A device is on the network and printing normally, but it does not appear in Web Admin under Devices, then View devices.
How Print Tracker Discovers Devices
Print Tracker uses SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) to find and identify printers. The install scans every IP address in its configured scan range and sends an SNMP request to each one. A device that does not answer SNMP will not be discovered, or will appear with only partial information.
That gives you two things to verify: the install is looking in the right place, and the device is answering when asked.
Start Here: Run a Network Topology Scan
The topology scan tells you which of the two problems you have, so run it before changing any settings.
Using the sidebar, click Installs, then View installs.
Click the install to expand the row, then open Network Topology.
Enter the device's IP address and run the scan.
When the scan completes, the results show whether each IP address:
returned a PING
returned SNMP over port 161
has a detected embedded web server
returned SNMP data confirming it is a printer or copier
Read the result like this:
Result | What it means and where to go |
PING passes, SNMP fails | The device is reachable but SNMP is the problem. Go to SNMP is not answering. |
PING fails | The install cannot reach the device at all. Go to The install cannot reach the device. |
SNMP passes but the device never appears in View devices | The IP is probably outside the scan range, or the device is not being identified as a printer. Check the scan range, then contact support. |
Device appears but with no make or model | See Device Identified as "printmib". |
Cause 1: The IP Is Not in the Scan Range
This is the most common cause. If the install's scan range does not include the device's network segment, the device is never asked in the first place.
Using the sidebar, click Installs, then View installs.
Click the install to expand the row and open the Settings tab.
Expand Network discovery and check IP addresses to scan.
Add the device's IP address or subnet if it is missing, then click Save settings.
Saving the setting does not scan immediately. To get the device in now, run an on-demand scan: go to Devices, then View devices, and click Scan for devices. See Discovering and Managing Devices for the full procedure and the supported address formats.
Cause 2: SNMP Is Not Answering
If PING passes and SNMP fails, work through these in order.
Check SNMP on the device itself
Open the device's embedded web server by entering its IP address in a browser from a machine on the same network, then find the network or security settings and confirm:
SNMP is enabled. Devices normally have SNMP v1, v2c, or v3 available.
For v1 or v2c, the community string matches what Print Tracker is configured to use. Community strings are often left blank or set to
public.The SNMP port is set to 161.
If you cannot reach the device's web page or lack admin credentials, the customer's IT team will need to make this change.
Check SNMP settings in Print Tracker
Installs normally inherit SNMP settings from their parent entity. A mismatch between the entity, the install, and the device is a frequent cause of failure.
Go to Installs, then View installs, expand the install, and open Settings.
Expand the SNMP section.
Confirm the community string matches the device exactly. It is case-sensitive.
If the device uses SNMP v3, there are more fields to match and some manufacturers require a context name. See SNMP v3 Configuration and Troubleshooting.
If it is only a single device having an issue, make sure that the device specific settings were not custom configured by heading to Go to Devices, View devices, expand the device, and open Settings.
Increase the SNMP timeout
A timeout that is too low makes a slow device look like a device that is not there.
Most devices return SNMP v1 or v2c data within a 1000 ms timeout.
Some devices are slow to respond, especially over SNMP v3. In those cases raise the timeout to 3000 ms.
Check for firewall blocks on UDP port 161
SNMP uses UDP port 161. If the install host and the device are on different network segments, confirm with the customer's IT team that:
Routing between the two segments is in place.
No ACL, firewall rule, or VLAN policy blocks UDP 161 between the install host IP and the device subnet.
Cause 3: The Install Cannot Reach the Device
If PING fails, the install has no path to the device. Common reasons:
The device is powered off or in a deep sleep state.
The device is not connected to the network.
Device or network security is blocking communication.
The device is on a different segment with no route from the install host.
The device's IP address changed. See Device IP Address Changed.
Confirm the basics first: the device is powered on, connected, and you can load its embedded web server page from a machine on that network.
Also confirm the install itself is online. An offline install cannot scan anything, and a queued scan will not run until it comes back. See DCA Offline or Checking In Late.
Model-Specific Notes
Ricoh, Savin, and Nashuatec: these usually require an SNMP context name of
GWNCS. Using a different context such asJetdirectwill cause SNMP to fail on Ricoh-platform hardware.HP: devices on the JetDirect firmware stack often require the context name
Jetdirect.Sharp: commonly uses
mfpdirect.Konica Minolta bizhub: older models may control SNMP v1/v2c and SNMP v3 separately in the device admin interface. Make sure the version you are using is enabled.
Lexmark and Toshiba: allow a custom or preferred context to be set on the device, so check the device configuration rather than assuming a default.
Devices behind a Fiery print server: the Fiery controller answers SNMP instead of the print engine, which changes what is reported. See Device Identified as "printmib".
Contacting Support
If the device passes SNMP in the topology scan but still does not appear as a discovered device, contact Print Tracker support with the device make, model, serial number, and IP address, plus a screenshot of the topology scan results and the name of the install and entity.