PrintFactory Application Authentication

Authentication

General

PrintFactory user and product rights consists of 3 levels:
  1. Account : These are global configuration and resources shared over the whole of your company. (for more information see Topology)
  2. Site : Defines the configuration of your installation. When multiple production locations are configured in the Account (your organization), each of them has a site number and site name and a configuration defining which devices are available for production.
  3. User : Specific functions are available depending on the role of the logged-in user. When Access Control is not enabled everybody is an administrator and no log-in per application is required. When it is enabled the functions available are depending on the assigned roles. (for more information see User Rights)
At the start-up of a PrintFactory application the application will try to register itself either at the local Proxy or at the cloud Account. When it fails to register at the previous location (or no local Proxy has been discovered) then you will be asked to specify where to find either the local Proxy or if you're using a remote SmartWorking set-up.

Local/Remote

"Company account" refers to a local Proxy server to which all applications are registered and is being used to connect to the PrintFactory Cloud solution (https://app.printfactory.cloud). In this case authentication is done using your company account and if Access Control is not enabled no futher authentication is required.
"SmartWorking" refers to a set-up where you're working outside of one of the registered sites (for example from home) and a direct connection to the PrintFactory Cloud is made. Authentication is done using your log-in at PrintFactory Cloud (https://app.printfactory.cloud).
In case a RIP or Calibrator application is started the "SmartWorking" option is unavailable as they are required to be used on-premises.

User

When Access Control is enabled for your organization you will need to "Login". Select if you're located in China or outside (Global) and then click the Login button. A webbrowser will be openen and you're requested to log-in to https://app.printfactory.cloud after which you credentials and roles are copied to the application.
This step is not needed when Access Control is not enabled. Doing it anyway will not have side effects or limitations.

Troubleshooting

In case the above dialog appears unexpectedly this usually means that the application could not register itself. There are a few common scenarios listed below:
  1. First time installation
    If the above appears right after PrintFactory has been installed for the very first time then most likely the Software Manager has not been started automatically. By clicking "Cancel" the Software Manager will be started again. If Software Manager does not start automatically go to the application folder and start Software Manager from there.
    The Software Manager will show 2 red crosses to indicate that it failed to connect too. In that case the "Activate" button should be visible underneath the left icon on the screen. Click that button and follow the activation process.


  2. Proxy computer
    Locate the computer where the Proxy has been installed (this is usually the computer where the first installation has been done). Check the following on that computer:
    1. Make sure that the computer is switched on.
    2. Check the Tray icon and right click on it to reveal the menu to see if the service is running (Windows) or click the menu icon to open the menu and see if the service is running (macOS).
       
    3. On Windows check the TaskManager > Services tab and make sure the service named "LicenseServer" has status "Running".
    4. On macOS start Activity Monitor. Select "All Processes" from the View menu and see if "LicenseServer" in the list of processes in the CPU tab.
    5. Check the file C:\Users\Public\Hub\Logs\LicenseServer.log (Windows) or /Users/Shared/Hub/Logs/LicenseServer.log (macOS) to see if the service in started or stopped state.

  3. Workstation
    On the computer where application is failing to start check the following:
    1. Try to Ping the computer hosting the Proxy to ensure it is reachable. If not you might want to temporarily switch off all firewalls and malware protection on both the Proxy computer as the Workstation computer and see if this resolves the issue.
    2. Enter the IP address of the Proxy computer in Software Manager by clicking the "Settings" button. Make sure to use an IP address in the format x.x.x.x and not a DNS name. If the Proxy computer and the Workstation computer are the same enter 127.0.0.1 as IP address.
    3. If the Proxy computer and the Workstation computer are the same and the "Activate" button shows it might be that the initial installation was not succesfully completed. Then try activating the license again. In case the "Activate" button does not show you might need to quit Software Manager and start it again.
  1. Outside the factory
    In case you are not in your factory where the Proxy computer is hosted then switch to SmartWorking, which is an option if you are enjoying the Connect plan. This allows you to work with Editor or Layout from remote locations. Select SmartWorking and click "Login".

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