How to improve the strength of your Edge Mesh

Help! I’m an administrator, I see this warning on my Edge Mesh, what should I do?!

You probably saw this message:

“The edge mesh is like a team. It’s strongest with at least 3 nodes. Invite users for their computers to join.”

And now, you’re wondering what it meant!

We’ll guide you through what it means and what you can to improve your ‘Edge Mesh’.

What is an Edge Mesh?

First, let’s talk about Edge Nodes. Edge Nodes work together to keep print jobs secure and safe. Edge nodes do the following: securely hold encrypted print jobs waiting for release, monitor the status of a printer, support mobile printing, check on your printer’s health, and toner levels. A collective group of Edge Nodes is what makes your Edge Mesh, they are the core of your system, the more you have, the stronger your mesh gets!

If you’re interested in learning more about the behind-the-scenes workings of the Edge Mesh and the Edge Nodes, check out the Edge Mesh and Edge Nodes - behind the scenes article!

Edge nodes have 3 tiers:

• Super Nodes
• Standard Nodes
• Passive Nodes

If you want to know what each tier means, go to the Managing your Edge Mesh page in the manual to learn more.

Why do I need at least 3 edge nodes?

Your Standard and Super Nodes play an active role in the local Edge Mesh to work together to keep print jobs secure and safe. An Edge Node may perform tasks like:

Any laptop, or PC makes a good Edge Node. If a Super Node is present on the network, a Standard Node will often sit idle ready to take over in the event of any failure (the edge mesh is a self-healing network). The more nodes present on the network the more load is shared (a self scaling system). To increase resiliency in your system we recommend having at least 3 edge nodes in your system.

How do I improve my Edge Mesh?

I’m glad you asked!

For every user that gets invited to your organization and installs the computer app on their computer, they become part of the Edge Mesh. Once part of the Edge Mesh, this makes your system stronger, as they say - the more, the merrier!

A reliable Edge Node is also important, if your office has a reception PC or an office music PC that don’t shut down they are the best kind of Edge Nodes.

Where can I download an edge node only?

You’ll notice that when you download an installer from your invitation email, it links to your identity when you print. If you just want to strengthen your Edge Mesh you can download the edge node only and even deploy it using scripts or our Microsoft Intune add-on.

To find the edge node only installer or set up instructions:

1. Go to the Edge Mesh page.
2. Click Set up edge node on the top-right corner.
3. Choose your option on how you want to deploy more edge nodes.

Still have a question?

Let us know! We love chatting about what’s going on under the hood. Feel free to leave a comment below or visit our Support Portal for further assistance.

For more information about PaperCut Pocket and Hive, check out the PaperCut Pocket and Hive Help Center.