MX2600 How to set up LDAP accounts

[Jason210]

Hi

I can configured the machine so that it successfully connects to our LDAP server. However, when I pull address off there I still have to manually enter a user name for the account. This is too time consuming as we have over 500 accounts.

Is there a simple way to do this? We need to monitor the accounts for usage to each account will have page limit.

Thanks in advance
Jason

[Dark Helmet]

Re: MX2600 How to set up LDAP accounts

Did some body tell you this is possible or is it wishful thinking?

As far as i understand it's only for querying AD to get somebodys email address. I'd be very curious how to set this up though if it's possible.

[Jason210]

Re: MX2600 How to set up LDAP accounts

We are a school. A representative from Office Management told me it was possible when they were trying to sell us the machine. I believed him.

Before that we had the MX2600, we had a simple RICOH C2500, and some print manager software integrated with AD on the print server that kept track of what people were doing. We charged for printing and the system was successful.

Since we changed it we have had nothing but problems and that have cost us time and money. And we still don't have a solution, over a year later. Office Management, who provided this machine, have been useless. All they have offered to do is lease some software to us that will take care of the problem, for an extra $100 per month.

The fact that I have to manually create 500 accounts is... retarded.

The fact that when users try to print out, nothing happens because they haven't filled in their authentication details in the job handling tab...is retarded. At least if a box popped up asking for authentication details the when they were missing the student would be prompted for the correct action and it might just be doable. Or if the users details could be somehow passed to the printer driver via a variable in a script or a Group Policy, then it would be doable.

[Jason210]

Re: MX2600 How to set up LDAP accounts

Another problem. The structure of Active Directory reflects our organisations structure. This means that some we have OUs within OUs. However, the LDAP function of the MX2600 will only pull names out of the first two levels. For example, the following will pul users out of OUs with the Domain_Users OU:

OU=Domain_Users,DC=domain,DC=local

However, this next one doesn't work at all. It should return user names from OUs in the YHS OU. Which it doesn't:

OU=YHS,OU=Students_and_Guests,OU=Domain_Users,DC=d omain,DC=local

Is this a limitation of the Sharp Software system, or am I missing something?

[Jason210]

Re: MX2600 How to set up LDAP accounts

Btw, it is possible to authenticate a user via LDAP on the MX2600. (Except I can't solve the problem above ^^)

As long as the user name on the sharp is the same as the user name in AD, and you have correctly configured the LDAP settings, you can add a user to the sharp and:

1. Select "network authentification"
2. Check "Apply User-name to log in name"

And the password is automatical retrived from the server. You can then:

3. Set up Job Handling for the printer on each client with the users AD logon name and password. This information will then be authenticated via active directory, giving the user access to the printer.

[Jason210]

Re: MX2600 How to set up LDAP accounts

I have now found out what the problem is with retrieving names from AD. It will only do this if the user has an email address entred in the "General" tab of Active Directory account properties. If this email address is missing, the name will not be retrieved and authentification cannot take place.

[Dark Helmet]

Re: MX2600 How to set up LDAP accounts

So you have got this working now?

I inquired about this to one of the Sharp Tech guys but ive yet to hear back from him.

[Jason210]

Re: MX2600 How to set up LDAP accounts

Yes, well, I understand the logic of it, and it works so long as following conditions are fulfilled:

On the MX2600:

• Network>LDAP: the distinguished name and other LDAP settings are set correctly
• The User Name of the user is a the same as the one in AD
• "Apply User-name to log in name" is checked.

On the Domain Controller:

• Active Directory has an email registered within each user account

On the client machine:

• the Job Handling tab of the driver is filled in with the AD user account name and password

When you print out, the user account on the MFD will pull the users current domain password from AD, for authentication.


The solution would be ok but for the fact that on the client machine, the AD user account and password has to be manually entered in the job handling tab. This is a major set back. If there were a setting on the Job Handling tab of the driver on the server that allowed automatic AD authentication, then all I have attempted to do here would be a feasible solution. But it's asking too much of the general user to manage the printer authentication by going to Printer Properties > Advanced > Default Settings > Job Handling and update that page every time they change their domain password.

I have instead, created a single default account on the MFD, and installed 3rd party software on the printer server to keep track of printing. The software is called Print Manager Plus and it works well.