Thomas covered 6 slides for MFD(MultiFunctionDevices).
He started with the history of printing at his current department. It was based upon HP Laser Jet Printers and a custom system setup to only account for printing. It was Linux based and worked well for what it did.
He talked about the current solution which does much more than the old system and interfaces with CSGOLD 6, Simple Bind to OpenLDAP, and RFID to identify users by their Stanford ID Card. A web based application utilizing credit card processing via the Simplicity Credit Card System approved by the University was built to allow visitors to add money to a printing card.
Additionally, a new network was utilized to allow the MFD machines to be protected from the internet yet allow for outbound connections on campus and to the internet.
Issues with the current solution. Well, besides paper running out or paper jams, there are several moving parts that all need to workin harmony for the system to run smoothly. Network connectivity can affect the communication between the printing software and the MFD machines. Software bugs with the MFD machines can cause problems if not found and patched. Firewall rules were limited to only specific things needed to only allow connections needed from places needing to be connected. A new way of connecting to OpenLDAP was developed with the help of the UIT Ldap Administrator. Thank you Linda! :)
Future MFDs on the horizon. There seems to be lots of innovation going on in this area right now. A couple of new products not yet fully functional are being tested. Iterate, iterate and more iteration is alive and well not only in Silicon Valley, but at the staff level as well.
A big THANK YOU was given to all the staff members who made this happen. Specifically, Steve Tingley (Networking), Linda Laubenheimer (LDAP), Tracy Neil(CBOARD), Jay Kohn(CBOARD) and Adam Lewenberg (LDAP). All of you ROCK. :)
Several folks in the audience will follow up with Thomas.
More info can be found at the COP(Communities of Practice site referenced above) and / or the mailing list. https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/scanning_copying_and_printing
