[cups.development] [RFE] STR #2578: A per-printer 'job hold policy'?

[John A. Murdie]

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We'd like to implement 'job hold and release' here using CUPS - see my
discussion in http://www.cups.org/newsgroups.php?gcups.general+v:31157
I think that CUPS provides almost all the functionality that would be
required to do this, as what is needed for an ideal solution is a
specialised touch-screen interface per-printer which displays the jobs in
the printer queue with a select-for-release (and also a delete) button
next to each job. This would be implemented by a separate program running
on a networked unit placed next to each printer. We've already provided
touch-screens in our kitchens to permit staff and research students to
purchase beverages etc electronically.

All I think that I need from CUPS itself is to be able to set a 'Job hold
policy' on the 'Set printer options' page for each printer to control
whether jobs sent there should: i) not be held by default (overrideable);
ii) be held by default (overrideable); iii) always be held (mandatory);
and then whether: i) any user can release held jobs, even other users'
jobs, without password; or ii) a password is required to release them. The
CUPS API would have to allow the printer-adjacent unit to command the
release of the held jobs. Deleting a job would always require a password.

Being able to set job hold as default for a queue would also allow us to
provide the functionality (in limited form) to non-IPP clients whose print
protocol does not include a standard 'hold job' command, e.g. our Windows
client PCs, whose Windows Server uses Berkeley LPR protocol to our CUPS
server as Windows Server cannot publish IPP printers to the clients.

John A. Murdie
Department of Computer Science
University of York
UK

Link: http://www.cups.org/str.php?L2578
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