Server Architecture

Architecture overview

To operate, Watchdoc needs four Windows services:

  • Watchdoc core running on a print server
  • a directory on a domain controller or other user authentication source (AD, Open LDAP, SQL, CSV file, etc.)
  • a website
  • databases on a SQL server.

 

These four services can be installed on one or more physical devices:

  • stand-alone mode

  • classic mode

  • remote mode (not recommended).

 

In stand-alone mode and in classic mode, the Watchdoc core and the web site are installed onto the same server. (cf.Install Watchdoc kernel and Web Site).

In remote mode, the Watchdoc core and the web site are installed into two separate servers (cf. Install the Watchdoc kernel and Install the Watchdoc web site).

For security reasons, Doxense does not recommend installation in remote mode, which requires port 5744 to be opened.

 

Watchdoc administration and end-user interfaces are fully web based and they are compatible with the following Evergreen browsers:

  • Edge

  • Google Chrome (versions up to 2 years old compared to the Watchdoc version)

  • Mozilla Firefox (versions up to 2 years old compared to the Watchdoc version)

  • Safari.

 

Each component needs to interact with the others, either locally or over the network. When networked, it is important to know what are the necessary ports for proper operation.

Specific Deployments

Watchdoc can be deployed in a Domain configuration, i.e. with a master server and other servers (slaves).

 

Certain parameters defined for the domain's master server can be automatically applied to all the other servers that depend on it (if the Global box is ticked in the master's configuration interface).

 

In addition, the update applied to the master server can be propagated to all the servers that depend on it (via WSC - Supervision Console).

 

Watchdoc allows inter-server on-demand printing when the servers belong to the same domain. Inter-server printing is based on a pool in which configuration data for printing peripherals and user data are shared.

Prerequisites for WEScan

Watchdoc includes WEScan, a new feature that scans from the printer device and sends the scanned document to a specific email address or folder on the network.

 

Saving the scanned document in a shared folder on the network requires an account with read and write permission on the destination folder. This account must :

  • have the property "Log as a service" (so that you can act from outside on the server without having to authenticate himself) ;
  • have a password that never expires.

 

When installing Watchdoc, the access account must be specified in the "Privileged Services options" dialog box to enable WEScan.