PaperCut ChargeBack Release History Version 7

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9 October 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.4 (Build 5236)

Enhancements:

  • Added support for mid-range HP GDI printers (e.g. HP M1005).
  • Improvements to progress reporting during the user/group sync process.
  • Improved the display of user/account balances to avoid confusing rounding behavior.
  • Various documentation updates.

Fixes:

  • Fix the display of sub-accounts in the Account List screen when not sorting by account name.
  • Improvements to Mac login-hooks to fix problems seen at some sites.
  • Fix error that can occur when releasing jobs from the web release station after the job has already been released.
  • Improved paper size detection in Xerox wide format printers.
  • Fix cosmetic problem in the client were links would stay the active color after being clicked.
26 September 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.4 (Build 5189)

New features:

  • Added support for per user (and per shared account) overdrafts/credit limits.
  • Added a "local installer" to simplify installation and deployment of the user client on Mac systems. e.g. Laptop installs.
  • Added a "Release Any" mode to the end-user web pages. This can be used in environments where users are not authenticated, and is an alternative to using the standard release station in "Release Any" mode.
  • Improve ad-hoc reports to allow the user to filter the results and customize the report title.
  • In the user client, allow the background and link colors to be customized.
  • New server commands (and web-service APIs) to enumerate all users, rename a user account and to set the balance of all members of a group.
  • Improved support for printing to "unauthenticated" print queues - the "unauthenticated" accounts are no longer created in the user database. This feature, combined with the new "local installer" will assist Mac sites that allowed unauthenticated printing from laptops.

Enhancements:

  • Display low-balance warnings when the user client starts.
  • Only send low-balance warnings to "restricted" users.
  • Improvement to user/group sync on Mac systems. Now the standard system/daemon accounts are ignored by default.
  • Allow the reports and statistics to display data over the past week and fortnight (in addition to the 30, 60 and 90 day options).
  • Change the advanced client to focus on the search field by default.
  • Improved print logs screen filters to allow only denied jobs to be displayed.
  • Warn users at the time of release if they do not have enough credit and attempt to release a job from the web-based release station.
  • Add a configurable system option to change the time-out for jobs waiting for the user to respond to the popup, or waiting to be released from a release station.
  • Allow users to choose whether job comments should be displayed in log reports.
  • Add a totals row to the account transaction report.
  • Added a denied image on the print log screen to make it clear which jobs were denied by PaperCut.
  • Do not allow users to authenticate using the credentials of a user flagged as "unauthenticated" in PaperCut.
  • More flexible searching of TopUp/Prepaid cards - e.g. search for partial card numbers.
  • Added support for some less popular Linux distributions.
  • Improved application logging to assist with trouble-shooting issues.
  • Various minor usability/layout improvements.
  • Various documentation improvements.
  • Updated translations for Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese. Added a translation of the user client into Swedish.
  • Improved support for a variety of printer hardware including new wide-format models and new Mac drivers.

Fixes:

  • Do not lose the shared account pin when the account is changed from a parent to a sub-account or vice-versa.
  • Fixed issue that may have caused printers to appear twice on Mac systems under different system names.
  • Fixed some problems in web-service APIs when using the Oracle external database.
  • Fix TopUp/Pre-paid card wizard problems in countries where the decimal separator is a comma (e.g. France and Germany).
  • Improved sorting of the accounts in the "Edit Print Log" page when using an external database.
  • Allow email notifications to include non-latin characters (e.g. Chinese).
  • Improved page counting, paper size detection and duplex detection for a variety of printers.
  • Net Charging: Fix rare problem that stopped Internet Provider service from starting.
  • Net Charging: Improved parsing of Microsoft ISA W3C logs to stop denied usage from being recorded in PaperCut.
  • Net Charging: Improved reliability of displaying the Internet usage charts and statistics.
16 August 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.3 (Build 5011)

New major features:

  • Admin alerts. Administrators can now choose to be notified via email (or SMS if you have an email-SMS gateway) on the following events:
    • Printer errors - be notified when a printer goes into error. For example when there is a paper jam or the printer is out of toner. This feature allows administrators to be aware of issues faster, rather than waiting for an irate user to complain.
    • Error level events - if PaperCut encounters an error the details will be logged to the 'App. Log' tab, the log file, and now optionally sent out via email. This feature allows administrators to be aware of errors sooner, such as problems communicating with the directory server.
    • License notifications - this can be used to notify interested parties when there is a licensing issue, such as exceeding the licensed user count.

New minor features:

  • Add print job comments and some other information into reports that show print logs.
  • Make the 'Print Logs' page load faster on large sites by decreasing the default date range of the data shown from one month to two weeks.
  • On Mac and Linux systems with no directory server, include the 'primary group' when considering group membership.
  • Add some new calls to the web services API and server-command for performing user balance transactions.
  • If the 'Use SSL if available' option is enabled, end-user HTTPS access is enforced.

Fixes and enhancements:

  • Improve handling of Excel/CSV reports so that they open correctly in Excel when using Internet Explorer.
  • Fixed an issue that may have prevented large backups from being imported.
  • Fix bug when using the administration interface in Internet Explorer that prevented selecting a list of printers that an administrator should have access to.
  • Prevent DNS lookups from taking a long time on Windows networks. On Windows networks where DNS lookups are slow, this could slow down the time taken for printing to be processed.
  • When a report contains no data (for example when there was no printing in the selected date range), a message is added to the report to indicate this.
  • When running very large reports and the maximum row count is reached (by default 10,000 rows), a message is now displayed on the report indicating that the data has been truncated (and to see the user guide for how to increase the maximum row count).
  • Fix an issue where clicking the 'Details' link on the user client would not work if there were spaces in the username.
  • Fix an issue with the Mac client auto-restart login hook when there are spaces in usernames.
  • Improve reliability of notification delivery in the user client tool.
  • Fixed an issue that could prevent the admin ACL option 'Change printer settings' from working.
  • Fix an issue preventing logging into the user web interface when using Active Directory, multi-domain support and a UPN formatted username.
  • Fix an issue with file permissions during installation on Mandriva Linux.
  • Added support for CUPS 1.3 on Mac and Linux.
  • Fix some minor rendering problems with Internet Explorer.
  • Fix some minor problems reported users through the "Submit Error Report" feature.

Page counting improvements:

  • Better copy count detection with some Mac drivers.
  • Fixed a page count problem with Canon IR2016 PCL5 drivers.
  • Fixed a copy count problem with HP Designjet plotters using HPGL drivers.
  • Fixed a page size issue with Fuji-Xerox Docuwide 2050 plotters using GDI drivers.
  • Improve support for Unix text based printing.

Translations:

  • New complete translation for Czech.
  • New end-user translations for Hungarian and Slovak.
  • Updated translations for Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, German, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.
3 July 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.2 (Build 4874)

This release contains the following changes:

  • Add improved support for authenticating using Windows Active Directory UPN user names (e.g. joe.smith@yourdomain.com).
  • Improve reports to display a friendly message when the report contains no data.
  • Fixed problem importing users/groups from some LDAP servers.
  • Fixed problem using cards for authentication in the release station when the card-number trailer character is not defined.
  • Fixed some errors reported by users through the "Submit Error Report" feature.
22 June 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.2 (Build 4846)

This release contains the following changes:

  • Add a new feature to display the environmental impact of each user's printing. This is intended to encourage users to reduce their printing. It displays the number of trees consumed, amount of CO2 produced and how much energy used.
  • Add a "Rates" page to the end-user interface so users can see the cost settings for printer and Internet usage.
  • Allow user bulk actions to be applied to users based on various criteria in addition to group. e.g. restriction status, balance, department and office.
  • Add support for custom quota periods. This was often requested by customers who want to allocate quotas at the start of terms or semesters.
  • Add an option to not automatically create users in PaperCut when they print for the first time. The administrator can choose to allow or deny printing when users don't exist.
  • Add the ability to search for users by ID number from the user quick find.
  • Improvements to PDF reports to stop lines splitting over pages.
  • Improved print popup speed and reliability on networks with unreliable or inconsistent DNS/name resolution.
  • Some improvements to the User Client on Windows networks with unusual group policy settings.
  • Fix copy count for Canon UFR print drivers.
  • Fix page count problem with Kyocera Mita FS-C8026N drivers.
  • Improved color detection when printing from Adobe Acrobat 8.
  • Fix the substitutions (e.g. username, job cost, etc) in the release station notification messages.
  • Fix LDAP problems when the Base DN setting contains spaces or unusual characters.
  • Allow files large than 1 MB to be uploaded (e.g. import files), and fix problems encountered when defining many PaperCut administrators.
  • Various reporting fixes and improvements.
  • Various documentation improvements.
  • Updated translations Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish.
  • Added Slovak translation for end user pages and user client.
  • Added Korean translation for the user client.
21 May 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.1 (Build 4733)

This release contains the following changes:

  • Added the ability to schedule reports. This feature allows reports to be automatically generated and emailed to a list of recipients. More information is available in the user manual.
  • The report naming scheme has been revised to ensure they are consistent and give a good idea as to what they will look like.
  • Modified the zero-install method of the user client tool and standalone release station. They now locally cache the application data, only updating it when required. As before this ensures that the software is always up to date, but now also keeps bandwidth use to a minimum (like a local installation). Sites already using the zero-install method should consider reviewing login scripts to make use of the new caching features.
  • Added the ability to automatically purge old log data. On large sites with high traffic usage, the database can become large. In cases where old log data is not required, it can now be automatically deleted.
  • Added a new method to launch the user client on Mac systems (via a login hook, but doesn't restart when quit).
  • Added new server-command and web services calls: use-card (to use a pre-paid / top-up card), adjust-user-account-balance-by-group-up-to (adjust the account balance for all users in a group, but only up to a certain limit).
  • Added a bulk user operation for adjusting balance but not beyond a set limit.
  • Added web services example code for Ruby, and updated the examples and documentation for the other examples.
  • Added some visual effects in the web interface.
  • Streamlined install process of user client on non-domain networks. The client will now confirm your network identity after a local install. This makes setups easier in environments where users log in with a username different to their network identity.
  • Fixed issue where running certain ad-hoc reports directly after running another ad-hoc report would result in the settings for the previous report to be displayed.
  • Prevented some system accounts from MS Exchange Server being imported into PaperCut as user accounts.
  • Updated translations for Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish.
  • Changes specific to the print control module:
    • Added duplex detection for the Canon iR C3220.
    • Added custom page size detection for the Canon Image PROGRAF IPF-8000 wide-format printer.
    • Additional customization ability in the release station - the field orders and column widths can now be changed, and several other visual customizations were added.
    • More improvements to the account selection popup to ensure it always pops up on top of other windows, and that it is focused for input.
    • Minor performance improvements when processing PostScript documents.
    • Fixed issue with page level color detection for Adobe InDesign documents on PostScript print queues.
    • Fixed a bug that caused the progress window for the account sync and import not to display on IE.
    • Fixed bug that caused charge rates not to be taken into account when the user charges to their personal account.
    • Fixed a display bug where the charge rates for a shared account weren't displayed when accessing the page in a certain way.
  • Changes specific to the internet control module:
    • Fixed an issue that could cause proxy logs to be re-processed when a logs are being read over a network share and the connection is lost.
    • Fixed an issue processing log files in ISA format that caused downloads and uploads to be reversed.
    • Prevented a situation where the internet module wouldn't report the last internet usage of the day for a few hours, which could make the usage show up at unusual times in the log.
27 April 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.0 (Build 4648)

This release contains the following changes:

  • Fixed problem with database upgrade that would occur if upgrading from a version prior to 7.0 (Build 4446).
26 April 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.0 (Build 4645)

This release contains the following changes:

  • Added a printer filter to deny print jobs based on the number of copies.
  • Fixed an issue where some common errors such as network timeouts or corrupt print jobs would be reported many times. This could cause a delay in the processing of print jobs, and in some situations crash the application server.
  • Greatly improved memory usage when running PaperCut with PostgreSQL. This was a workaround for bad PostgreSQL driver defaults that used far too much memory, and was causing online backups to fail on large databases.
  • Added and improved warning messages when performing dangerous actions, such as shutting down the server while an upgrade is in progress, and changing the user authentication source after the system is set up.
  • Fixed user import problems when a group or org unit contained backslashes.
  • Fixed support for using domain filters with upstream proxy servers on ISA server in the internet control module.
  • Added a command-line option to delete old log data.
  • Fixed an issue where the 'shared account print summary' report displayed user accounts as well.
  • Miscellaneous changes to support recent Canon drivers.
  • General performance improvements when under very high load.
13 April 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.0 (Build 4603)

This release contains the following changes:

  • Added multi-domain support for Active Directory. PaperCut can now import users from multiple AD domains without the need for workarounds, such as the use of 'nested groups'. [read more]
  • Improved the reliability and performance of tracking print jobs during intermittent network failure.
  • Improved performance and lowered memory requirements when running large reports.
  • Changed the method used to launch the web browser when clicking on a URL in the user client tool. Previously 'cmd.exe' was used, to which access is often blocked on restricted systems.
  • Improved the importing of shared accounts from a file when the file contained some unusual data.
  • Fixed bug that prevented reports from being run in some Asian locales.
  • Fixed display issues with CSV reports in some Asian locales.
  • Fixed some page counting issues with PDFs printed from Adobe Acrobat 8 with some printer drivers.
  • Filter out invalid characters in usernames. An issue was seen where an LDAP server returned usernames with invalid characters.
  • Fixed problem on Mac when an IPP based connection was used between the server and the printer.
  • Added support for Samsung CLP-X printer drivers.
  • Added the ability to automatically configure the application server based on a template configuration file. This makes it easier to perform multi-site installations, where each site tracks printing separately.
  • User Client: Ensure that account selection window is focused when popup appears.
  • Optimized print monitoring to improve start-up time and reduce initial load on application server.
  • Increased the maximum number of allowed printers on a single print server to over 1900.
  • Improved support for running user client on Windows Vista.
  • Fixed small memory leak in print provider service.
  • Added support for new daylight-savings timezone in US and Australia.
  • Mac: Included a desktop widget to display the user's balance.
  • Various documentation improvements.
  • Translation updates for German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese.
  • Correctly display Portuguese translations for Portugal.
  • Improved the functionality, usability and user feedback of the shared account synchronization.
  • Fixed a bug where sorting by 'code' in the account list displayed an error page.
20 March 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.0 (Build 4515)

This release contains the following changes:

  • In the user client, improve the usability of "Preferred accounts" by automatically selecting the previously selected account.
  • Add a "Bulk account operations" screen that allows various account adjustments to be made in bulk (e.g. adjust balances or change invoicing options).
  • Various fixes and improvements to shared account import/sync (including a significant performance improvement).
  • Perform bulk users operations in a background task, which is helpful when the operation takes a long time to run.
  • Reduce database locking that occurs during various long running tasks (including user sync, bulk user operations, account import/sync).
  • Automatically configure the "guest" account as an "unauthenticated" user in PaperCut. This simplifies configuration on peer-to-peer networks.
  • Fixed problem displaying the printer statistics page.
  • Warn when enabling the "standard" client, because the "advanced" client should be used most of the time.
  • Improved behavior when changing user sync settings to avoid accidental changes.
  • Log to the application log when a printer is not monitored because it is hosted remotely.
  • Various improvements to supported printers and drivers.
  • Improved behavior when running application server on Linux.
  • Updated translations for Portuguese, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified).
28 February 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.0 (Build 4446)

This release contains the following changes:

  • Improved support for separate parent and sub-account codes. This allows for the common client/matter account configuration.
    NOTE: The advanced user client should be reinstalled on workstations to take full advantage of this feature.
  • In the popup client, display information about whether the print job is color or grayscale.
  • Add the copy count to the print attributes column in print log and reports.
  • Fixed behavior of release station when unable to connect to the server using the machine name.
  • Improvements to behavior of the standard popup client.
  • Provider better error message when account import format is invalid.
  • Fix the "batch account import" in the server-command tool.
  • Fixes to provide improved support for Samsung printers on Windows XP.
  • Enhancements to the pre-paid/top-up cards as requested by users (case insensitive card entry, shorter alpha-numeric card numbers, localized date formats, etc).
  • Improved introduction and quick-start guide documentation.
16 February 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.0 (Build 4404)

This release contains the following changes:

  • Improved setup wizard to give the option to enable the popup client for a single test user or all users on in the system. This will simplify the initial configuration for new users.
  • Much improved quick start guide to clearly outline the steps involved in implementing PaperCut ChargeBack.
  • Fixed a problem with the directory account synchronization.
  • Translation updates for Spanish and Chinese.
14 February 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.0 (Build 4389)

This release contains the following changes:

  • Minor usability improvements in the user popup client.
  • Layout changes to the print logs and account list screens.
  • Improvements to the account sync process.
  • Layout changes to the invoice reports.
  • Improvements to account setup documentation.
13 February 2007 - PaperCut ChargeBack 7.0 (Build 4369)

The first public release of PaperCut ChargeBack 7. ChargeBack 7 is a major update based on the technology of PaperCut NG.

Important note to ChargeBack 6.x (or earlier) customers: PaperCut 7 represents a major upgrade over previous versions, and the upgrade requires some planning. It is important to follow the detailed upgrade instructions in this knowledge base article.

Highlights of this release include:

  • Improved client with options to remember searches, comments and other options.
  • Client software for Mac, Linux and Unix systems in addition to all versions of Windows.
  • Support for monitoring printers running on Apple Mac servers.
  • Ability to control access to accounts using Domain groups or user accounts.
  • Implement secure printing via the new release station support.
  • Full administration is now possible from anywhere on the network via a standard web browser.
  • Many new reports including reporting options in PDF.
  • Support for external database systems such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle and others.
  • Support for many new languages and world regions.
  • More configurable and customizable interface.
  • XML Web Services APIs and scripting interface for advanced management.
  • Improved scalability - now supports networks with over 20,000+ users.
  • Many bug fixes and improved reliability.
  • and much much more!
« Release history for newer versions