User Manual Brother MFC-J6955DW BRAdmin Professional 4

• Owner's manual - (English)

• Product Safety Guide - (English)
• Universal Printer Driver Guide - (English)
• Mass Deployment Tool User's Guide - (English)
• BRAdmin Professional 4 User's Guide - (English)
• Open Source Licensing Remarks - (English)
• Channels Supported by Brother Machines for 5 GHz Wi-Fi Networks - (English)

Table of contents

• Overview
• Actions
• Instant Tasks
• Scheduled Tasks
• Task Monitoring
• Application Settings
• Troubleshooting
• Insufficient Access Permissions

Printer User's Guide

Overview

Dashboard

The Dashboard screen appears upon startup and displays information including the status of all managed
devices, information about supplies and if they require replacing, the maintenance information, discovered device status, print volume information, the latest Autoconfigration tasks, and more.

Device

The Devices screen displays device names, status, and other information.
- To create device groups, click New group in the left pane.
- To create smart filters, click New smart filter in the left pane.
- To perform actions or execute tasks, select one or more devices, and then select the action or task you want
from the right pane.

To expand the list of available actions or tasks in the right pane, click Show all

● Tasks
View a list of tasks, in-progress or pending, as well as a log of completed tasks. Select a specific task from the list
to view more information and available actions in the right pane.
● Application Settings
Click in the upper-right to change the application settings and to create or edit task profiles.

Manage Devices

Click Devices in the top menu bar to display the Device list where you can manage your devices.

Discover New Devices

The application updates the Device list upon startup. If you cannot find your target device in the list, do one of the
following:
1. Click the discovery button to run a search for active devices.
2. Click the discovery button's drop-down arrow and select one of the following:
- Discover Devices
To schedule automatic device discovery, configure the schedule settings in Application settings >
Device discovery.
Click Discover devices to add any new network-connected and USB-connected Brother devices to the
device list based on the discovery method and settings.
- Discover Specific Devices
• To find specific devices in the list, enter a keyword in the search box.
• To update the device status, click.
Click Discover specific devices... to add a specific network-connected device (based on its IP or node
name) or USB-connected device (Keyboard Shortcut: Insert).

Group and Filter Devices

Create a device group or filter in the left pane, and then select it to list specific devices:
- Smart filters
Select devices that meet the criteria of the smart filter. Click New smart filter and list the criteria you want in the
Conditions: field, such as model name, serial number, or location. You can also import a specific text file listing
the filtering criteria you want.
- Groups
Select the devices you grouped together. To add a device to an existing group, select the target device and click Add to groups in the right pane.

View Device Status

Select a device or group to view its status and information.
• To check the Toner/Ink volume or for detailed machine information, click Details in the right pane.
• To filter the devices by status, select a status from the drop-down list in the toolbar. All is selected by default.
• To show or hide specific columns, or change their order, click .
• To list available actions and tasks, right-click one or more devices.
• To check the number of devices that require attention or display errors, see the following icons in the lower right:

Perform Actions and Tasks

Select one or more target devices from the Device list, and then select an action or instant task from the right
pane. You can also assign the Device log and Device notification tasks, with creating the profiles if needed.
• To view information about a single device, select it, and then click Details in the right pane.
• The available actions and tasks may vary depending on the selected device.

Actions

Get Device Status

To update the selected device’s status:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Get device status.

Open Web Interface

To customize the device's settings, including security and network settings:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Open web interface.

Add Devices to Groups

To add one or more devices to a group:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Add to groups.
3. Select the target group or groups from the Select groups: field, or create a new group using the New group...
button.
You can also drag and drop devices from the Device list to the target group.

Remove Devices from Groups

To remove one or more devices from a group:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Remove from selected group.
This action may be unavailable if all devices or the devices included in a Smart filter are selected.

Export the Details of Selected Devices

To export the details of the selected devices to a CSV file:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Export to CSV file.
3. Specify the destination folder and file name.
The CSV files list only the items visible in the Device list, according to their order.

Delete Devices from the Device List

To delete one or more devices from the device list:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Delete from device list. (Keyboard Shortcut: Delete).
3 Actions

Instant Tasks

Perform the following Instant tasks by right-clicking the device and selecting the task you want or by selecting the device and using the right pane:
• Unlike scheduled tasks, Instant tasks take immediate effect. For more information, see 5 Scheduled Tasks.
• (Network-Connected Devices only) You must have the selected device's password to perform an instant
task.
• If an instant task is unavailable for the selected machine, it may not be supported.

Password Settings

1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Password settings.
3. Do one of the following:
Change the default login password
a. Select the Set a password for unconfigured devices radio button.
b. Type the password you want in the New password: and Confirm new password: fields.
Change the current password
a. Select the Change device password radio button.
b. Type the current password in the Current device password: field.
c. Type the new password in the New password: and Confirm new password: fields.
4. Click Apply.
If the “Already set” error occurs, the password has already been used. Try a different new password.
Avoid using the following passwords as your administrator password:
• access
• initpass
• The "Pwd" located on the back of your machine

Update Device Firmware

1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Update firmware.
3. Select the Update to the latest version. check box.
4. Type the Device password: for password-protected devices.
5. Click Start.
If the latest firmware is available, the application downloads it and updates the target device's firmware
automatically.
To check for the latest firmware version without automatically updating it, clear the Update to the latest
version. check box.

Reboot Devices

1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Reboot device.
3. Type the Device password for password-protected devices.
4. Click Reboot device.

Edit Device Settings

To edit device settings, do the following:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Edit device settings.
3. Type the Device password.
4. Specify the settings you want:
- Boot method (network-connected devices only)
- Node name (network-connected devices only)
- Location
- Contact
- New device password (network-connected devices only)
5. Click Apply to save the settings.

Activate Custom Software Solutions

A valid license file is necessary for this task. A license file can contain many activation codes, allowing solutions to
be activated on many devices simultaneously. You can send license files to activate custom software solutions on
the target devices. If you do not have one, contact your local Brother office.
1. Select one or more devices and click Manage Solutions.
2. Type the Device password, if needed.

3. Do one of the following:
If you have a license file: Select the License file: radio button, and then type the file name in the field below, or
click the Browse... button to select the license file.
If you have license codes: Select the License code (20 digit number): radio button, and then type the license
codes in the field below.
Multiple codes can be entered, one license code per line.
4. Click the Browse... button next to the Save the result file to: field and specify where to save the result file.
You can also copy and paste folder paths into this field.
5. Click Apply.

Send Files to Devices

To send a file to the target device (for example a PRN or EDPK file), do the following:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Send file.
3. Type the Device password, if needed.
4. Specify the file to send to the target device.
5. Click Send.
To send device settings files such as EDPK files, a device password is required.

Back up Settings

To save the settings of the target device as a DPK file, or an encrypted EDPK file, do the following:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Back up settings in the right pane.
3. Click the Browse... button next to the Save to: field and specify where to save the backed-up settings file. You can also copy and paste folder paths into this field.

4. In the Backup setting items: field, select either All, or Selected: to specify the necessary items.
5. Select the Exclude check box to not include the device-specific settings, such as the IP address, node name,
in the backed-up file if needed.
6. Click Back up.
• Do not change the file name if you want to deploy the backup file via a USB flash drive.
USB deployments require a specific file name format.
• To perform this task, a device password is required.

Reset Network Settings

To reset your network settings, do the following:
1. Select one or more devices.
2. Click Reset network settings.
3. Select the network settings you want to reset to their default values. For example:
- IP address
- Node name
- Location
- Contact
4. Type the Device password, if needed.
5. Click Reset.

Scheduled Tasks

Device Log

Retrieves the Device log, which includes information such as page count, device status and supplies information (log entry items), sends the device log via email or saves the log file in a specific destination folder according to the predetermined schedule.

Device Notification

Monitors the target device by periodically retrieving its status. If there are any errors or changes in status, the
application sends error and change notifications via email.
One email per device or status change is sent.

Device List

Retrieves the device information in the Device list, sends the device list information via email or saves it to the file
in a specific destination folder according to the predetermined schedule.

Device Master Settings

Monitors the target device periodically and recovers the device's specific settings if settings are accidentally
changed. (Available for the models that support JSON schema files.)
To always update the device's firmware automatically, select the Update to the latest firmware check box.

Assign Device Log/Device Notification Profiles

To perform the Device log/Device notification tasks, assign a task profile to one or more devices.
1. Select one or more devices from the Device list. The right pane appears.
2. Click Settings from either the Device log or Device notification menu.
3. Select the profile you want to assign from the Profiles: field.
Before clicking Apply, you may need to do the following:
• If there is no profile available, or if you want to edit the profile you selected, click Edit. Then, you can
create a new profile or edit the selected profile in Application settings.
• If a message appears indicating that the email server settings are not configured, or if you want to edit
already-configured email server settings, click Email server settings. You can configure the settings in
Application settings.
4. Click Apply.

Task Monitoring

To monitor the status of active tasks and check the results of completed tasks, click Tasks in the top menu bar.
The following task categories are listed in the left pane:
- Instant tasks
- Device log
- Device notification
- Device list
- Device master settings
- Autoconfiguration
The number displayed next to each task category indicates the number of active tasks.

Check the task Status

To display the tasks and their status, select a task category in the left pane. The information displayed may vary
depending on the task type.
To display task properties and actions in the right pane, select a task from the Task list.
The application uses the following notification icon colors:
- Blue: A new task has been created
- Orange: An error has occurred
• To filter the tasks in the Task log by status, select the status from the Task log drop-down list.
• To search for a task in the Task log, enter its keyword in the search box.
• The notification icon and footer area indicate whether you have a newly created task. The footer also
indicates whether an Action is ongoing or completed and if an error has occurred.

Monitor Tasks

To monitor, stop, or retry Instant tasks, click Instant Tasks and then do one of the following:
1. Select an active task in the Current task field and click one of the following in the right pane:
• Details: Check the task’s status and details.
• Stop: Stop the task.
2. Select a completed or interrupted task in the Task log field and click one of the following in the right pane:
• Details: Check the status of completed tasks or try to perform a task again if it was interrupted by an error.
• Delete: Delete a task.
To manage tasks, click Device log, Device notification, Device list, or Device master settings and then do one
of the following:
1. Select an active or inactive task profile in the Current task field and click one of the following in the right pane:
• Settings: Display and edit the task’s settings.
• Send test Email: Send a test email.
• Deactivate/Activate: Deactivate active tasks or activate inactive tasks.
• Run now: Run the task immediately.
2. Select a completed or interrupted task profile in the Task log field and click one of the following in the right
pane:
• Details: Check the status of completed tasks.
• Open application log: Check the task details.
• Delete: Delete the selected Task log item.

Autoconfiguation

Use this task to find devices that meet the set criteria and automatically configure them (for example, Password settings and Update firmware). You can also schedule discovery by selecting a specific day and time.
Unlike the other profiles created in Application settings, the Autoconfiguration profiles are created by opening
the Tasks screen, and then clicking New autoconfiguration task....
You can monitor the existing Autoconfiguration tasks in the Tasks screen.

To create a new autoconfiguration task, do the following:
1. Select Autoconfiguration in the left pane.
2. Click New autoconfiguration task....
3. To change the default task name, type the new autoconfiguration name in the Task name: field.

4. Specify the target devices or their discovery criteria. Click of the Target: field, and then do one of the
following:

• To use the filtering criteria of the Smart filter, click Smart filter... (For more information, see 2.2 Group and
Filter Devices.)
• To specify the discovery criteria, select Model name..., Node name..., IP address..., Serial number..., or
MAC address.... You can then import a list of the criteria exported from BRAdmin Professional 3/4 by
clicking Import....
5. Specify the timing for applying in Trigger.
You can specify as “At the time of discovery” or any time in the “Time specification”.
• If you select the “Time specification”, the Device discovery settings becomes grayed out.
• If you select the “At the time of discovery” and have not configured the Device discovery settings, the
Scheduled discovery is not configured. This task works only by manual discovery. message appears.
Click Device discovery settings and configure the schedule.
(For more information, see 7.2 Configure the Device Discovery Settings.)
6. Assign tasks for the target devices in the Set automation flow... field.
- To add tasks or actions: Click Set automation flow....
- To change the current tasks or actions: Click Edit.
7. Click Create.
To delete the specified setting items, select them and click .
To monitor the autoconfiguration tasks, click Autoconfiguration and then do one of the following:
1. Select an active or inactive task profile from the Current task field, and click one of the following in the right pane:
- Settings: Display and edit the task’s settings.
- Deactivate/Activate: Deactivate active tasks or activate inactive tasks.
- Delete: Delete the selected task.
- Run now: Run the selected task immediately.
2. Select a completed or interrupted task profile from the Task log field and click one of the following in the right
pane:
- Details: Check the details of unsuccessful tasks.
- Delete: Delete the selected Task log item.

Application Settings

Application settings allow you to create and edit task profiles. You can also configure settings within the BRAdmin Professional application.
Click to open the Application settings window.

Configure the Device Discovery Settings

General

To modify the general application settings, select General:
- Change Language
From the Language: drop-down list, select the language you want to use.
- Update Device Status
Configure the settings in the Device status refresh: field to automatically update the device status. Select the
Automatically update check box and set the frequency in the Specified period: menu.
Click OK to close the Application settings screen.

Configure the Device Discovery Settings

To discover one or more devices, configure the Device discovery settings:
Discovery Method Tab
The Discover devices and Discover specific devices... functions work based on these settings.

- To search for devices on your network
Select the IP broadcast: check box or the IP unicast: check box in the Network: menu. Click of the field you selected to specify the addresses you want.
- To search for devices on a different local network Select the Agent broadcast: check box in the Network: menu. The feature uses the agent software called BRAgent. Click to enter the Agent’s IP address: or the Agent’s node name: field.
- To search for USB-connected Brother devices
Select the USB: check box.

BRAgent runs on a computer that is on a different local network than the computer you are using. It discovers
devices and then passes the discovery results to BRAdmin Professional 4.

Discovery Schedule Tab
To perform Device discovery regularly, configure both Discovery method and Discovery schedule.
Discover device upon application startup is enabled by default. If the Device list shows no devices upon the
application startup, the application automatically discovers the devices.

1. Click of the Schedule: field to set the schedule.
2. Click OK.
3. Click OK to close the Application settings screen.
• To edit the setting items specified by + of each field above, select the item and click .
• To delete the setting items specified by + of each field above, select the item and click.

Configure the Network Settings

To configure the Network settings, do the following:
1. Click the SNMP tab.
2. Select one of the options from the SNMP version: menu.
3. Configure the settings of the selected option.
4. Click the Proxy tab (the default setting is Auto).
5. (Optional) Select Manual:, specify the items in the Server name:, Port:, User name:, and Password: fields.
6. Click OK to close the Application settings screen.

Configure the Email Server Settings

To receive notifications/files via email for the Device log, Device notification, and Device list tasks, configure the
Email server settings for the application.
1. Configure the SMTP settings in the SMTP server address:, Authentication Method:, and SMTP over SSL/
TLS: menus.
2. Click OK to close the Application settings screen.

Secure the Application with a Password

To specify or change the password for this application, do one of the following:
- To set this application to require the password upon startup
Select the Request a password at application startup check box. Set the password in the Password setting
window.
- To change the current password
Click Password setting and type the password you want in the Current password: and the New password: fields.
- To set this application to require no password upon startup
Clear the Request a password at application startup check box.
Click OK to close the Application settings screen.

Device Master Settings

1. Click + of the Profiles: field to open the Profile settings screen.
• To edit the settings of an existing profile, select the profile from the Profiles: field, click , and then
change the setting items you want.
• To delete an existing profile, select the profile from the Profiles: field and click .
2. Type the profile name in the Profile name: field if you want to change the default profile name.
3. Type the password in Device password: field.
4. To always update the device's firmware automatically, select the Update to the latest firmware check box.
5. Type the setting file name you want in Settings file: or click the Browse... button to specify the setting files.
6. Specify the Schedule: as Every day or Weekly:.
7. Specify the Starting time:.
8. Click OK to close the Application settings screen.

Create a Device Log Profile

1. Click of the Profiles: field to open the Profile settings screen.
• To edit the settings of an existing profile, select the profile from the Profiles: field, click , and then
change the setting items you want.
• To delete an existing profile, select the profile from the Profiles: field and click .
2. Type the profile name in the Profile name: field if you want to change the default profile name.
3. Click + of the Schedule: field.
4. The Schedule setting window appears. Select the specific time, day, or period you want.
5. Configure the settings in the Send/Save log tab.
• To receive the log via email, select the Send Email: check box.
• Click + of the Destination address (To): field to type the email address to which the device log is sent.
• Type the sender address in the Sender address (From): field.
• Type the subject of the email in the Subject: field if you want to change the default subject.
• To save device log files, select the Save a file: check box to specify the destination folder.

6. Click the Log file tab.
• Type the log file name in the Log file name: field if you want to change the default log file name.
• Select log entry items you need from the Information contained in the log file: options.
• Select the file format from the File format: drop-down list and type the data format in the Date format: field.
7. Click OK to close the Profile settings screen.

• To include the computer’s name in the log file name, include the “%PCNAME%” string in the Log file name: field.
• To include the date in the “yyyy-MM-dd_HHmm” format in the log file name, include the “%DATE%”
string in the Log file name: field.
• A log file name can contain both the computer name and the date. Example: If your computer’s name is
“AAA”, the “machinelog_%PCNAME%_%DATE%” string produces the “machinelog_AAA_2019-08-
21_1113” file name.
• The available log entry items may vary depending on your target devices.

8. Click OK to close the Application settings screen.

Create a Device Notification Profile

1. Click of the Profiles: field to open the Profile settings
screen.
• To edit the settings of an existing profile, select the profile from the Profiles: field, click , and then change the setting items you want.
• To delete an existing profile, select the profile from the Profiles: field and click .
2. Type the profile name in the Profile name: field if you want to change the default profile name.
3. Click of the Destination address (To): field to type the email address to which the notification is sent.
4. Type the sender address in the Sender address (From): field.
5. Select the language from the Language: drop-down list.
6. Select the errors you want to be notified of.
7. (Optional) Select the Send an e-mail when the problem is resolved check box at the bottom of the list.
8. Click OK to close the Profile settings screen.
9. Specify the notification frequency in the Specified period: field.
10. Click OK to close the Application settings screen.

Create a Device List Profile

1. Type the file name in the File name: field if you want to change the default file name.
2. Click of the Schedule: field to set the schedule for acquiring the list.
3. To receive the list via email, select the Send Email: check box.
• Click of the Destination address (To): field to type the email address to which the list is sent.
• Type the sender address in the Sender address (From): field.
• Type the subject of the email in the Subject: field if you want to change the default email subject.
4. To save the device list files, select the Save a file: check box to specify the destination folder.

• To include the computer’s name in the file name, include the “%PCNAME%” string in the File name: field.
• To include the date in the “yyyy-MM-dd_HHmm” format in the file name, include the “%DATE%” string in the File name: field.
• A file name can contain both the computer name and the date. Example: If your computer’s name is “AAA”, the “machinelog_%PCNAME%_%DATE%” string produces the “machinelog_AAA_2019-08-21_1113” filename.
• To edit the setting items specified by of each field above, select the item and click .
• To delete the setting items specified by of each field above, select the item and click .

Information

The following information of the BRAdmin Professional 4 application is available:
- To check the tool's application log in the case of errors, from the Application log: menu, click Open.
- To view the version information, from the About this application: menu, click Version.
- To check the application version, click Check for software updates. You can update the software if a newer version is available.
- To check the license information, click License.

Back Up and Restore the Application's Settings and Data

To export or import backup files:
• Back Up BRAdmin Professional 4
To use all the settings including the device data and log data of BRAdmin Professional 4:
- To export all the settings and data of this application, click Create backup file of the Back up BRAdmin Professional 4: menu, specify the destination folder of the exported data, and then click Back up.
- To import all the settings and data of this application from an external file, click Import backup file in the Back up BRAdmin Professional 4: menu, select the file, and then click Import.
• Back Up Application Settings
To use the INI files that include only the application settings (without the device/log data) of BRAdmin Professional 4:
- To create an INI file, click Create backup file in the Back up application settings: menu, select the file, and then click Back up.
- To import an INI file, click Import backup file in the Back up application settings: menu, select the file, and then click Import.

Troubleshooting

If You Cannot Discover the Device

For all network connection types
Make sure that:
• Your computer is connected to the network.
• The target device is connected to the network.
• The target device is powered on.
• The discovery has not been interrupted by any security software, or Windows Firewall.
• The target device meets the discovery conditions and criteria.
• The target device is within the reach of the Broadcast packet. If it is not, you may need to try the unicast search, or use the BRAgent software.
For USB-connected devices
Make sure that:
• The target device is using a correct driver.
• The target device is connected to the USB direct interface.
• The target device is not busy.

Insufficient Access Permissions

If BRAdmin notifies you that you cannot access the selected folder due to incorrect permissions, change the BRAdmin Service settings as follows:
1. Open Control Panel, click System and Security, and then select Administrative Tools.
Or, select Windows Administrative Tools from All Apps.
2. Double-click Services.
3. In the Services list, right-click Brother BRAdmin Service, and then select Properties.
4. Click the Log On tab, and then enter your account information in This Account. Make sure the account you use has the following privileges:
• Administrator right of the computer that is used.
• Permission to access the destination folder.
5. When prompted, restart the service and the application.