Pharos Online Services

Pharos Online Services is a feature that involves communication between Pharos products and Pharos Systems. It is a service which, once a month, collects information about the configuration of your Pharos system from the Pharos Database and sends it to Pharos Systems for analysis.

Pharos Systems is committed to continuous product improvement. If we know how our customers’ sites are typically configured, and how Pharos is typically used, we can focus our development and further tailor the product to suit the needs of our customers. The Pharos Online Services feature can help us to do this.

Installing Pharos Online Services

Pharos Online Services is installed during installation of the Principal Server. Pharos Online Services is always installed, and by default collects both basic and Uniprint usage related information about your currently installed Uniprint system.

Starting with Uniprint 8.4, collecting basic information is mandatory while collecting Uniprint usage related information is optional. Collecting usage data is initially enabled, except on upgrade from a system where Online Services were disabled.

Activating or Deactivating Uniprint usage information collection

After installation, collecting Uniprint usage information can be deactivated or reactivated at any time by setting the Collect Uniprint Usage Information property in the General section of the System Settings context.

Registry keys are created for Pharos Online Services, specifying details of its operation.

Information gathered by Pharos Online Services

Basic Information

By default, the Pharos Online Services gathers the following basic information.

  • Pharos Uniprint version number
  • Other Pharos products installed (e.g. MobilePrint). It does not include the version number if installed on a different machine
  • License information
    • Type of license (i.e. demo or production)
    • Site Code
    • License expiry date

  • Hotfixes and Service Packs installed

Uniprint Usage Related Information

Information about the Principal Server

  • Number and type of CPUs
  • Hard drive size
  • Memory size
  • Operating system version
  • .NET version
  • SQL Server version

Information about the Pharos software

  • Installation directory
  • version number of each Pharos Uniprint component

Information about SignUp

  • SignUp Type List

Information about the printing network

  • Name and services provided for each server
  • Name and type for each release station
  • Name and OS version for each computer
  • List of job costing methods used
  • List of SignUp reservation types used
  • Number of card readers
  • Number of copiers
  • Number of cost centers
  • Number of gateways
  • Number of maps created
  • Number of MFDs
  • Number of printers
  • Number of release stations
  • Number of  Queues
  • Number of users
  • Types of release stations

Information about the printing network is obtained only from the Pharos database; Pharos Online Services does not search the actual network for any information not already recorded.

Transactions statistics

  • Color copy volume
  • Color print volume
  • Copy volume
  • Fax volume
  • Print volume
  • Scan volume
  • Copy Transactions
  • Credit Transactions
  • Custom Transactions
  • Deleted Print Transactions
  • Fax Transactions
  • Computer Transactions
  • Print Transactions
  • Scan Transactions
  • Transfer Funds Transactions

Database statistics

Row count for each table in the Pharos Database