Large cups systems?

[Seth Galitzer]

I'd really like to know how you keep such a large configuration stable.  I've got roughly a dozen printers and a couple-hundred users and the whole system seems so flaky that if you sneeze too hard it falls apart.  I find I have to restart the cups service almost daily to keep things running.  I know my physical network is solid.  My configuration is pretty simple, I'm not doing anything fancy.

So what's the secret?  More horesepower on my server?  Clustered servers?  More caffene?  I can live with limited driver capability, most of my users don't even notice, but the stability is a serious issue.  Anything, please, this is frustrating me to no end.

Thanks.
Seth

> > Hello Bernd,
> >
> > your Installation is very interesting.
> >
> > Where did you get your CUPS-Server?
>
> We build our own RPM packages. This makes it easier to support and resolve bugs in a large environment.
>
> > You build it by yourself?
>
> Yes.
>
> > Did you get maintenance from Novell
>
> No.
>
> > Which driver are you using for your dot matrix, thermal, label,
> > line-at-a-time.
>
> Most of them use simple interface scripts with some control characters.
>
> For some label printers, we use real drivers:
> http://etc.nkadesign.com/Printers/QL550LabelPrinter
>
> > By the way, what is a line-at-a-time printer (Zeilendrucker?).
>
> A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words:
> http://de.tallygenicom.com/products/product_tech.cfm?Technology=Line
>
> > I only use my 20 CUPS/Samba Server to do windowsprinting and pdf-generating.
> >
> > Did we need a small database for large cups installation examples or some
> > special howtos to implement them?
>
> We use a database: It is not necessary, but helpful if you want for example to add an option to all HP LaserJet printers.
>
> Also it helps us to log and distribute the changes to all CUPS servers.
>
> A very simple way:
> *) Use a SQL script to spool out all changes
> *) Write a shell script to use lpadmin for applying the changes
>
> -------------------------
>
> You need no special howtos. But you should know/understand some cups basics:
> *) Implicit classes (failover, load balance)
> *) Browsing
> *) Log and configuration file(s)
> *) Know how a job is processed and sent to the printer
> *) File and execute permissions (spool, filter, backend)
>
> Optional following knowledge may be useful:
> *) Shell scripting
> *) Basics in Ansi-C programming language
> *) Basic debugging technics (gdb, ...)
>
>
> regards!
> Bernd
>