The default archive storage location is [app-path]/server/data/archive. Reasons for
changing this location may include:
Allowing site servers and secondary print servers to archive to a common location.
Storage restrictions on the drive where PaperCut is installed.
You want to exclude the archive from your backups.
Note
For performance and security reasons using a local disk on the primary server as the storage location is recommended. If a remote network location such as a SAN device is intended to be used, we'd recommend a low-level drive mount such as iSCSI or better if possible. The server must have a reliable connection to the storage.
On a Windows server, if the desired location is accessible only via a UNC path, some additional security
configuration will be required. By default the PaperCut Application Server
and the PaperCut Print Provider services run under the SYSTEM account.
This account is restricted and does not have remote network drive access. You'll need to change
the Log On account assigned both services to one which has
full read/write access to the remote location. The change should only be considered and performed by an
experienced Windows server administrator.
Important
If you have existing archived spool files you wish to move to the new location, it is recommended to perform this process at a period of low printing activity.
To change the location:
Create the new directory in the desired location, e.g.
D:\print-archive. (If the PaperCut Application Server is running in a cluster this directory must be accessible by all cluster nodes. See Chapter 28, Clustering and High Availability.)Ensure the
PaperCut Application Serverservice will have read and write access.Log into the PaperCut admin interface.
Navigate to → → .
Search for the key
archiving.path.Enter the new path (e.g.
D:\print-archive).Click the button to the right of the value.
Navigate to the Options page and verify the Archive status.
A
README.txtfile should now appear in the top level of the location.Consider copying any existing archived content from the previous archive location. If existing content is not copied, job previews will no longer appear for historical print jobs.
The print provider component needs to know the new location. To set this location:
Open Notepad (or your preferred text editor) with Administrator rights.
Open the file located at
[app-path]/providers/print/win/print-provider.conf.Locate the line:
ArchiveDir=and change the value to point to the new location set up in Phase 1. For example:
ArchiveDir=D:\print-archiveNote: if you have upgraded from an older version you may need to add the
ArchiveDir=option to theprint-provider.conf.Save the file.
Restart the print provider service.
Note: If you have multiple print servers, repeat this on any other secondary print server or site server, as outlined in the section called “Setting up Secondary Print Servers or Site Servers”.
The print archive can potentially grow to a large size and this can have implications for your backup planning. You have various options around archive backup:
You can opt to to fully backup the directory using your backup solution of choice, provided you have sufficient capacity.
You can opt to not backup the directory at all. PaperCut will be resilient to a restoration with an empty archive directory.
You can opt to back up part of the directory. For example the current month only. PaperCut will be resilient to a restoration with a partially constructed archive directory. There is a
README.txtin the archive directory that explains more about partial backups and the directory structure layout.
The setup described previously was for the common case where the PaperCut application is installed on a single server. The secondary print server (or a site server's print server), as explained in Chapter 19, Configuring Secondary Print Servers and Locally Attached Printers, is responsible for managing the contents of the print jobs printed via a server other than the primary server. If Print Archiving is enabled, the secondary server must also participate and facilitate archiving.
In larger print environments it is common to have multiple PaperCut secondary servers located on various machines across the network. In this case Print Archiving can still be used, however this is an advanced setup procedure and will require additional planning and implementation time.
To support the central tracking and viewing of print archives, all spool files need to be transferred across
to the primary application server's central archive directory. Each secondary server needs to be correctly
configured with write access to this central archive directory. This will require running the
PaperCut Print Provider service under an account with write access to this
directory.
One consequence of this approach, designed to simplify the management of archives, is that it increases bandwidth requirements because all print archives are transferred across the network to the application server. The impact of this will depend on your specific environment, e.g. number of print jobs, network setup, PDL used, etc. As such you may need to monitor and experiment before a large scale deployment of this feature.
The process to set up a secondary server under Print Archiving involves four key phases. Before undertaking this process you should ensure that the secondary print server or site server is operating correctly for standard print tracking. The following section documents configuring secondary servers on the Windows operating system.
By default the PaperCut Print Provider service running on the secondary
server(s) operates under a limited rights account called SYSTEM. This account does not have access to
network resources and hence can't access the file system on the primary PaperCut server. You'll
need to create a new service account and set the service to Log On as this account:
Create a new domain account with access to the share on the primary server and full management rights of print spooler on the local machine. An appropriate name may be
svc-papercut.Set the new account's password to never expire.
The secondary server needs the ability to copy print jobs into the central archive. You must first share the central archive folder. On Windows, assuming the archive directory is the default, the procedure would be:
Open Explorer and navigate to
[app-path]/server/data/.Right-click on the
archivedirectory and select → .Share the directory with a name
print-archive.Ensure the service account created in Phase 1 has full read/write access.
Ensure all other non-Administrator users do not have any access.
Click .
The secondary server needs to know the location of the recently shared central archive directory. To set this location:
Log on to the secondary print server or site server as an administrator.
Open Notepad (or your preferred text editor) with Administrator rights.
Open the file located at
[app-path]/providers/print/win/print-provider.conf.Locate the line:
ArchiveDir=and change the value to point to the UNC share name set up in Phase 2.For example:
ArchiveDir=\\my-primary-server\print-archiveNote: If you have upgraded from a previous version you will need to add the
ArchiveDir=option to theprint-provider.conf.Save the file.
The PaperCut Print Provider service (service responsible for monitoring the
print queues and transferring print job spool files to the central archive) needs to be able to access the
directory shared in Phase 3. Assign the service account set up in Phase 1 to the
PaperCut Print Provider service as follows:
Open → →
Double-click on the
PaperCut Print Providerservice.Select the tab.
Click .
Enter the username and password for the service account set up in Phase 1.
Click .
Restart the service and manually check the file
[app-path]/providers/print/print-provider.logfor any error messages at end.
Take some time now to perform some testing and ensure any jobs printed on a print queue on this secondary server are correctly archived.
Important
Archived files are partitioned based on the date and time of the print job. In order for the print archives to appear in a consistent manner it is important that all secondary print servers and site servers share a common time synchronization. An inconsistent time between servers of more than one hour may cause an error.
Here is a list of common issues leading to problems with Print Archiving and secondary server setups:
Incorrect paths: It's important that all secondary servers are configured to point to the shared central archive directory. Double-check the value entered in
ArchiveDir. See the section called “Phase 2: Changing Print Provider Configuration:”.System Services can't access user mapped drives. On Windows it's important that you use a UNC path rather than a mapped drive letter.
You'll need to ensure that all secondary servers have full write access to the central archive. Take time to double-check permissions.
The following configuration keys are accessed via → → and influence the behavior of Print Archiving
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
|
This value determines the maximum number of image creator processes used to process new print jobs
in the background. The system may use this maximum number when it is under high load. The default
value is NOTE: The Application Server must be restarted after changing this setting. |
|
This value determines the maximum number of image creator processes that may be used to support
interactive viewing of print jobs in the admin interface. The default value is
NOTE: The Application Server must be restarted after changing this setting. |
|
This value determines the number of pages that will be imaged (pre-rendered) when a print job first
arrives. Pre-generation of images speeds up viewing. The default value is |
| The maximum pages into a document that can be explored. |
Table 26.1. Print Archiving Advanced Config Keys
Along with image previews, Print Archiving stores a copy of the print job's PDL / spool file. This can be later downloaded and reprinted. Common reasons for reprinting a job include:
To produce another hard copy of the print job (e.g. if the original was lost).
To view, when image previews are not available (such as when the printer is using a proprietary / GDI print language).
To help diagnose or reproduce printing problems.
To download a job's PDL / spool file,
Find the job of interest in the job log
Click on the job's thumbnail to open the job viewer (full page view)
Click the download icon in the toolbar at the top left (see below)
Save the PDL file to your computer
For information about how to print a PDL file once it is downloaded, see the FAQ on how to print a PDL file.
Archived data may be removed permanently by clicking the remove icon or pressing 'delete' in the archive viewer.
Removal is available when the user has the administrator right "remove archived jobs" assigned.
To remove archived data,
Find the job of interest in the job log
Click on the job's thumbnail to open the job viewer (full page view)
Click the delete icon in the toolbar at the top left (see below) or press 'delete' key
Confirm deletion
