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Technical Specifications

MPS Satellite is an application that is used through website browser. It is using responsive techniques of HTML and CSS, also PHP, JavaScripts and Python codes. Key benefit is a possibility of communication between application and printer directly, by using SNMP protocol. It is a solution to get information about technical condition of printer, to collect data in MySQL database.

MIND MAP v.S.2.0

Features description of MPS Satellite in 2.0 version are describe in the graphic below, where we have specified core elements that user should know about. Colors of all boxes means:

  • blue – features available under and in S.2.0;
  • green – features available since and under S.2.0;
  • orange – features under construction – will be available soon;
  • red – features that had been deleted and are not available since S.2.0.

Basic roles of printer communication

MPS Satellite contain functional scripts, which:

  • Are searching for printers that are working under defined network ranges
    • searching is activated automatically in the restricted time, that can be change in the schedule module,
    • working script is able to analyze IP address by discovering which ports are open and more, it knows if proper port is responsible for printing functionalities:
      • port 515 – printing
      • port 9100 – printing
      • port 161 – snmp
    • if device has that ports opened process of data verification is starting. For analysis we are using MIBs and OIDs libraries, both:
      • PUBLIC – it has a selective amount of information about the device,
      • PRIVATE – dedicated for proper manufacturer devices
    • Analysis covers information such as:
      • general – inventory of the device in terms of its type or category;
      • counters – collecting counter states aggregated to A4 – monochrome, color and totalizer;
      • supplies – inventorying supplies information and replacement parts, as well as collecting the history of changes in the consumption of a given material;
      • events – collecting information about active and inactive service communications device
  • Printer security level:
    • on user request security scanning can be initiate. It will reveal which TCP or UDP ports are currently opened on the device that is actively controlled by MPS Satellite
    • MPS Satellite will prepare audit report that is only presenting security level and lists open ports – it does not have the ability for closing ports.

The basic principles of external communication

The key advantage of MPS Satellite is the ability of an efficient printer analyzing without having active connection with some external / cloud database.

Its administrator role to decide, how often and if only MPS Satellite should send some reports outside the company.

What kind of reports are sending by MPS Satellite

All reports that are dedicated for external communication are sending by classic e-mail message. That is why it is important to configure SMTP client properly. Application has this ability to send emails through client personal mail server so all messages are fully transparent and controlled by administrator.

The most important reports are collected in XML files:

  • XML file – unit inventory
  • XML file – supplies inventory
  • XML file – events inventory

MPS Moon features - receiving reports

With the version 2.0. will release a brand new functionality, that we have named MPS Moon. Option activating will let MPS Satellite to connect with email inbox, where all XML reports are sending from others MPS Satellites. MPS Moon automatically read emails and verify if they contains proper XML reports. Neatly it will analyze that reports and collect data in MPS Moon database.

MPS Moon is programmed as follows:

  1. It allows you to enter connection parameters to an external e-mail
  2. Establishes a connection with IMAP e-mailbox and checks specified by the administrator folder with e-mail
  3. It reads all the messages by checking whether they contain the correct XML file report
  4. If the message is incorrect – Moon deletes the message, but if the file is valid starts the analysis report
  5. The analysis is based on importing the data from the report on the placement of the data in the right places database
  6. before analysis start MPS Moon will record the source from which reports are sending and create a new Client ID
  7. When it is done, the email message from the report is deleted.

MPS Moon features are dedicated to those companies, that have many different branches where MPS Satellite control specific printers. For example it is happens if the company is doing Printing Outsourcing or is a large corporate but don’t have one WAN network.