Software Update for Your Print Monitoring Agent

The DCA is a small background program installed on a computer at the customer’s location. It checks the printers and copiers on the network and sends the company that manages them (the “print provider”) the information they need to keep supplies stocked and billing accurate: page counts, toner and supply levels, and error alerts. Nobody at the location needs to track or report any of it. 

A recent software update caused some DCAs to stop reporting. Printers are not affected and keep working normally. The DCA just needs a quick update to resume reporting. Until it’s updated, your print provider may not receive new page counts or supply levels. 

The update can’t be sent automatically because the affected DCAs stopped communicating. Someone needs to run it on the computer where the DCA is installed.

Possibly. If you received an email or call from your print provider about this update, the DCA on your computer needs a one-time manual update. Once that’s done, it will resume reporting on its own. If you received (or receive) a call or email asking you to install this update, first confirm it is legitimate (see "How can I confirm that this request is legitimate?").

If your DCA runs on a Mac, a Linux computer, or a small dedicated device, it most likely updated itself, and no action is needed. If you’re not sure what yours runs on, contact your print provider, and they’ll check. 

No. Your printers, network, and other software are unaffected. The only thing that stopped is the DCA’s reporting to your print provider. 

You can do this on your own or with someone on the phone.

• Find the right computer. The email from your print provider names the computer where the DCA is installed, including its host name and IP address. If you’re unsure which one it is, your provider can help you identify it.
• Open the email on that computer and click the download link. Before you click, confirm the email is legitimate (see How can I confirm that this request is legitimate).
• Run the installer. Follow the on-screen prompts. You don’t need to change any settings.
• Done. The DCA will start reporting again automatically. No restart or further action is needed. 

No. Please don’t uninstall or reset the existing DCA. The update installs right over it, and removing it can create extra work later. 

We recommend updating the computer where the DCA is already installed. Installing it on a new computer can create duplicate or “orphaned” agents in the monitoring system. If the DCA needs to move, please contact your print provider first so the move can be handled cleanly. 

Not necessarily. While the DCA isn’t running normally, its small icon may not appear in the Windows system tray. To check whether it’s installed, look in your Program Files folder or in Add or Remove Programs. Your print provider can also confirm. 

Only on computers where a DCA stopped reporting. If your company has several locations with a DCA at each, each one needs the update. Your print provider will tell you which ones. 

• Contact your print provider using a phone number or email you already have, not the details in the message you received.
• Your print provider, or ECI Software Solutions (the maker of the DCA) on your provider’s behalf, may contact you about this update. 
• Neither ECI nor your print provider will ask for passwords, payment, or personal information for this update.
• The update downloads only from an approved domain. Don’t run an installer from any other site. 
  • Printanista
  • PrintFleet
  • FMAudit

The DCA collects technical information about the printers and copiers on the network, such as page counts, supply levels, and error alerts. It doesn’t see the content of documents or print jobs.  

Update files are distributed from regional servers, so the download may come from a location different from yours. This is normal and depends on where the computer is located. Legitimate downloads come only from an approved domain (see How can I confirm that this request is legitimate?).

Yes, when you download it from an approved domain (see How can I confirm that this request is legitimate?) or the link your print provider sends. The update is provided by ECI, the maker of the DCA, and installs over the existing DCA. It doesn’t change your printers, network settings, or other software. The DCA continues to send data over a secure, encrypted connection, and it only reaches out to the monitoring system (nothing connects in to your network). Your firewall settings shouldn’t need to change. 

If you’d like to confirm before installing, contact your print provider using contact details you already have, and they’ll confirm the request and walk you through it. 

The approved domains to download the latest installations are:

• Printanista
• PrintFleet
• FMAudit

Yes. Contact your print provider; they can resend the link or walk you through it over the phone.  

Some download links expire after a set period, and some company email or security settings block downloads. Contact your print provider, who can send a new link another way or help your IT contact allow it. 

Automated emails are sometimes filtered. Contact your print provider, who may send the instructions from their own email address or by another method. 

Contact your print provider, who can contact ECI Support to investigate. Your provider will follow up with you. Please don’t uninstall or reset the DCA in the meantime. 

You won’t see a message on your end. Your print provider can confirm on their side that the DCA is reporting again. 

Information collected before the issue was saved. Once the DCA is updated and back online, it resumes collecting data and will capture your current page counts, device status, and supply levels. Page counts are cumulative, so the first reading after the update includes pages printed while the DCA was offline.  Individual readings from the time the DCA was offline can’t be filled in afterward. For questions about your bill, contact your print provider. 

While the DCA is offline, new supply and status data isn’t reaching your provider. If you’re running low on toner or see an error on a device, contact your provider directly until the update is complete. 

Reach out to your print provider, the company that supplies or services your printers.