[cups.general] CUPS Configuration Help

[Dracula]

We have a Windows print server that works great for our Windows users,
serving over 150 printers. It also provides an acceptable BSD print
service. (We also have a Solaris BSD print server that provides special
features to Unix and Linux clients, when required.) We have a script
that we run on Unix and Linux clients to define all the BSD queues. This
works great on Solaris and Red Hat 9 (with LPRng). Users never need root
privileges to do anything about printing - we do it all for them. When
we moved to RHEL-3, we explored CUPS and could not bend it to our needs.
We downloaded LPRng, and installed that. Because RHN maintenance to CUPS
result in the removal of LPRng, we removed CUPS completely from each
client. Once again, this worked great. Problem: CUPS is so tightly woven
through RHEL-4, that it appears unwise (at best) to take it out. I need
help setting things up with CUPS to meet these requirements: 1. Users do
not need root privileges (or a sysadmin) to be able to print to any/all
printers. 2. The results of printing a particular file to a particular
printer should, by default, be identical from any system - and as
configured by the sysadmin. 3. The sysadmin should be able to
automatically fulfill the above requirements at system install time (at
least for current printers). 4. It is desirable to have one or more
print servers (preferably the existing ones), where default
specifications are defined, to apply to all clients. I have a data base
of printers, and am willing to automate things with scripts. I just
can't see a design that will work, short of explicitly configuring all
settings for all printers on all systems, with JetDirect & no print
server. For example: I set up a test server on RHEL-4 using JetDirect,
and customized the margins for a 7.5x10 print area, 13.6 cpi, 8 lpi. It
worked fine from the CUPS client on this system. I shared the printer. A
remote RHEL-4 CUPS client on the same subnet would print

Thanks

Regards,

Komal