You can use Scan Management to administer your domain scan resources from a central location. With Scan Management, you can automate document workflow by creating scan processes, which are a set of rules that specify scan processing and document delivery on your network. In addition, you can monitor scanners on your network and log all scan-related events. You use the Scan Management snap-in to monitor scanners, configure scan servers, and create scan processes.

After you install the required components for Scan Management on a computer running Windows Server 2008 R2, you can do the following:

  • Specify scan settings and monitor Web Services on Devices (WSD)–enabled scanners.

  • Setup and configure scan servers used to communicate with WSD–enabled scanners.

  • Create scan processes. These processes specify user permissions, document scan settings, and delivery of scanned documents on your network.

  • Configure logging to track the use of scan resources and scan events.

Scan Management components

Scan Management includes the following components. All components are installed on a computer running Windows Server 2008 R2.

You must also use WSD–enabled scanners to benefit from Scan Management. TCP/IP scanners are not supported.

  • Print and Document Services role. Using the Add Roles Wizard, you first install the Print and Document Services role using Server Manager. The Print and Document Services role includes four role services—three are required to manage your network print resources and one is required to manage your network scan resources.

  • Distributed Scan Server role service. You next install the Distributed Scan Server role service using the Add Role Services Wizard.

  • Scan Server. After you install the Distributed Scan Server role service, you can use the Scan Server Configuration Wizard later to configure a scan server. Scan servers are used to run scan processes, which are rules that define scan settings and delivery of scanned documents on your network.

  • Scan Management snap-in. Scan Management is the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that is installed with the Distributed Scan Server role service. This snap-in provides a central administration point for managing your WSD–enabled scanners, scan servers, and scan processes for users and groups.

    The Scan Management snap-in is also installed by default on computers running Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise so that you can administer your scan resources remotely.

Scan Management document workflow

The following are the process steps that occur when a document is scanned and delivered on your network. This assumes that a scan server has already been installed and configured, and that you have a WSD–enabled “enterprise” scanner on your network.

  1. Using the Scan Management snap-in, one or more scanners are selected to manage.

  2. Using the Scan Management snap-in, one or more scan processes are created for users and groups.

  3. Scan processes are automatically saved to Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS).

  4. User logs on to a scanner and is authenticated.

  5. Scan processes created for that user to use are loaded from AD DS and displayed on the scanner front panel.

  6. User selects the desired scan process and starts a document scan.

  7. Scanned document and selected scan process information are sent to the scan server.

  8. Scan server runs the scan process the user selected. Scanned document can be sent to a network folder, a Windows SharePoint Web site, to e-mail recipients, or any combination of these.

  9. Scan server logs the results of the scan, and sends notification to the user on the scanner front panel.

  10. If the scan process specified e-mail delivery of a document, user is notified in e-mail that the document was delivered.

Additional resources