at router (UDP Port 161)

Question: If a support call lacks device IP Hostname, IP Address, or other important device identification information, can HP Web Jetadmin still remotely locate the device?

Answer:

HP Web Jetadmin can be proactively administered to provide device location assistance to helpdesk engineers when certain device identifying information is unavailable. A device grouping strategy that includes specific models in specific locations can provide the helpdesk engineer the means to quickly locate the device in need of assistance. For example, a support engineer receives a call from a user in the Finance Department that conveys the LJ4345 MFP has a Fuser Error message. The user does not know the IP Hostname or Address. The support engineer knows that the Finance Department resides on Floor 3 of Building B, and quickly pulls up that group of devices in HP Web Jetadmin. By providing a sort on the LJ4345 MFP and a status view, the engineer can now see what device has the Fuser Error. The engineer can now retrieve the remainder of pertinent information needed for ticket conveyance to the hardware repair team.

Question: I just resolved an intermittent printer issue on the executive floor of our corporate headquarters. What can I do to ensure a minimal amount of production down time, if the error reoccurs?

Answer:

HP Web Jetadmin allows helpdesk support engineers the ability to view the status of 1 to 10 devices simultaneously. This specific device status view provides remote visual representation equal to physically standing at the printer, with automatic status refresh seconds apart. While proactively monitoring an intermittent printer, chances are the helpdesk engineer will see the failure reoccur before the user does. Thus, the engineer can react quickly, saving the user from calling in again, and drastically reducing the downtime that may have occurred otherwise.

Question: I am transitioning my helpdesk to be a little less reactive and a bit more proactive. How can HP Web Jetadmin help with this transition?

Answer:

The implementation of alerts can instantly transform your helpdesk into more of a proactive center, resulting in improved service levels. HP Web Jetadmin can be configured to produce customized comprehensive alerts that may be forwarded directly to a helpdesk email inbox or to a trouble ticket application. An engineer can receive printer failure notification and react to it, well before a user even realizes there is a printer failure. Alerts are split into categories, allowing for diversity in support models. For example, your helpdesk may not desire “toner low�? or any other supply related alerts, but must be immediately notified of any production-halting printer errors including fuser, scanner, beam detect, formatter, and more.

Question: Sometimes it is difficult to maintain expertise on all the printer models being deployed in my environment. Does HP provide any printer troubleshooting scripts I can use?

Answer:

Yes. Helpdesk engineers can have access to the same information used by HP’s own support personnel. Better yet, this information is hot linked in HP Web Jetadmin 10 via the Troubleshooting tab of a displayed printer. By selecting the “HP Support�? icon under the Troubleshooting tab, the engineer will be routed to an HP Product Support and Troubleshooting web page specific to the model of device that is displayed in HP Web Jetadmin. From there, engineers will have access to Guided Troubleshooting, Customer Self-Repair, Error Lists, Support Forums, Firmware Downloads, and other helpful support information. This HP Web Jetadmin hotlink to troubleshooting information reduces the need to maintain a deep level of printer expertise at the first tier level of helpdesk support.

Question: How can HP Web Jetadmin assist my first level helpdesk with returning a device back to its appropriate configuration? This responsibility is currently assigned to my second level support team.

Answer:

Sometimes a cold-reset is required to resolve a printer failure. Some specific configuration settings could be lost as the result of this task. If configuration templates are deployed by the HP Web Jetadmin administrator, first level helpdesk engineers could easily push a template to the device after a cold-reset has occurred.

Example:

Let’s say the HP Web Jetadmin administrator has created several configuration templates based on some very specific device models in the environment. The LJ4345 MFP template includes some security settings, job retention settings, and some digital send settings. It has been determined that all LJ4345 MFP devices will be configured with these settings. By providing the helpdesk engineers access to device configuration tasks, this standard LJ4345 MFP template could be pushed to the device in a matter of minutes following a cold-reset. This task is as easy as selecting the template, selecting the device, and applying.

Question: I am handling a support call that claims print jobs are intermittently incomplete. I’ve tested the printer and everything seems fine. Is there something else I can do?

Answer:

HP Web Jetadmin possesses the ability to provide a multitude of printer information for device diagnosis. The Detailed Info tab essentially provides a diagnostic sheet with logged information that can assist with the detective work that is usually required when resolving intermittent failures. For the incomplete print job example above, a good place to begin would be in the Network Packets section of the Detailed Info sheet. This section can identify any network associated activity, like bad packets, transmission errors, or any other errors that might contribute towards print job failure.

Question: I have a core subset of printers that have been deemed more business critical than the rest of my fleet? How can HP Web Jetadmin assist me with monitoring these devices?

Answer:

First, place the appropriate devices into a newly created “business-critical printer�? group and select that group for display. Even though the Default view layout provides an icon based printer severity column, it is not as comprehensive as the built-in Status view. To choose this view, select Layout, Built-In, and Status. If you desire more columns in your Status View, then customize a view that includes all of the columns that are part of the Built-In Status View, plus the extra columns you desire. System Contact, Device Location, and Control Panel might be some other columns that would supplement a Status view.

Question: Is it possible for HP Web Jetadmin to create a helpdesk trouble-ticket automatically?

Answer:

Yes. Many helpdesk applications have the ability to accept an email directly and create a trouble-ticket from information provided in the Subject field or Body of text. HP Web Jetadmin alerts can be configured to be forwarded as an email to an application configured email inbox. The actual email can be customized to provide the Subject field and body format required by the receiving application.

The deployment of the HP Web Jetadmin SNMP trap generator is another method of alert conveyance for purposes of trouble-ticket creation. This method is typically more indirect than the email method and usually requires an operations console like OpenView Operations Center, Microsoft System Center, or Tivoli Enterprise Console. These are centralized applications that can receive notifications from hardware and software (SNMP traps included) and process them. In this case, the notification would be processed to open a trouble-ticket. The SNMP trap can be customized to include all necessary device related information required for appropriate processing.

Scraping a log file can also be an effective method of alert conveyance. This is usually performed by a software agent (like an OpenView Operations Center agent) installed on the HP Web Jetadmin server. The agent is usually deployed to monitor and report on the health of the server itself, but can be configured to scan the HP Web Jetadmin alert log file for entries that meet notification forwarding criteria. The HP Web Jetadmin alert log file can be customized to place entries in the format required for proper agent operability. Alert log file entries that meet the specific criteria are forwarded as a notification to the operations console, and then processed to open a trouble-ticket.