CERN Print Manager Michel Jouvin LAL / IN2P3

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Printing Client Problem Automatic client configuration –No privilege should be needed –Update capabilities Roaming : Access to local printers for visitors –Should not require desktop configuration change (ex: domain membership) –Ex : LAL people at CERN

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 SMB Printing Windows native protocol for network printing + : network served printers available to all users without client configuration - : must be member of the same domain as the server - : printer server must be Windows –SMB/LPR gateway (samba) : yet another layer to manage/troubleshoot

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Windows LPR Printing + : LPD is the access protocol of printing services at LAL –No gateway involved - : no central configuration possible –Configuration is more than a file (drivers…) –Mainly manual configuration - : require administrator privileges to add a printer

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 CERN Print Manager Approach 1 central database describing all printers –Printer server (in a dedicated DNS zone) –Driver to be used for each printer Per OS version (currently W95, WNT, W2K) –Printer default settings 1 client with 3 main components –PrntTray : Printing Control Center (main application) –LPRServ : LPR client (ability to show LPR transactions) –PrinterWizard : add/remove printers, change defaults

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Printer Database Management Reference database is an MS Access db –Text file database used by client (no MS Access required on client) Database management tool : PrintMgr (GUI) –Add drivers to database Driver versioning support –Add/remove printers –Generate text file database

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Client : General Characteristics No privileges required –Impersonation to a dedicated privileged account when needed Automatic update capabilities for binaries, configuration files and printer/driver configuration –Handled by PrntTray et PrinterWizzard –Through direct access (domain membership) or FTP One control center to start all other stools –PrntTray Deployment through MSI

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Client : PrntTray Main task –Available as an icon in icon tray of main menu bar Update binaries and configuration on startup –Can be disabled Control LPR client (LPRSERV) Launch PrinterWizzard and other tools

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Client : PrntTray GUI

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Client : LPRSERV Use C:\LPRSERV as the spool directory Show LPR Client from PrntTray allow to show LPR Client transactions Can be configured for different types of LPD server –Lines present in control file

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Client : Printer Wizard GUI to add/remove printer to local computer –Maintains and updates a local copy of the central database Modify printer defaults settings Test printers

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Client : Printer Wizard

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 Multi-sites Configuration Allow to switch between different sets of parameters –Central database locations, LPR parameters, … No conflict between sites –Differents directories for data files –Differents registry paths Site definition in an INI file –Client can be distributed with several sites preconfigured –Easy addition of a new site

22/10/2003 CERN Print Manager - HEPix - Vancouver 2003 More information ehttp://printpackage.web.cern.ch/PrintPackag e