Configuring a Linux or Novell iPrint Secondary Print Server

This section describes the process of setting up a secondary print server on a Linux system. The primary Application Server may either be a Windows, Mac, Novell or a Linux based system. PaperCut NG has full support for "mixed" or heterogeneous printing environments.

Step 1 - Ensure primary server is set up correctly

Before installing a secondary server you should take some time to ensure the primary server (central Application Server) is set up and running correctly. If it is not running fine now, adding an extra server will only "add an extra variable to the equation" and complicate troubleshooting. Take some time now to verify that the primary server is functioning correctly. For example, verify that:

  • Printers on this server are being tracked.

  • Users are allowed user login to user pages from their workstations.

  • 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. Administrators should ensure that 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 and confirm you can access the administration web interface on port 9191.

Step 3 - Account setup

On the secondary server, create a user account called papercut. The papercut user's home directory should be set to the desired install location. This is normally /home/papercut. The method of creating this account is the same as that used for the primary server setup. See Chapter 2, Installation for more details if required.

Step 4 - Install the Print Provider

Important

The instructions below assume i686 architecture. If your system OS is 64-bit, replace i686 with x64 in all file paths.

Install the Print Provider software onto the secondary server by copying all files and directories from the primary Application Server's directory:

    [app_dir]/providers/print/linux-i686/*
                

To the equivalent location on the secondary server:

    /home/papercut/providers/print/linux-i686/
                

on the secondary server. Perform the copy operation as the papercut user so that files are owned by the papercut user. You may use any method to copy the files, including over the network or via a USB key. If the primary server is also Linux, the simplest way would be use Secure Copy (scp) as follows:

    shell> su - papercut
    shell> mkdir -p providers/print
    shell> cd providers/print
    shell> scp -r primary.server.name:/home/papercut/providers/print/* .
                

After the copy operation is performed, execute the setperms and roottasks scripts as root:

    shell> su - root
    shell> sh ~papercut/providers/print/linux-i686/setperms
    shell> sh ~papercut/providers/print/linux-i686/roottasks
                

Step 5 - Configuration

The Print Provider on the secondary server needs to know where the primary server is installed (e.g. Its IP address).

  1. Open the file:

        /home/papercut/providers/print/linux-i686/print-provider.conf
                                

    in a text editor.

  2. Locate the line starting with ApplicationServer= and change localhost to the name or IP address of the primary server.

The binaries copied in step 4 now need to be integrated into the CUPS, Samba or Novell iPrint print queues. This process is detailed in the section called “Linux Print Queue Integration” and the section called “Step 5 - Printer/iPrint Configuration”.

Step 6 - Test

The secondary server should now be configured. Perform some test printing on all of this secondary server's printers. Log into the system as "admin" and verify that the printers are now listed under the Printers section. Perform a multi-page test print on each printer and verify that print jobs are tracked correctly.