DevicesCreate a USB Device Connection

You can configure Spectrum to print to a device that is accessible to the Spectrum Application Server via USB. Alternatively, if the device is not accessible to the Spectrum Application Server and if a Remote Site has been defined for that computer, then you can configure Spectrum to print to a device that is accessible to the Remote Site via USB.

Note: In a multi-site deploymentClosed A configuration of a Spectrum environment that includes Spectrum instances located at different sites within the same WAN. In a multi-site deployment, each Spectrum instance acts as either a headquarters or a facility. of Spectrum, device connections can be created only at headquarters. They can be replicated to facilities by using synchronization, and they can be changed at facilities if allowed by the configuration. Remote Sites can be created at both headquarters and facilities to enable the use of a Loftware NiceLabel driver. For more information, see Using a Loftware NiceLabel Driver at a Facility.

To create a new USB device connection, use this procedure.

  1. In Devices Devices, in the ribbon click Add > Device to create a new device.
  2. In the Device Model dialog box, do the following.
    1. Select a Family other than Server.
    2. Select a Model other than Image or PDF.

      ClosedIf your model of device is not listed

    3. Click OK.
  3. In the Connection tab, for Connection Type select USB and configure settings. The available connection types depend on the family and model selected. For more information, see USB Connection Type.
    1. If the device is not accessible to the Spectrum Application Server via USB, for Remote Site browse and select the Remote Site from which the device is accessible via USB. Otherwise, no Remote Site is needed.
    2. For USB Port, click the drop-down list and select the device.
  4. In the Options, Media, and other tabs, configure device family-specific options. For more information, see Device Driver Options.
  5. In the Properties pane, enter a Description of the device.
  6. In the ribbon, click SaveSave and then enter a Device Name in the Save dialog box.

    The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square brackets, ampersands, plus signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name: spaces, double quotation marks, single quotation marks, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents. For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum interprets a name. If you will be installing the Spectrum application on a computer running Windows Server, and transferring data between Spectrum instances, see the "Transferring Spectrum Data in a Compressed File" section of the Loftware Spectrum Data Transfer Guide.

Note: For USB devices connected to Linux operating systems:

  • To allow Spectrum to print to USB devices, you must add the Loftware Spectrum user spectrum that will print to the device to the lp group in Linux.
  • If you move a previously configured USB device to a different USB port, review the device in Devices Devices to verify that the correct USB Port is selected, and then click SaveSave.

Important! Whenever you add a new device, data service, integration, or facility, you must ensure that the service is activated on all Spectrum Application Servers on which it should be available to run and started on at least one. In an environment with only one Spectrum Application Server, these types of services are automatically activated and started when they are created. For more information, see High Availability with Distributed Services.