Setting Up Edge Agent for Client Printing

and Browser First Display

Article last updated: July 17, 2024 07:12

You can use a standalone Windows-supported browser, such as Google Chrome® or

Microsoft Edge®, for both launching Classic applications (Browser First) and printing
reports on a client printer. You do this by installing Epicor Edge Agent on your machine
and then connecting it to your application server either directly to the local desktop or
remotely to a virtual desktop. Edge Agent connects the web browser client, local
machine, and application server for direct, seamless access to local printers and
Classic applications in the desktop client.

To display Classic applications using the Browser First feature, your Edge
Agent version must be 462 or higher.

You must have administrative rights to install the Edge Agent onto the local device, so
this task is usually is handled by IT personnel. However, your system administrator
may opt for allowing users to download and install Edge Agent themselves assuming
they have administrative rights on their local devices.

This help article documents how to set up the Edge Agent to communicate
with local printers and desktop clients. To learn how to set up Edge Agent
for printing on a network, review the Setting Up Edge Agent for Network
Printing help article.

During this topic, we explore:

• Compatible Operating Systems

• Using Edge Agent with Multiple Application Servers
• Enabling the Edge Agent Download
• Installing the Edge Agent
• Updating Edge Agent
• Client Printing
• Managing Edge Agent
Compatible Operating Systems
Epicor Edge Agent runs on the following combinations of Microsoft® Windows
Operating System and Microsoft® SQL Server:

• Window Server 2016 with SQL Server 2017

• Windows Server 2019 with SQL Server 2017 or 2019
• Windows Server 2022 with SQL Server 2019 or 2022

Epicor Edge Agent also runs on Macintosh® environments using the following
operating systems:

• MacOS 10.15 or higher

While you can print reports using a Macintosh operating system, you
CANNOT launch Browser First applications on a Macintosh. The Browser
First functionality only runs in a Windows environment.

Using Edge Agent with Multiple Application Servers

If you manage Kinetic in an on-premise environment, you might have multiple
application servers running in the Epicor Administration Console. Application servers
that run the same Kinetic version can all use the same Edge Agent version. However if
you run application servers that use a different Kinetic version, you MUST install a
different version of Edge Agent for these application servers.

Enabling the Edge Agent Download

You cannot install the Edge Agent by default. To allow this option, your Security
Manager must enable this feature on the company.

1. Log in to Kinetic as a Security Manager and go to System Setup >

Company/Site Maintenance > Company Maintenance.

2. On the Reporting panel card, select the Allow Edge Agent Installer Download
check box.
 3. Select Save.

Installing the Edge Agent

1. Open a report - for example, Change Log Report, or any other - in the browser
and press Client Print.

If Edge Agent is not installed on your device, the Install Edge Agent panel slides
on.
2. Copy the application server URL to your clipboard; you will need it during
installation:

3. Download the installer.

4. Now launch the installer and press Next.

5. The Release Notes step displays. Review this information so you can review the
release notes after you finish the Edge Agent installation.

6. You can keep the default Edge Agent Configuration settings or you can change
them if you need. After you enter the Agent ID, Agent Name, and Agent
 Location values you will use with this environment, press Next.

By default, all three settings generate by using the local machine

name and the EdgeAgent postfix.

7. On the Edge Agent Installation Mode step, you have two local install options.
Select the option that fits your client environment:
o Local installation - Installs Edge Agent on client machines that directly
access printers, file systems, and other local devices.
o Local installation for virtual desktops - Installs Edge Agent on client
machines that use a virtual desktop to connect to printers, file systems,
and other local devices.
 If you will install Edge Agent using virtual desktops, you MUST
create a virtual directory in your Azure Virtual Desktop
infrastructure.

8.

8. Press Next.

9. On the URL Allow-List Configuration step, link your Edge Agent to the
application server by pasting the URL you copied from the Install Edge Agent
panel. You can add up to four application server connections. Use this feature
 to add server connections for your Test, Pilot, and other environments.

10. When you finish entering the list of URLs, press Next.

11. On the Select Kinetic Client for using Classic UIs in browser step, enter the
local path to the Kinetic executable file, such as Epicor.exe, Kinetic.exe, or a 64
bit counterpart .exe file. This connects the Kinetic browser client with the
Kinetic desktop client. Select the Open File icon.
12. The Open dialog box displays. Go to the client .exe file on your local drive, such
as C:\Epicor\ERP11\ERPXXXX\ClientDeployment\Client\Kinetic.exe.

13. Select the .exe file and press Open.

Use Menu Maintenance to set up which Classic applications you can

launch in the browser client. This feature runs in standalone
Windows-supported browsers such as Google Chrome®, Microsoft
Edge®, or a similar browser application. Learn how to display Classic
applications in the browser client by reading the Configuring
Browser First Menu Items help article.

14. The Client #1 field now displays the path and .exe file name. Repeat steps 10-13
to select the path to the .exe files for each application server you entered on the
URL Allow-List Configuration step.

15. When you finish entering the client .exe files, press Next.
16. On the following Ready to Install screen, press Next to start the installation.
 17. Once the process is complete, press Finish to close the installer.

This installs both the Epicor Edge Agent to your local machine and the Epicor Edge
Agent icon in your Windows desktop tray.

Updating Edge Agent

When you receive a notification that Edge Agent was updated, you need to download
and install it again using the steps in the Downloading Edge Agent Installer article. The
new installer automatically overwrites the existing files but keeps your settings.

Update the Edge Agent version within the browser:

1. Go to a report within the system, such as the Sales Order Backlog Report.
 2. Select the Printer icon. The Install Edge Agent panel slides on.

3. If you have not installed the current Edge Agent on your system, select the
Download link and follow the steps in the previous section. Then select
Connect.

4. If the current Edge Agent is installed, select Continue with current version.
This links the current Edge Agent version with the system.

Client Printing
You can now use client printing in your reports that you open in a standalone browser.
Print them on any printer connected to your local machine - for example:

Managing Edge Agent

You manage how Edge Agent runs, troubleshoot issues, and add printers by accessing
the Epicor Edge Agent icon on the desktop tray.

1. Go to the Windows Toolbar. Usually this toolbar is at the bottom of your

desktop.

2. Select the Up Arrow (Show Hidden Icons) to see all the applications installed in
this tray.
3. Right-click the Epicor Edge Agent icon to display a context menu:
4. Select the Open Edge Agent diagnostics page to test the available printers and
review the Edge Agent information:
5. Use the buttons to Get default printer, Get all printers, Print test pdf, and
Print test image.

6. Change the printer you want to test. Go to the Available Printers list and select
the printer.

7. You can review the diagnostics log for Edge Agent. Return to the Windows Tray
and right-click the Edge Agent icon to display the context menu. Select Open
Edge Agent logs folder.

8. The File Explorer opens the [User Name] > AppData > Local > Epicor > Edge
Agent > logs > [Year] > [Date] folder.

9. Select the Edge Agent log you want to review.

10. If you install or remove a printer, go to the Edge Agent context menu and select
Refresh printer list.

If you change the default printer in Company Maintenance, be sure

you refresh the printer list. This updates the browser. Edge Agent
will then print documents using the current printer list.

11. You can also use this context menu reset the Edge Agent. End the current
session by selecting Stop Edge Agent.

12. Resume the Edge Agent by selecting Restart Edge Agent.