Uniprint Technote: Configuring Card Registration

Card Registration allows users to create their own user account from Network Terminals using a card. Network Terminals have to be configured for Card Registration.  Once this is done, an unregistered user can self-register on the Network Terminal using a valid card.

An unregistered user may fall under the following categories:

  • A user who is in the Pharos Database but whose Card ID is not yet registered.
  • A user who does not exist in the Pharos database but is on an external directory system (e.g. Active Directory or LDAP).

Only users who have a valid card and an account in the Pharos Database or external directory system can use the card registration system.

Registration can be implemented in conjunction with the Guest Card feature, which allows guests users (who are not in the Pharos database or in the Active Directory) to print and make copies. For more information about how to set up Guest Card accounts, please refer to the "Configuring Guest Card Technote".

Typical User Scenario

The following illustrates the typical scenario for using Card Registration. In this scenario, a user who has an account in an external directory system but not on the Pharos Database registers the card via a Network Terminal.

  1. The user swipes a valid card at the Network Terminal for the first time. The Network Terminal recognizes that the card is not yet registered into the Pharos Uniprint system.
  2. The Network Terminal prompts the user to enter their network logon ID and password or may prompt for a password if the Bank has been configured with "Prompt for password when using a card". The network logon ID should already exist in the Active Directory or LDAP, otherwise the user will not be able to log in to the system.
  3. The user enters a valid network logon ID. If the network logon ID exists in the Active Directory, the Network Terminal shows a list of the jobs (if any). If the supplied network logon ID does not exist in the Active Directory, the Network Terminal will display the "Invalid Card ID or PIN" error.
  4. The user may print or cancel the job(s) if logon was successful.

The card registration process is complete. A new user account is automatically created in the Pharos system, using the network logon ID and card ID provided. The user should be able to release subsequent print jobs without providing network logon ID.

Supported Network Terminals

Card Registration is not supported on versions earlier than 8.2.

Card Registration is not supported on the following Pharos products:

  • PC Pharos Station
  • Pharos SignUp
  • Omega PS60
  • Omega PS100
  • Boscop Integration

Setting up Card Registration

This section will guide you through the process of setting up a working Card Registration system. Each of the steps is discussed below.

Before you start

To set up Card Registration, you should have already completed the following tasks:

  • Set up a Secure Release Printing system.
  • Set up an Authentication System. For more information about the available Authentication System.
  • Installed and configured a Billing Gateway. For more information on how to configure a Billing Gateway, please refer to the documentation of the specific Billing Gateway that you are installing.
  • Installed the Billing Plug-in (usually called the IPBiller).

Before configuring Card Registration, you must ensure that your Network Terminals support this feature. Please contact Pharos Support for more information on which Network Terminals are supported.

Step 1: Enable Card Registration on the relevant Bank(s)

By default, Card Registration is disabled. You can enable the Card Registration feature at the System > Banks context of the Pharos Administrator.

To enable Card Registration:

  1. Select the Bank that you want to configure for Card Registration or you can create a New Bank using the Insert button.

  2. In the Network Terminal category of the Bank, set the "Allow logon using card" property to "Yes". This shows a list of other options such as Guest Account Card Types and Enable  Card Registration.

  3. Set the Enable Card Registration to "Yes".

  4. Optional: If you want to prompt users to enter a password, set the "Prompt for Password when using a card" property to "Yes", otherwise set this property to "No”.

  5. Click Change Control to save the changes.

Step 2: Add the External Plug-ins to the relevant Bank(s)

If you have configured your Authentication System and Billing System to use external plug-ins, you have to attach the plug-ins to the relevant Bank(s). Follow these instructions to add Logon Plug-in or Billing Plug-in to the relevant Bank.

Adding the Logon Plug-in to the relevant Bank(s)

Complete this step if you have configured the system to use an external Logon plug-in. This is how the Bank identifies a user.

To add the Logon Plug-in to the relevant Bank(s):

  1. In the System > Banks context, select the Bank that you have configured for  Card Registration.

  2. In the Plug-Ins property, click the edit button at the end of this property to access the Plug-ins dialog box.

  3. Click the editing button next to the Logon Event and enter the path to the Logon Plug-in. Alternatively, you can select <Executable Plug-in> from the dropdown list box and browse to where the Logon Plug-in file is located.

    Each Network Terminal requires a way to deduct funds from the users for their transactions. If you have configured a Billing Gateway, you must add the Billing Plug-in to the relevant Bank. This is how the Bank is able to access the Gateway.

Adding the Billing Plug-in to the relevant Bank(s)

  1. In the System > Banks context, select the Bank that you have configured for Card Registration.

  2. In the Plug-Ins property, click the edit button at the end of this property to access the Plug-ins dialog box.

  3. Click the editing button next to the Billing Event and enter the path to the Billing Plug-in or select <Executable Plug-in> from the dropdown list box and browse to where the Billing Plug-in file is located.

For Omega PS150 2.2.2, make sure that the Authentication Method property (under Logon category) of the Network Terminal is set to "Server Config" and not "Terminal Config". You can find the Authentication Method property when you click the Show Advanced Properties in the Release Stations Actions Pane.

Step 3: Associate the Bank with the appropriate Network Terminal

You must associate the Bank with each Network Terminal that needs to have the card registration feature. Make these associations in the properties window in the Release Stations context of the Pharos Administrator.

To associate the Bank with the appropriate Network Terminal:

  1. In the Release Stations context, select the Network Terminal that you want to configure for Card Registration.

  2. In the Bank property of the Network Terminal, select the Bank that you have configured for Card Registration.

  3. Click Change Control to save changes.

Card Registration requires that the card_id field uniquely identify a user. Beginning with Uniprint 8.2, this requirement is enforced within the database. When card_id is set or changed for a user, any duplicate card_id values are set to NULL.

For Omega PS150 2.2.2, to be able to get the special prompts on Network Terminals for Card Registration, you need to remove the prompt text from "Logon ID prompt" and "Password prompt" from the PS 150 Omega Web Administrator (Theming option).