Topics: HP Output Server

HP Output Server introduction

HP Output Server 10th Anniversary CelebrationDazel is the former name for what is now known as HP Output Server (HPOS), part of the HP Output Management suite. Hewlett Packard (HP) bought Dazel Corporation in 2001.

HPOS is an output management system: its task is to centrally manage the output of complete enterprises, whether it is printed output, e-mail, fax, paging, web or file delivery, and so on. It provides a means for cross-platform management of output.

Currently, HPOS is supported on AIX, HP-UX, Sun Solaris, Windows 2000/2003 server and Linux (Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES and Suse Linux Enterprise Server). Also several add-on's are available, such as Output Managers for SAP or Oracle applications.

The most current version of HPOS is version 4.0. Support for versions 3.3 and 3.4 have ended in July 2007. The main difference between versions 3.5 and previous versions is, that version 3.5 uses a MySQL database to store its data, where older versions uses a proprietary flat file database (Velocis).

Version 3.5 of HP Output Server has been released in December 2005. A new accompanying course was also released. Version 3.3 has proven to be a very stable version. Version 3.4.1 was the first version to use MySQL for its database and has known some issues. Most customers have either stayed on version 3.3 or moved to version 3.5. With the release of 3.5, the support for 3.4.1 ended in 2006, and customers were requested to move to version 3.5.

For Windows users client software is available, known as HP Output Envoy. Also, for HPOS system administrators, an extended Envoy package is available, known as HP Output Explorer.

From July 2006 no more service packs will be released. Instead of SP's, Maintenance Releases will be made. This means that these will not only contain fixes, but also new additional functionality and new printer drivers. In March 2006 the Linux Server version was also released for Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 4.0 and Suse Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP2. And in July 2006, a new WebGUI was introduced. First step in this, is to provide for a WebGUI for job management. Later on, the WebGUI will become a full administration GUI for HP Output Server. Probably the Windows HP Output Explorer tool will no longer be needed by then. In July 2006 also a sftp (Secure FTP) destination was made available, besides the already available regular FTP destination.



Advantages of using HP Output Server:

  • Scalability of output management.
  • Central management and monitoring of all output in the enterprise.
  • Reliable delivery of output, including tracking information and confirmation of successfull completion.
  • A single administrator is usually enough for large organizations; without Output Server more staff would be necessary; thus Output Server reduces costs of output management.
  • Requires only one printer driver (Envoy) on a Windows client, which reduces testing efforts.
  • Ability to transform output as required.
  • Configurable to work with Oracle and SAP.
  • Support for many devices, both HP and third-party.
  • Accounting and auditing of output possible.
  • Runs on several operating systems and accepts output requests from a variety of client sources.




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