IPP backend and page accounting

[John A. Murdie]

> I'd suggest to look into the current svn snapshot in order to know what will probably be
> available with stable CUPS 1.2 and, if needed hack the current ipp backend to pass
> the needed information to whatever you use for accounting.

Thanks; but Michael has pointed me at the FAQ answer for that - I thought I'd read the FAQ titles, but had missed that one!

> BTW, we mostly use the hpnpf backend and, if needed, pass PostScript code to do the
> accounting to the printer via the PPD's JobPatchFile and make use of the backchannel
> information the hpnpf backend provides.
>
> Helge
>
> PS: If an approach like this seems acceptible to you, let me know; I easily could give you
> some hints how to do that.

Thank you, but that's pretty much what we've been doing since 1985 with our own print system, though not through a backchannel (which would be more secure). I keep looking at CUPS and IPP to see if I can do what we need to do (secure printing and page accounting) more easily and with a system that is rapidly becoming (ok, has become!) the de facto standard for Unix printing. Sometimes I think that University environments are the most demanding of all: we have as customers the most capable crackers who are also the most ready to complain about any problem. Students!

> --
> Helge Blischke
> Softwareentwicklung
> SRZ Berlin | Firmengruppe besscom
> http://www.srz.de

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