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General cross-platform FAQ
How to check the Pcounter registration
maintenance date
- Run Pcontrol, Network View.
- Find and select the registered server, right click, choose
Pcounter, Configuration.
- On the Global Settings tab, follow the link to Registration
and Trial Period, and the registration information will
be displayed.
Moving account balances and data
between NetWare and NT or between servers
- Moving balances between NetWare servers on the same
tree Since balances are stored in NDS, the only action
required is backing up and restoring of NDS partitions -
which is outside the scope of Pcounter.
- Moving balances between NT or 2000 data servers in
the same domain If the Pcounter data server is a member
server or BDC, the same domain account balance databases
can be easily moved or copied to a new data server. Just
copy \\DataServer\Pcounter\Data\*.DBF and *.CDX to the new
Pcounter share on the new data server.
- Moving balances between Pcounter 2.x for NT and 5.x
for NetWare, or Pcounter 2.x data servers in different domains
In Pcounter Administrator, select Utility,
Save all Balances. This will save a batch file which
can be used with Account.exe later to reset the account
balances again. Locations of Account.exe:
- NetWare: d:\PcounterInstallDir\NetWare\Account.exe
- NT/2000: d:\PcounterInstallDir\NT\Account.exe
Before running the batch file in the command prompt, set
the path to include the directory where Account.exe is located.
Example: @ECHO OFF PATH d:\PcounterInstallDir\NetWare;%PATH%
BALANCES.BAT
- Moving balances between Pcounter 3.x/4.x for NetWare
and Pcounter 2.x for NT or 5.x for NetWare In WAccount,
select Statistics, View all Balances. This
will create a text file which you can convert into a batch
file which can be used with Account.exe later to
reset the account balances again. The text file will look
like this: admin 14.00 john 166.28 mary 15.90
The modified batch file should look like this: d:\path\ACCOUNT.EXE
balance admin 14.00 d:\path\ACCOUNT.EXE balance john 166.28
d:\path\ACCOUNT.EXE balance mary 15.90
- Moving data between Pcounter 2.x for NT data servers
Once the Pcounter share has been created on the new data
server, just copy all files including subdirectories from
the old data server to the new data server, ie. from \\oldDataServer\Pcounter
to \\newDataserver\Pcounter. Please also see notes
regarding account balances above.
- Moving data between Pcounter 5.x for NetWare servers
- Copy \sys\system\pcounter\*.* (Support files)
between servers.
- Copy \sys\public\pcounter.ini (Global Settings)
between servers.
- In Pcontrol, run the Pcounter configuration
for the new server and make sure that any log
file and/or popup database location references from
the old server are changed to locations on the new server.
Then copy the affected files from the old server to
the new server.
Printing-related usenet newsgroups
Pcounter Popup is hidden beneath
other windows
This should not be a problem on Windows 95 or Windows NT
4.0, but a change was made in later versions of Windows
to prevent applications from stealing focus from other programs.
Open the registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Set the REG_DWORD value: ForegroundLockTimeout to
0 This value can also be set using the optional TweakUI
Control Panel - on the General tab, make sure that
the option Prevent applications from stealing focus
is not selected.
Prices revert to zero after being
saved
Typically this occurs if fractional/decimal prices are
entered and the Global Setting option Numerical Format=Pages.
If Numerical Format=Pages, then only whole number integer
values are allowed for prices. To set the Numerical Format
to Currency, open the Pcounter server configuration,
and change the Numerical Format on the Global Settings page
to Currency - then Pcontrol will save the decimal values
in the price fields.
Multiple popups occurring from
Excel print jobs
Microsoft Excel prints each level of a worksheet as a separate
print job. This can cause a popup to appear for each print
job. Multiple popups can be overridden in PPopup, Preferences
- make sure Process multiple jobs is selected. PPopup
will handle all jobs resulting from a single Excel print
request if the user waits until the last job is finished
spooling before entering a response in the popup window.
Pagecount errors on Canon BubbleJets
Pcounter supports page counting on Canon BubbleJet printers
starting with versions 5.12g and 2.08a. Please consider
updating your Pcounter version if BubbleJet accounting is
required.
Print jobs are recorded but account
balances are not modified
NetWare
- In the Pcounter printer or queue configuration, make
sure that Accounting=User account balances and log
file.
- Also in the Pcounter printer or queue configuration,
make sure that the paper size prices are set to something
other than zero.
- Make sure that the printer/queue configuration that
you are applying is for the specified printer/queue object,
and not the server default. The server default
configuration only applies to a particular object if that
object has not had its own Pcounter configuration saved.
To restore an object's configuration to the default:
- Queues: On the Printing tab of the
Pcounter server configuration, right-click the queue
and choose Reset default values.
- NDPS: On the Printer Agents tab of
the Pcounter NDPS Manager configuration, right-click
the printer agent and choose Reset default values.
- (Queues) You may need to restart Pcounter.nlm
if you have made changes to the configuration.
- Make sure that you have granted the Pcounter print server
(NDS queues) or the NDPS Manager attribute rights in the
top-level user containers so that Pcounter can modify
account balances in NDS. This can be done in Pcontrol
(Global Settings) or NWAdmin. If Pcounter has insufficient
permission to modify balances, then all balances are interpreted
as zero.
- Check the Error log: \sys\system\pcounter\errorlog.txt.
If there are any Pcounter errors, they will be recorded
here.
NT/2000
- In the Pcounter printer configuration, make sure that
Accounting=User account balances and log file.
- Also in the Pcounter printer or queue configuration,
make sure that the paper size prices are set to something
other than zero.
- Make sure that the printer configuration that you are
applying is for the specified printer, and not the
server default. The server default configuration only
applies to a particular printer if that printer has not
had its own Pcounter configuration saved. To restore a
printer's configuration to the default:
- On the Printers tab of the Pcounter server
configuration, right-click the printer and choose
Reset default values.
- Check the Application Event Log on the data server.
If there are any Pcounter errors, they will be recorded
here.
Running Pcounter utilities
from login scripts
Login scripts or batch files will appear to hang when running
Pcounter utilities such as PPopup.exe or WBalance.exe. This
is because the script waits for the program to terminate
before continuing. Instead of running the utility directly,
use: NT/2000 start d:\path\ppopup or command
/c d:\path\ppopup NetWare It is best to create
an external batch file which contains the utilities to run,
for example \\ServerName\sys\public\pcounter.bat:
@echo off start d:\path\ppopup Then add the following
line to the login script: (NetWare login scripts use a #
before each external program.) #\\ServerName\sys\public\pcounter.bat
Users have enough credit, but
print jobs are rejected with insufficient balance
NetWare Make sure that you have granted the Pcounter
print server (NDS queues) or the NDPS Manager attribute
rights in the top-level user containers so that Pcounter
can modify account balances in NDS. This can be done in
Pcontrol (Global Settings) or NWAdmin. If Pcounter has insufficient
permission to modify balances, then all balances are interpreted
as zero. See also: Permissions required
to manage users, balances, and client codes. NT/2000
Make sure that the SYSTEM account has full control permission
to the PCOUNTER share and the DATA subdirectory on the data
server. Also check the Application Event Log on the data
server. If there are any Pcounter errors, they will be recorded
here.
Imported client codes are not displayed
in Pcounter Administrator
When importing a 2-dimensional client code list into PAdmin,
make sure that each client code has its own record as well
as associated subcode records. For example, the following
list will import 2 client codes with 2 subcodes each. Note
that the empty subcode field implies a client code record.
clientCode1,,description of clientCode1 clientCode1,subCode1,description
of subCode1 clientCode1,subCode2,description of subCode2
clientCode2,,description of clientCode2 clientCode2,subCode3,description
of subCode3 clientCode2,subCode4,description of subCode4
The following list will import 4 client codes with
descriptions. Note that the empty subcode field is still
used. clientCode1,,description of clientCode1 clientCode2,,description
of clientCode2 clientCode3,,description of clientCode3 clientCode4,,description
of clientCode4 This example is incorrect because
there are no dedicated client code records. clientCode1,subCode1,description
of subCode1 clientCode1,subCode2,description of subCode2
clientCode2,subCode3,description of subCode3 clientCode2,subCode4,description
of subCode4 This example is incorrect because the
description field is in the wrong position. There should
be a blank subcode field in each record. clientCode1,description
of subCode1 clientCode1,description of subCode2 clientCode2,description
of subCode3 clientCode2,description of subCode4
Permissions required to manage
users, balances, and client codes
| Windows NT/2000 |
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| Modify balances:
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Full control share permission to \\DataServer\Pcounter.
Read/Write NTFS permission to \\DataServer\Pcounter\Data. |
| Run reports: |
Read share permission to \\DataServer\Pcounter.
Read NTFS permission to \\DataServer\Pcounter\Data.
(Write permission required for writing
log file when modifying balances.) |
| Modify client
codes: |
Full control share permission to \\DataServer\Pcounter.
Read/Write NTFS permission to \\DataServer\Pcounter. |
| |
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| Novell NetWare |
|
| Modify balances
(NetWare 4.x): |
Read/Write permission to All Properties
in the top-level user context(s), or Read/Write
permission to Account Balance, Allow Unlimited
Credit, and Low Balance Limit properties
of each user. |
| Modify balances
(NetWare 5.x): |
Read/Write/Inheritable permission to Account
Balance, Allow Unlimited Credit, and Low
Balance Limit properties in the top-level user context(s). |
| Run reports: |
Read/File Scan permission to the Pcounter.log
location. (Write permission required for
writing log file when modifying balances.) |
| Modify client
codes: |
Read/Write/Erase/Create/Modify/File Scan permission
to the PPopup.dbf location. |
How to grant permissions to properties in NWAdmin:
(Note: Low balance limit may be shown as Minimum
account balance in other applications such as ConsoleOne.)
- Select a top-level user context, right-click, choose Trustees
of this object.
- Press Add Trustee, and find the object to whom
the permissions will be granted.
- (NetWare 4.x) Under Property rights, select
All properties and check Read and Write.
- (NetWare 5.x) Under Property rights, select
Account Balance, Allow Unlimited Credit, and
Low Balance Limit, and check Read, Write,
and Inheritable.
Full name does not appear on banner
NT Fullnames can be modified in User Manager, User
Properties. In Pcounter Administrator, full names will be
shown automatically if they have been defined. NetWare
The Pcounter print server or NDPS Manager needs permission
to read the Full Name property of all users. This
property can be modified in NWAdmin, (select user), right-click,
Details, Identification page. In Pcounter Administrator,
full names will be shown if "Display fullnames" is checked
in Utility, Preferences.
| NetWare 4.x: |
Read permission to All Properties in the
top-level user context(s), or Read permission to
Full Name property of each user. |
| NetWare 5.x: |
Read/Inheritable permission to Full Name
property in the top-level user context(s). |
How to grant permissions to properties in NWAdmin:
- Select a top-level user context, right-click, choose Trustees
of this object.
- Press Add Trustee, and find the object to whom
the permissions will be granted.
- (NetWare 4.x) Under Property rights, select
All properties and check Read.
- (NetWare 5.x) Under Property rights, select
Full Name, and check Read and Inheritable.
Date/currency formatting is incorrect
NT/2000 Pcounter services run in the context of
the SYSTEM account, which has no user profile. Therefore
the default system locale settings must be used. Make sure
that the correct language/country is selected in Control
Panel, Regional Settings. Restart the services if you make
a change. NetWare If your registration (or trial
period) permits, please use 5.10d or later. Otherwise the
Pcounter NLMs will use the Windows locale settings (see
NT/2000 above) of the the machine which saved the Pcounter
server configuration in Pcontrol.
How to find out the meaning of
an error code
How to delete all client codes
and start over
Delete the popup database files PPOPUP.DBF and PPOPUP.CDX.
It is important that PPOPUP.CDX (the index file) also be
deleted, or else the index will be out of sync the next
time client codes are added. If it is necessary to reset
the client code user/group associations, the files PASSOC.DBF
and PASSOC.CDX should also be deleted. NT/2000 The
files are located in the PCOUNTER share on the data server.
NetWare The files are located in the directory specified
in the file server's Pcounter Popup configuration.
PPopup client code list is empty
First Make sure that the user(s) have read permission
to the directory where the client code database is stored.
If the user presses the Reload list button and an
Error -61 or Access denied message is displayed,
then grant users read permission (write permission is not
required) to the following location: NT/2000: This
is found in the Pcounter share on the data server: \\DataServer\Pcounter
NetWare: This is found in the location specified
in the server Pcounter configuration, on the Popup page.
Second In the server Pcounter configuration, on the
Popup page, make sure that Associate client codes with
network user and group names has not been selected.
If this feature is enabled and no associations have been
made in Pcounter Administrator, then all popup lists will
be empty. Use client code associations only if it is necessary
for users to be shown different lists of client codes. Otherwise
turn off this feature, and everyone will see the same complete
list of client codes.
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