## Management tools

This chapter introduces management tools provided to help you make full use of your machine.

This chapter includes:

- Introducing useful management tools

- Using the Smart Panel program

- Using the Linux Unified Driver Configurator

## Introducing useful management tools

The programs below help you to use your machine conveniently.

- Using the Smart Panel program.

- Using the Linux Unified Driver Configurator.

## Using the Smart Panel program

The Smart Panel is a program that monitors and informs you of the machine status, and allows you to customize the machine’s settings. For Windows and Macintosh, Smart Panel is installed automatically when you install the machine software.

To use this program, your computer has to meet the following system requirements: Windows. Check that your computer’s CPU, RAM and HDD meet or exceed specification (See System requirements). Mac OS X 10.3 or higher. Check that your computer’s CPU, RAM and HDD meet or exceed specification (See System requirements). Internet Explorer version 5.0 or higher for flash animation in HTML Help. If you need to know the exact model name of your machine, you can check the supplied software CD.

### Understanding Smart Panel

If an error occurs while operating, you can check the error from the Smart Panel.

You can also launch Smart Panel manually. Double-click the Smart Panel icon on the Windows task bar (in Windows). You can also click it on the status bar (in Mac OS X).

Windows |  | Double-click this icon in Windows.
Macintosh |  | Click this icon in Mac OS X.

Or, if you are a Windows user, you can launch it from the Start menu, select Programs or All Programs > Lenovo > your printer driver name > Smart Panel.

If you have already installed more than one Lenovo machine, first select the correct machine model you want in order to access the corresponding Smart Panel. Right-click (in Windows) or click (in Mac OS X) the Smart Panel icon and select your machine. The Smart Panel window and its contents shown in this user’s guide may differ depending on the machine or operating system in use.

The Smart Panel program displays the current status of the machine, the estimated level of toner remaining in each toner cartridge, and various other types of information. You can also change settings.

1 | Toner Level | You can view the level of toner remaining in each toner cartridge. The machine and the number of toner cartridge(s) shown in the above window may differ depending on the machine in use. Some machines do not have this feature.
2 | Buy Now | You can order replacement toner cartridge(s) from online.
3 | User’s Guide | You can view the online User’s Guide.
This button changes to Troubleshooting Guide when error occurs. You can directly open the troubleshooting section in the user’s guide.
4 | Printer Setting | You can configure various machine settings in the Printer Settings Utility window. Some machines do not have this feature.
5 | Driver Setting | You can set all of the machine options you need in the Printing Preferences window. This feature is available only for Windows (See Opening printing preferences).

### Changing the Smart Panel Program Settings

Right-click (in Windows) or click (in Mac OS X) the Smart Panel icon and select Options. Select the settings you want from the Options window.

## Using the Linux Unified Driver Configurator

The Unified Driver Configurator is a tool primarily intended for configuring machine devices. You need to install Unified Linux Driver to use Unified Driver Configurator (See Installing the Unified Linux Driver).

After the driver is installed on your Linux system, the Unified Driver Configurator icon will automatically be created on your desktop.

### Opening the Unified Driver Configurator

1. Double-click the Unified Driver Configurator on the desktop.

   You can also click the Startup Menu icon and select Lenovo Unified Driver > Unified Driver Configurator.

2. Click each button on the left to switch to the corresponding configuration window.

   | Printers Configuration Scanners Configuration Ports Configuration

   To use the on screen help, click Help.

3. After changing the configurations, click Exit to close the Unified Driver Configurator.

### Printers configuration window

Printers configuration has the two tabs: Printers and Classes.

#### Printers tab

View the current system’s printer configuration by clicking on the machine icon button on the left side of the Unified Driver Configurator window.

1 | Switches to Printers configuration.
2 | Shows all of the installed machine.
3 | Shows the status, model name and URL of your machine.

The printer control buttons are as follows:

- Refresh: Renews the available machines list.

- Add Printer: Allows you to add a new machines.

- Remove Printer: Removes the selected machine.

- Set as Default: Sets the current selected machine as a default machine.

- Stop/Start: Stops/starts the machine.

- Test: Allows you to print a test page to ensure the machine is working properly.

- Properties: Allows you to view and change the printer properties.

#### Classes tab

The Classes tab shows a list of available machine classes.

1 | Shows all of the machine classes.
2 | Shows the status of the class and the number of machines in the class.

- Refresh: Renews the classes list.

- Add Class: Allows you to add a new machine class.

- Remove Class: Removes the selected machine class.

### Scanners configuration

In this window, you can monitor the activity of scanner devices, view a list of installed Lenovo machine devices, change device properties, and scan images.

1 | Switches to Scanners configuration.
2 | Shows all of the installed scanners.
3 | Shows the vendor, model name and type of your scanner.

- Properties: Allows you to change the scan properties and scan a document.

### Ports configuration

In this window, you can view the list of available ports, check the status of each port, and release a port that is stalled in a busy state when its owner has terminated the job for any reason.

1 | Switches to Ports configuration.
2 | Shows all of the available ports.
3 | Shows the port type, device connected to the port, and status.

- Refresh: Renews the available ports list.

- Release port: Releases the selected port.

#### Sharing Ports Between Printers and Scanners

Your machine may be connected to a host computer via a parallel port or USB port. Since the machine device contains more than one device (printer and scanner), it is necessary to organize proper access of “consumer” applications to these devices via the single I/O port.

The Unified Linux Driver package provides an appropriate port sharing mechanism that is used by Lenovo printer and scanner drivers. The drivers talk to their devices via so-called machine ports. The current status of any machine port can be viewed via the Ports configuration. The port sharing prevents you from accessing one functional block of the machine device, while another block is in use.

When you install a new machine device onto your system, it is strongly recommended you do this with the assistance of an Unified Driver Configurator. In this case you will be asked to choose I/O port for the new device. This choice will provide the most suitable configuration for machine’s functionality. For machine scanners, I/O ports are being chosen by scanner drivers automatically, so proper settings are applied by default.