Installing the Direct Print Monitor on a Linux computer
The process to install the Direct Print MonitorThe Direct Print Monitor is the Direct Printing component that tracks jobs between desktops and an MFD. on a Linux computer is the same no matter which operating system your 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 on.
Step 1 - Ensure primary server is set up correctly
Before installing the Direct Print Monitor, you should ensure that the primary server (Application Server) is set up and running correctly.
Verify that:
- PaperCut NG/MF release 16.0 or above is installed.
- Users are allowed to log in to user pages from their computers.
- Administrators can access the system.
- The Application Server is accessible from each computer requiring Direct PrintingDirect Printing allows you to print directly from a desktop to a printer, without the need for a print server., that is, you can Ping the Application Server.
Step 2 - Ensure firewall software is set to allow access to the port used by the Application Server
A computer with the Direct Print Monitor installed needs to communicate (initiate a TCP connection) on the port used by the Application Server (by default this is port 9191). Ensure that any firewall software on the primary Application Server is not set to block any incoming local network traffic on this port.
Step 3 - Check that the host user account exists
On the computer, create a user account called papercut. Set the papercut user's home directory 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 Installation for more details if required.
Step 4 - Install the Direct Print Monitor
The instructions below assume i686 architecture. If your system OS is 64-bit, replace i686 with x64 in all file paths.
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 onto the computer by copying all files and directories from the primary Application Server's directory:
For Linux Application Servers:
[app_path]/providers/print/linux-i686/* (32bit)
[app_path]/providers/print/linux-x64/* (64bit)
For Windows Application Servers:
[app_path]/providers/print/win/* (32bit)
[app_path]/providers/print/win/* (64bit)
To the equivalent location on the computer:
/home/papercut/providers/print/linux-i686/ (32bit)
/home/papercut/providers/print/linux-x64/ (64bit)
Perform the copy operation as the papercut user so that files are owned by the papercut user. You can 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:
32-bit
>shell> su - root
shell> sh ~papercut/providers/print/linux-i686/setperms
shell> sh ~papercut/providers/print/linux-i686/roottasks
64-bit
shell> su - root
shell> sh ~papercut/providers/print/linux-x64/setperms
shell> sh ~papercut/providers/print/linux-x64/roottasks
Step 5 - Configure the Direct Print Monitor on each computer
The Print Provider on the computer needs to know where the primary server is installed (e.g. Its IP address) and that it should be running in Direct Printing mode.
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Open the following file in a text editor:
/home/papercut/providers/print/linux-i686/print-provider.conf (32bit)
/home/papercut/providers/print/linux-x64/print-provider.conf (64bit)
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Locate the line starting with ApplicationServer= and change localhost to the name or IP address of the primary server.
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Locate the line with #DirectPrintingMode=false and change it to:
DirectPrintingMode=true
Note:Make sure you remove # at the beginning of the line.
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Save the file and exit the text editor.
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Integrate the binaries copied in step 4 into the CUPSCommon User Printing System (CUPS) is a printing system for Unix operating systems that allows a computer to act as a print server. A computer running CUPS is a host that can accept print jobs from client computers, process them, and send them to the appropriate printer., SambaSamba is a Windows interoperability suite of programs for Linux and Unix. It is used to integrate Linux/Unix servers and desktops into Active Directory environments. It can function as both a domain controller or as a regular domain member., or Novell iPrintiPrint is a technology developed by Novell that allows users to install printer-drivers from a web browser and to submit print jobs over the Internet or a local network through the standard Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). Common desktop operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and Mac support iPrint. print queues.
This process is detailed in Linux print queue integration and Step 5 - Printer/iPrint configuration.
- If required, you can also modify the other default configuration details. For more information see Adding and removing/deleting/ignoring printers
- If you need to change the configuration after deploying Direct Printing, you need to do it manually by updating the print-provider.conf file on each computer.
Step 6 - Test
Direct Printing should now be configured.
- Log in to the Application Server as "admin" and verify that the printer queues are linked to the printer:
Click the Printers tab.
The Printer List page is displayed.
Select a printer.
The Printer Details - Summary page is displayed.
Click the Queues tab.
- Verify that the printer queues are linked to the printer.
- Perform a multi-page test print on each printer and verify that print jobs are tracked correctly.