Print Server & Printer Status
Overview
When monitoring print jobs from the Print Solution Jobs page, you can quickly check whether the physical printer and the computer it is connected to are currently operational. The Printserver Status FactBox, displayed in the side panel of the Print Solution Jobs page, retrieves and displays the live status of the printer and its host computer directly from the print service.
This is useful for diagnosing print failures: if a job is in Error or Sent to Client state and not progressing, the FactBox allows you to immediately verify whether the printer is online and whether the print client computer is connected.
Accessing the Printserver Status FactBox
The Printserver Status FactBox is visible in the side panel of the Print Solution Jobs page whenever a print job is selected. The status information is automatically loaded when you navigate to a job.
The FactBox is also refreshed each time you select a different job in the list.
FactBox Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Computer | The name of the remote computer (print server) associated with the selected print job. |
| Computer State | The current connection state of the print server computer as reported by the print service. |
| Printer | The name of the printer associated with the selected print job. |
| Printer State | The current operational state of the printer as reported by the print service. |
| Status Checked At | The date and time when the status information was last retrieved from the print service. |
| Status Details | Additional information or error messages returned by the print service during the status retrieval. |
State Color Coding
The Computer State and Printer State fields are color-coded for quick visual assessment:
| Color | States | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | online, connected, ready, idle |
The component is operational and available for printing. |
| 🔴 Red | offline, disconnected, error, paused, deleted |
The component is unavailable or in a failed state. Printing will not succeed. |
| 🟡 Amber | Any other value | The state is unknown or could not be determined. |
Behavior When Status Cannot Be Retrieved
If the print service is unreachable, or if the selected print job has no linked printer, the Status Details field will display an explanatory message. In this case, the Computer State and Printer State fields will show as unknown.
Possible messages include:
| Situation | Message Displayed |
|---|---|
| No printer linked to the job | “No printer is linked to this print job." |
| Print service is not available | “PrintNode API is not available." |
| Print Solution Setup is missing | “Print Solution Setup is not configured." |
| Printer not found in print service | “Printer [ID] was not found in PrintNode." |
| Computer status could not be retrieved | “Computer status refresh failed: [error detail]." |
| Printer status could not be retrieved | “Printer status refresh failed: [error detail]." |
Relationship with the Print Job Log
The Printserver Status FactBox complements the Print Job Log by providing real-time infrastructure status alongside the historical job execution record. While the Print Job Log tells you what happened to a print job, the Printserver Status FactBox tells you whether the printer is currently ready to accept new jobs.
For more information on the Print Job Log, see Print Job Log.
Notes for Administrators
- The status shown in the FactBox is fetched on demand each time a job is selected. It always reflects the most current state from the print service.
- The Print Solution Setup must be correctly configured with a valid API key for the FactBox to retrieve live data. If the setup is missing or invalid, the FactBox will display an error message in the Status Details field.
- Connection to the print service is required. If the print service is temporarily unavailable, status information cannot be displayed.