Performing a Laptop Test for Device and Server Testing

What is a Laptop Test?

A laptop test is a method to check whether an issue is caused by the device, the network, or the PaperCut MF Application server.

You temporarily use a spare laptop as a PaperCut MF Application server and and observe if the problem you are troubleshooting follows to the laptop server or not.

When should you use it?

This can be a very effective troubleshooting process, here are some examples of when to use it:

• An embedded MFD won’t integrate or keeps showing errors.
• Integrated scanning or scan-to-email/folder is failing on a device.
• You want to remove the network as a source of the problem.
• Only some devices are having problems, or behavior is inconsistent.
• You suspect your server is corrupt or damaged, and want to test if a fresh install resolves the problem.

What you need

• A spare laptop (Windows, macOS, or Linux) on the same network as the MFD.
• The same version of PaperCut MF that runs on your main server.

How to perform a Laptop Test (Step-by-Step)

1. Install PaperCut MF on the laptop

   • Install the same PaperCut MF version as your production server.
   • You can use a trial license if this is a test system.

2. Connect the laptop to the device’s network

   • Plug the laptop into the same network/VLAN as the MFD.
   • If needed, you can even connect it directly to the printer’s network port for an isolated test.

3. Add the device in PaperCut MF on the laptop

   • Log in to the PaperCut MF admin console on the laptop.
   • Add the test MFD as a PaperCut MF device and complete the embedded setup for that brand (HP, Sharp, Kyocera, etc.).

4. (Optional) Create a simple test user and scan action

   • Create an internal user in PaperCut MF for testing.
   • Create a basic scan action (e.g. Scan to Email or Scan to Folder) to test integrated scanning if that’s where the issue is.

5. Test from the device

   Examples of what to test:

   • Login & home screen – can the device connect to the laptop’s PaperCut MF server?
   • Print release / secure print – if relevant.
   • Integrated scanning / scan to email / scan to folder – especially if that’s where the problem is.

How to interpret the results

• If the laptop connects and everything works:
  • The issue is likely with:
    • Your main PaperCut MF server configuration, or
    • Network/firewall/SSL/certificate settings between the device and the main server.
• If the laptop cannot connect or shows the same error:
  • There may be:
    • A device configuration or firmware problem, or
    • A compatibility issue with that model/firmware.

The results in either case gives your PaperCut Partner or PaperCut Support a clear direction for next steps.