Configuring a Windows secondary print server
This section describes the process of setting up a secondary Windows print serverA print server is a system responsible for hosting print queues and sharing printer resources to desktops. Users submit print jobs to a print server rather then directly to the printer itself. A print server can be a dedicated server but on many networks this server also performs other tasks, such as, file serving.
Step 1 - Ensure primary server is set up correctly
Before installing a secondary serverA PaperCut secondary server is a system that directly hosts a printer, that is, a print server with a Print Provider installed. A secondary server can be a server style system hosting many printers, a desktop style system hosting printer(s) also shared to other network users, or a desktop style system with the printer used only for local users (not shared). you should ensure the Application ServerAn Application Server is the primary server program responsible for providing the PaperCut user interface, storing data, and providing services to users. PaperCut uses the Application Server to manage user and account information, manage printers, calculate print costs, provide a web browser interface to administrators and end users, and much more. is set up and running correctly. Verify that the Application Server is functioning correctly. For example, verify that:
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Printers on this server are being tracked.
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Users can log in to user pages from their workstations.
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Administrators can access the system.
Step 2 - Ensure firewall software is set to allow access to port 9191
Secondary server needs to communicate (initiate a TCP connection) on port 9191. Make sure any firewall software on the primary Application Server is not set to block any incoming local network traffic on this port. A good way to test is to open a browser on the planned secondary server, then check you can access the administration web interface on port 9191.
Step 3 - Install the Print Provider
Install the Print ProviderA Print Provider is a monitoring service installed on a secondary print server to allow PaperCut to control and track printers. This monitoring component intercepts the local printing and reports the use back to the primary Application Server. software on the secondary server. On a Windows server, this is done by selecting the Secondary Print Server option in the installation wizard. If the PaperCut Application Server software was previously installed on the server, you must uninstall it prior to installing the secondary server software.
Step 4 - Configuration
The Print Provider on the secondary server needs to know where the primary server is installed.
Open the following file in a text editor such as Notepad:
[app-path]\providers\print\win\print-provider.conf
Locate the line starting with ApplicationServer= and change localhost to the name or IP address of the Application Server.
Restart the server so the new configuration is detected. If you do not want to restart the server, manually restart the PaperCut Print Provider service.
Step 5 - Test
The secondary server should now be configured. Log in to the system as "admin" and verify that the printers are listed on the Printers tab. Perform a multi-page test print on each printer and verify that print jobs are tracked correctly.
Automated install
You can automate the installation of the secondary server component on Windows systems. This is handy when the Print Provider component needs to be installed on a number of desktop systems running locally attached printers. For more information see, Automating secondary server deployment on Windows.