The Print Tracker Cube is a simple, inexpensive, and reliable alternative to installing Print Tracker on your customer's computer. Cubes run a proprietary operating system called CubeOS which is designed to run Print Tracker and nothing else. You should consider purchasing a Cube if:
You have a customer that will not allow the installation of Print Tracker on any of their computers.
Your customer utilizes an overzealous antivirus solution that often interferes with Print Tracker.
Your customer takes their computer home at night, puts it into sleep mode or otherwise disconnects it from the network.
You want a more reliable solution that avoids having to troubleshoot offline agents.
The kit includes all the cables and accessories you need to run the device and also includes a desktop application called the Cube Provisioner which allows you to easily configure each device (or many devices) prior to installing them in your customer's network.
Overview
Setting up a Cube is simple. Here is how it works:
Download the Cube Provisioner to your own computer
Connect the Cube to your network (the same network as your computer)
Use the Cube Provisioner to add your customer's datalink code
Unplug the Cube and install it in your customer's network
Getting Started
Step 1: Purchase a Cube
Click here to navigate to the Print Tracker Cube landing page and click the "Place Order" button.
Step 2: Provision the Cube
Whenever possible you should provision and configure the Print Tracker Cube on your network and with your computer, not on your customers network.
The provisioning process is designed to help you easily configure one or more Cubes from your home or office, prior to distributing the Cubes to your customer. To set up and provision a Cube:
Plug in the Cube to power and connect it to your network using the LAN port.
Download the Cube Provisioner and open it on your computer.
Wait for the provisioner to discover the Cube.
Click Register and enter your datalink code.
Optionally specify an SSH password (see security for more details on how SSH is secured). If you do not specify a password, a large random SSH password will be generated, but you will not be able to use it.
Click Register and wait for the Cube to be provisioned.
The Cube will automatically shut down after provisioning is complete.
The provisioning process registers Print Tracker and runs many different first-time setup procedures. This process can take several minutes, however you can provision multiple Cubes at the same time.
Configuration Options
The Cube Provisioner will present you with several configuration options during provisioning:
SSH Password
If specified, your SSH password can be used to connect to the device over SSH during the first 2 minutes after the device boots (after which the SSH server is disabled). If you do not specify an SSH password, a random password is generated and SSH will be inaccessible.
Shutdown after Provisioning
You should leave this option enabled if you're provisioning the Cube on your own network, and intend to deploy it on a customer network in the future. The Cube will automatically scan for devices after it starts up, and you do not want to discover the printers and copiers on your network if the device is intended for a customer network.
Disable this option if you're provisioning it on the customer network, and you intend for the Cube to stay online and start collecting data after provisioning.
CubeOS
CubeOS is a customized Linux distribution, compatible with Print Tracker Cube hardware devices that comes pre-built with the Print Tracker data collection agent, and can be configured over the network with the Cube Provisioner.
Use of CubeOS is subject to terms and conditions described here.
Re-flash CubeOS
Every new Print Tracker Cube comes with the latest CubeOS at the time of your order, but it is highly recommended that if you are resetting or re-provisioning a Cube, that you re-flash the device using the latest version of CubeOS.
To re-flash CubeOS:
Download Balena Etcher, a utility for flashing SD cards.
Insert the SD card into your computer (you may need to purchase an SD card reader)
Open Belena Etcher and under the image, select Flash from URL
Using the Cube Models identification steps, determine which device you have and copy the CubeOS Image URL.
Paste the URL into Balena Etchert's URL field.
Click Select target and find the SD card you inserted into your computer.
Click Flash and wait for the process to complete.
Remove the SD card from your computer and insert it into the Cube.
Connect the Cube to power and verify that it appears in the Cube Provisioner.
Cube Models
Print Tracker has sold various hardware models for the Print Tracker Cube. You may need to be able to identify which model you have when re-flashing CubeOS on the device.
Cube 1
Details |
|
CubeOS Image URL |
This model is suitable for monitoring sites with under 100 printer/copier devices and is identified by any of the following characteristics:
The device has 2x Ethernet ports, and 1x USB-C port.
If you have a Print Tracker serial number sticker, the serial number prefix will contain "C1".
In the Print Tracker webadmin, the install will appear as a hostname of
print-tracker-cubeorprint-tracker-cube-<suffix>.
Cube 2
Details |
|
CubeOS Image URL |
This model is suitable for monitoring sites with under 100 printer/copier devices and is identified by any of the following characteristics:
The device has 2x Ethernet ports, 1x USB-C port, and 1x HDMI port.
If you have a Print Tracker serial number sticker, the serial number prefix will contain "C2".
In the Print Tracker webadmin, the install will appear as a hostname of
print-tracker-cube-c2-<suffix>.
Cube Max
Details |
|
CubeOS Image URL |
This model is suitable for monitoring sites with under 1000 printer/copier devices and is identified by any of the following characteristics:
The device has 2x Ethernet ports, 1x USB-C port, 1x reset button on the rear, and 2x USB3 ports on the front.
In the Print Tracker webadmin, the install will appear with a hostname of
print-tracker-cube-maxorprint-tracker-cube-max-<suffix>.
Security
CubeOS has been designed with security as the top priority. No port forwarding is required and aside from the typical network requirements, no special firewall configurations are required. CubeOS runs the following services in a limited capacity:
Port | Service | Purpose | Limitations |
22 | SSH | Troubleshooting and debugging | SSH server shuts down automatically 2 minutes after boot and becomes inaccessible. |
80 | Print Tracker Data Collection Agent | Status and connectivity test | Only allows initial agent registration, configuration of proxy settings, and connectivity test. |
51301 | Cube Discovery Service | Allows the Cube Provisioner to discover the device on the local network | Disabled after provisioning is complete. |
In addition, the CubeOS kernel has modified device trees which disable device features that aren't necessary including USB and HDMI ports.
Remote Management
CubeOS also ships with a remote management service that allows Print Tracker support staff to perform automated over-the-air updates using a WireGuard-secured SSH connection. In addition to using formally verified, state-of-the-art cryptographic standards, access to this connection is only made available to Print Tracker support staff authenticated using Microsoft SSO with enforced multi-factor authentication.
System Requirements
The Cube has all the same network requirements as a regularly installed data collection agent. Meter reads will not be collected or uploaded when the Cube is not connected to the internet.