Pharos Cloud 3.5.0 Release Notes- July 2023

This release represents the latest version of Pharos Cloud. This update includes several important new features including: 

• IPV6 Support (Pharos Insights and Direct Print) 

• Pharos Direct Print Enhancements 

  • Location-based printing for macOS Print Scout 

  • Direct Print Reporting 

• MFP New Features and Improvements 

  • Secure Scan Updates 

    • Scan-to-Email enhancements 

      • Unlock To: field  for Scan to Email 

      • Configurable maximum file size 

    • Scan to Network Folder setting added to the Pharos Cloud web console 

• Pharos Cloud End-User Portal (Beta) 

  • Document Management 

  • Passcode Management  

• Print Scout Improvements 

  • Updated Print Scout to support IPv6 protocol  

  • Location-based printing support for macOS Print Scout 

  • Notarized macOS for Print Scout 

  • Pharos IPP Driver Support for Secure Release  

IPV6 Support For Pharos Insights and Direct Print 

For computers, mobile devices, IoT sensors, and other connected devices to communicate over the Internet, they require a numerical IP address. The current technology used for this purpose is IPv4. However, with the increasing number of connected devices, the available pool of IPv4 addresses is rapidly depleting. To address this issue, IPv6 was developed to provide a larger pool of unique IP addresses.

The adoption of IPv6 is becoming essential for larger enterprises that are facing a depletion of IP addresses. Pharos Cloud 3.5 introduces IPv6 support for Pharos Insight and Direct Print, allowing these enterprises to leverage the expanded address space provided by IPv6.

Here is a summary of changes implemented to support IPv6 on Pharos Cloud:

• Cloud Services can now handle IPv6 details.

• The cloud components have been enhanced to process and store IPv6 records.

• On-premises components can communicate using the IPv6 protocol.

  • Device Scout and Print Scout can establish communication with the Cloud Services using IPv6.

  • Device Scout can collect SNMP information using IPv6.

  • Print Scout can release documents to a printer using IPv6.

  • Print Scout can directly print to a printer using IPv6.

  • Print Scout supports creating Direct Print printers with IPv6 addresses.

• On-premises components such as the Device Scout and Print Scout can now be installed on networks that exclusively use IPv6.

• The Device Deployment Utility (DDU) can now be installed on an IPv6-only network. It is also able to communicate using the IPv6 protocol.

• The Pharos Cloud web console has undergone significant changes to provide support for IPv6. To view a list of the specific changes made to the Pharos web console, please refer to the section titled "Updates to the Pharos web console" of this document.

Notes:

• IPv6 support for Secure Release will be available in a subsequent release. 

• Your IPv6 network configuration must have a NAT64 to facilitate communication from IPv6 to IPv4 outside the network.

Supported Configuration

Pharos Cloud offers support for the following configurations.

• IPv4

• Dual stack (IPv4 and IPv6)

• IPv6-only

In this release, the new Network Address field will be used to communicate with a device. Pharos Cloud determines the appropriate Network Address based on available information, such as the presence of hostname or IP addresses, and the method used to obtain the information, such as Device Scout scan or device import.

When a device has both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, the preferred order for connecting to a device is as follows:  

• If a hostname is available, it takes precedence for device identification. However, it is important to have a functioning Domain Name System (DNS) to effectively use hostnames for device identification. It is not recommended to rely on hostnames if your network does not have a reliable DNS infrastructure.

• If a hostname is not available, it checks for the presence of an IPv4 address first, followed by an IPv6 address. Note: If a device is scanned with an IPv6 address (where the device was added to the scan list by providing its IPv6 address), IPv6 will be the preferred address even if IPv4 address is present.

Notes:

• Hostnames are recommended to support a dual-stack environment.

• An IPv6-only environment cannot print to an IPv4 address.

Updates to the Pharos Web console for Pharos Insights

The Pharos Cloud web console was updated to provide support for IPv6.

• The Pharos Cloud now captures and reports the IPv6 address of a device. A new column for IPv6 addresses called IPv6 Address has been added to every tab on the Fleet screen.

  

• In Print Analytics, IPv6 information has been added to the device metadata or properties of a device reported in the Devices card as shown in the image below.

• A new field called the Network Address field has been added under the Fleet tab. This field shows the network address that is used to communicate with the device. The address displayed will be either the hostname, IPv4, or IPv6, depending on the preferred order outlined in the “Supported Configurations” section of this document.

• Added a new Remove Network Address button to the Discover > Device Inventory screen. This allows IT admins to remove outdated network addresses (such as hostnames or IP addresses) associated with a device. This is useful when transitioning from an IPv4 network to an IPv6-only configuration or for cleaning up the system of outdated information.

Any network information removed via the Remove Network Address button is immediately reflected for the devices in the Fleet and Direct Printers screen.

Notes: ​​​​​

• The Remove Network Address button is available only for any user with permission to edit a device such as a Business Manager, IT admin, or System Admin.

• The removal of hostnames is not recommended in dual stack environments as hostname resolution is required to support both IPv4 and IPv6 operations.

• When removing a Network Address value, it will be applied to secured devices once they are unsecured and resecured.

• The Import Device Data dialog box now includes a new field for IPv6 addresses. You can find the Import button under Discover > Device Inventory.

Updates to the Pharos Web console for Direct Print

• The Configure Printer IP Ranges section of the Setup Guide has been renamed Configure Printer Host Address.  IT admins can now also enter a single hostname, and IPv6 addresses, in addition to the existing IPv4 address range.

Note: Specifying an IPv6 address range is not supported.

• The Import Printers dialog box now includes a new field for IPv6 addresses. You can find the Devices Import button under Direct > Direct Printers.

• The Direct > Direct Printers > Printers screen has a new field called Network Address. This field displays the network address associated with the installation of a direct queue. The address displayed will be either the hostname, IPv4, or IPv6, depending on the order(hostname, IPv4, then IPv6).

Note: In this update, a printer’s hostname (if available) is now used to create direct print queues instead of its IP address. 

• The Pharos Cloud now captures and reports the IPv6 address of a device. A new IPv6 Address column in the Printers and Print Queues tabs of the Direct Printers tab.

 Chrome Extension Update

The Chrome Direct Print has also been updated to display IPv6 addresses and add a local printer with an IPv6 address.

Loading IPv6 devices to Pharos Cloud

While it is possible to define IP ranges for IPv4 addresses, this capability is not supported for IPv6 due to the significantly larger address space associated with IPv6.

To add IPv6 devices into Pharos Cloud, IT administrators have the option to use any or a combination of the following methods:

• You can prepopulate the Setup Guide with the IP addresses or hostnames of the devices that you want the Device Scout to scan. The Setup Guide is available in the following screens of the Pharos web console.

  • Fleet > Setup Guide

  • Print > Setup Guide

  • Direct > Setup Guide

Note: Using the Setup Guide is suitable for new Pharos Cloud installations.

• For Pharos Cloud installations that already have one or more Device Scouts installed, you have the option to load devices by accessing the Configure button located under the Discover > Device Scout tab.

• You can also use the Scan Configuration tab of the Device Scout user interface to import a list of devices.

Note: For dual-stack environments, the import file can be any combination of hostname, IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, or IPv4 ranges.

• Manual specification of host names or IP addresses - You can manually input the host names and IP addresses of the IPv6 devices to discover through the Device Scout UI or the Setup Guide on the web console.

Device Discovery Tools

Both the Device Scout and the Device Deployment Utility (DDU) can now be installed on an IPv6 machine and can accept IPv6 addresses.

Note: The Device Deployment Utility DDU accepts IPv6 addresses, but it does not currently support hostnames. This functionality will be added in a future release.

Limitations of IPv6 Support

• The Device Scout does not provide its own IPv6 address information. It captures and reports its hostname.

• The detection of duplicate addresses and hostnames for IPv6 is not supported, which means that a device may be scanned multiple times. This may impact efficiency but does not affect the overall functionality.

• In IPv6, the matching of workstation locations for Direct Print is significantly limited since there is no logical way to segment network locations. For instance, it is unlikely that the workstation IP addresses within a specific geographic location will align with a particular range. Pharos recommends using SSIDs or gateways for location matching. However, if you can find a way to make your IPv6 network work in your environment, it can still be used.

• The Print Scout and Device Scout grids have only one column for IP Address because it is possible to report only one address, either IPv4 or IPv6.

  • If the IP address of a Device Scout is in the IPv4 format, it will report the IPv4 address.

  • When reporting the details of a scanned printer, the Device Scout will supply the IPv6 address of the printer. The Device Scout itself is incapable of reporting its IPv6 address.

• Mobile Release QR Code does not display the IPv6 address. If a device has both IPv4 and IPv6 and if the Network Address is IPv4, Pharos Cloud shows the IPv4 address.

More Information: IPv6 Support on Pharos Cloud

Pharos Direct Print Enhancements

This release includes improvements to Direct Print that drive efficiency and improve user experience.

Location-based Printing support on macOS

The latest release of macOS Direct Print includes support for location-based printing, which enables users to easily select printers based on their current location.  It also includes the ability to automatically install print queues on users’ workstations based on their location. This allows users to immediately print as soon as they connect their workstation to their location’s network. No user intervention is required. Users do not have to search for and add a print queue. Users have the option to search for printers using their printer label, hostname, or IP address.

More Information: Location-based Printing

Direct Print Reporting

Pharos Cloud introduces a new transaction type called "Secure Direct Print" for Direct Print jobs, as part of the preparation for the upcoming Direct Print Dashboard feature. Previously, jobs sent to Pharos Cloud-managed direct printers were categorized as "Print" transaction type, while Chrome direct print jobs were categorized as "Chrome Direct".

Starting with this update, Direct Print jobs from Chrome, macOS, and Windows will now be reported as "Secure Direct Print". It's worth noting that Print-at-home jobs will continue to be reported as "Print".

IPv6 Support

In Direct Print, hostnames are now the primary method used to create Direct Print queues (vs. IP addresses).

Direct Print queues are now configured to have their port use the Network Address defined for the device. In cases where the Network Address is a hostname, but the Print Scout is unable to resolve it, the system will fall back to using the IP address instead. This is a significant change from the previous version, where the IP address was always used regardless of the presence of a hostname.

MFP NEW FEATURES AND ENHANCEMENTS 

• Secure Scan Updates

  • Scan to Email Enhancements

    • Unlock To: field for Scan to Email

    • Configurable max file size

  • Scan to Network Folder setting added to the Pharos Cloud web console

Secure Scan Updates

The Secure Scan feature of Pharos Cloud (introduced in September 2022) enables IT administrators to easily manage printing and MFP scanning across an organization and provides users with a simplified and consistent user experience across all the supported manufacturers.

Unlock "To:" field for Scan-to-Email

This update introduces Unlock "To:" field for Scan-to-Email, enabling users to scan documents and send them directly to a fax machine destination. In addition, it expands the functionality of the Scan to Email feature by allowing users to send scanned documents to another user’s email address. Previously, the To field was not editable and limited to sending scanned documents to the user's own email address.

To support the Scan-to-Fax feature, the Enable editable To: field setting has been added to the Secure > Settings > Secure Scan Settings.

Scan to Fax User Workflow

1. In the Scan Destinations screen, select Email.

2. In the To field of the Scan to Email dialog that appears, enter the fax number (e.g., 5558675309@fax.rightfax.com) where you want to send the document.

3. Select Scan Document to start the scan operation.

4. The scanned document is sent to the user’s selected scan destination.

Scan-to-Email enhancement (Configurable maximum file size)

The Scan To Email Settings (under Secure Scan Settings) now includes a new setting called "Max file size" that enables IT administrators to define the maximum file size  for scan to email. The default value is 5MB, while the maximum allowed file size is 2047 MB.

Scan to Network Folder

The Scan to Network Folder feature which allows a user to save a scanned document to a shared folder on their internal network was introduced in March 2023 but without a user interface to configure settings.

In this release, a new setting called Scan to Network Folder has been introduced. It can be found under the Secure > Settings > Secure Scan Settings screen of the web console.

More Information: Configuring Secure Scan 

Pharos Cloud end-User Portal (Beta)

This update introduces the Pharos Cloud End-User Portal, which provides a convenient way for users to manage their documents and their passcodes. It also eliminates the requirement for users to install a Print Scout to configure their passcodes.

Using the Pharos Cloud User Portal, end users can:

• Access the portal by using their OpenID email address.

• Manage documents

  • View documents in the queue including documents submitted from the Print Scout, Chrome Extension, Mobile App, or Microsoft Universal Print

  • Upload documents

  • Update finishing options before uploading documents

  • Delete documents (single or multiple documents)

• Manage passcode

  • Generate passcode

  • Reset passcode

Note: To release documents, users will need to walk up to a secure printer and use the generated passcode to release the document. Users can also release jobs by swiping their proximity cards.

Key Features

• Provides a true cloud experience by eliminating the need to install the Print Scout on user workstations for passcode management.

• Users can conveniently manage their documents and passcode from any operating system using any web browser.

• Easy to set up. The administrator simply needs to send users a link to the end-user portal.

• Documents are securely transferred and stored in the cloud.

Changes to the Pharos Web Console

A new User Portal Settings has been added under Secure > Settings screen. When enabled, it displays the link to the Pharos User Portal, which the IT admin can distribute to users for accessing the portal.

Note: The User Portal Settings section is available for sites with OpenID authentication only.

User Portal Workflow

1. To activate the user portal, an IT administrator needs to toggle the Enable User Portal for End-Users setting and then save the changes by clicking the Save button.

2. The IT administrator distributes the User Portal link to users.  

Note: An email invitation template is not available for the Pharos User portal.

3. The user logs into the Pharos End-User Portal.

   1. New users: Users sign in using their OpenID email address. If it is their initial sign-in, the user's email address will be registered with Pharos Cloud, and they will be prompted to generate a passcode. The passcode will be sent to the user's email address for future reference.

   2. Existing users: Existing users don’t need to generate a new passcode.

4. The new user generates a passcode.

5. The user can go back to the My Printing page to view, delete, or upload documents.

Document Management

The Pharos User Portal enables users to manage their jobs without a Print Scout. Using the portal, users can conveniently view, upload, or delete their jobs.

Uploading documents

There are two ways users can upload documents to the Pharos End-User Portal:

• By clicking the Upload button.

• By dragging and dropping files from the browser to the Pharos End-User Portal.

Supported File Formats for Upload

The Pharos End-User Portal supports uploading documents with the following file formats:

• PDF

• JPEG

• BMP

• PNG

• TXT

• Microsoft Office (doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx)

The maximum file size allowed for the Pharos User Portal is as follows:

• Web browser

  • TXT: 10 MB

  • JPEG, BMP, PNG: 50MB

  • MS Office docs: 60 MB

  • PDF: Up to 250 MB

• Mobile app

  • PDF: 60 MB

  • MS Office docs: 60 MB

Notes and Limitations:

• Uploading documents from a mobile device supports PDF and Microsoft .docx file formats only. Images and text file formats are not supported.

• Documents uploaded through the End-User Portal are stored in the cloud.

• For on-premises sites that do not use Cloud Connector, the document names of print jobs submitted through the Print Scout are displayed on the User Portal in an encrypted format.

Passcode Management

In this release, passcode management has been simplified. Previously, the only way a user obtains a passcode was through the registration of OpenID credentials via the Pharos Secure Release Setup Guide, which was installed by the Print Scout. With the latest update, organizations with OpenID authentication can allow users to generate or reset their passcodes conveniently through the User Portal. Print Scout is no longer required to generate or reset a passcode.

The passcodes obtained from the Pharos End-User Portal serve the following purposes:

• Identifying or authenticating oneself at the printer.

• Registering proximity cards using the passcode.

Passcodes will no longer be recoverable from the  Pharos Secure Release Setup Guide or the mobile app. Passcodes will only be visible during their creation. After that, passcodes will not be visible anywhere else. If users forget their passcodes, they have the option to reset it through the Print Scout Setup Guide and the End-User portal. They can also refer to the email that was sent to them.

The following image shows the Generate Passcode screen on the new Pharos End User Portal.

After generating a passcode, the user receives an email containing the passcode for future access. The following image displays the “Manage Passcode” page, allowing the user to reset their passcode.

More Information: End-user Portal

Print scout improvements and bug fixes 

IPv6 Support

The Print Scout component of the Pharos Cloud has been updated to provide support for IPv6

• Print Scouts can now be installed on an IPv6-only workstation.

• The Print Scout has been updated to use the IPv6 protocol, allowing documents to be released to printers using IPv6.

Location-based printing for macOS Print Scout

The latest version of macOS Print Scout includes support for the location-based printing feature of Direct Print.

Limitations:

• The IPP finishing options set on the web console are not applied on macOS Print Scouts. So, all the print queues installed on a macOS Scout will have the same finishing option default. Therefore, creating multiple queues for the same printer is not ideal.

• Queue synchronization is not automatically triggered on a macOS Scout during user logon, unlike the behavior on a Windows Scout where queue synchronization events occur at user logon. This inconsistency between Windows and Mac Scouts results in certain actions not taking place on the Mac Scout. For instance, if an IT admin adds a new IPP auto-install queue on the web client, the new queue will be added to the Windows Scout during the user's next logon. However, it will not be automatically installed on the Mac Scout when the user logs on. Auto-installation will occur on the Mac Scout if the Print Scout Spooler Service is restarted or during the scheduled daily settings update.

More Information: Location-based Printing

Notarized macOS Print Scout

The macOS Print Scout has been updated with the following enhancements

• Comply with Apple's new notarization requirements. The latest release, macOS Print Scout ensures that the software can be installed on macOS 10.15 to macOS 13 without any warnings of malicious software.

• Replace the HP UPD PCL 5 print driver with Apple's AirPrint technology. The HP UPD PCL 5 print driver has been replaced with Apple's AirPrint technology, which is used by Print Scout to deliver print jobs to printers when Secure Release is configured for Local Connector. It is important to note that for organizations using Cloud Connector, the Pharos Secure Printer uses the IPP Everywhere (IPP/E) protocol. Additionally, Pharos Direct Print also now supports the Apple AirPrint technology. 

macOS Print Scout no longer tracks non-Pharos Cloud printers

The macOS Print Scout no longer monitors printers that are not associated with Pharos Cloud. However, it continues to track and monitor printers that have been added through Direct Print and Secure Release.

Pharos IPP Class Driver support for Secure Release

Pharos Cloud includes the Pharos IPP Class Driver built on the Printer Working Group’s IPP Everywhere™ standard to support thousands of printer models across all manufacturers—from low-end single-function printers to large, departmental MFPs. Previously, support for Pharos IPP Class Driver was available for Direct Print only.

In this update, the Print Scout has been updated to support Pharos IPP Class Driver for Secure Release. This also changes the default print driver of the Pharos Secure Printer from the HP Universal Printing PCL driver to the Pharos IPP Driver.

Note: For existing customers, the upgrade process will keep the HP Universal Printing PCL driver. However, if you wish to switch the secure queue to use the new Pharos IPP driver, you will need to uninstall the previous Print Scout and install the Print Scout provided in the Pharos Cloud 3.5 release.

Key features of the Pharos IPP Class Driver:

• Print jobs are submitted to the printers using IPP or IPPS

• Does not require printer manufacturers' drivers

• Supports paper size selection, double-sided print mode, color or black and white printing, page ranges, multiple copies, and advanced finishing options like stapling and “n-up.”

Supported Clients

64-bit Microsoft Windows 10 or later

Note: 32-bit versions are not supported.

Print Scout Configuration Updated

The Print Scout Configuration tool has been updated to include the Secure Queue Settings for Deployment section, providing IT admins with the option to configure the driver type for the Pharos secure queue. It also facilitates the creation of default finishing options for the Pharos secure queue.

There are two driver types to choose from:

• IPP Class Driver –  This is the default option for new installs. This will set the secure queue to use the Pharos IPP Driver.

• Manufacturer Driver –This will set up the secure queue to use HP Universal Printing PCL 6 driver.

Note: If your organization does not have a Secure Release license, the Secure Queue Settings for Deployment section will be greyed out.

Pharos IPP Class Driver Printing Preferences dialog

The default finishing options (i.e., print settings) for an IPP queue depend on how they are configured in the Print Configuration Tool. Users can change the finishing options before sending their print job to a printer.

Print Scout bug fix

The unavailability of the color option on macOS Print Scout using the Local Connector with AirPrint 1.0.0 PPD has been fixed. Users can now access and use the color option while using the Local Connector on macOS.

Device Scout Improvement

The default value of the Perform Hostname Lookup setting on the Device Scout has been changed to OFF (disabled). Previously, this setting was enabled (ON) by default, which posed issues for sites without a reliable DNS infrastructure. If you have reliable DNS information for your devices, you can choose to enable this setting.

Note: This update exclusively applies to newly created Device Scouts and does not impact existing Device Scout installations.

Component Release Versions

This release includes the following software components and release versions.

*Note: Secure Release mobile apps and the Chrome extension are published after the Cloud Services are updated.