Understanding Scan Processes

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

A scan process is a rule or set of instructions that define how a document is scanned, where or who it is delivered to on your network, and what users and groups are allowed to apply the rule to their scanned documents. In essence, it automates document workflow.

A scan process is selected by a user at the front panel of a scanner that supports Web Services on Devices (WSD) at the time the document is scanned. The scan process is then run by the scan server and results are displayed to the user at the scanner.

Scanned document processing

A scan process can specify how a document is scanned. Scan settings include image resolution setting, color format setting, and file type. These settings are defined as part of the scan process rules. These settings may also be validated to make sure the settings are compatible with the scanner associated with the particular scan process. Scan settings can be overridden at the scanner by a user if the scan process is defined as such.

Scanned document delivery

A scan process can specify where scanned document images are sent—to a network shared folder, a Windows SharePoint Web site, to e-mail recipients, or any combination of these.

Active Directory communications

Scan process information is stored in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). When you create a new scan process using the Add Scan Process Wizard, or modify an existing scan process using the Scan Management snap-in, this data is saved in AD DS.

When a user logs on to a WSD-enabled scanner and is authenticated, the allowable scan processes created for that user are retrieved from AD DS and displayed on the scanner front panel.

Security considerations

Scan processes sent from scanners can be run on a scan server that is running in either authenticated mode or unauthenticated mode. In authenticated mode, a server authentication certificate is used to communicate with scanners using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol (HTTPS connection) to encrypt network traffic. In unauthenticated mode, no certificate is used and the scan server will accept unauthenticated scan processes from all scanners.

In the event that a scan server computer fails and the scan server was running in unauthenticated mode and running scan processes from unauthenticated scanners, there will be pending scan processes for the scan server to run on restart. If you restart the scan server and then configure it to run in authenticated mode using the Scan Server Configuration Wizard, the scan server will continue processing unauthenticated scan processes until the scan queue is empty.

Additional references