[cups.development] [RFE] STR #3207: page.log lists pages that are not printed (socket, PostScript)

[Ulrich.Windl.rz.uni-regensburg]

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[STR New]

Seen in openSUSE 11.1 (cups-1.3.9-7.2.1): A PDF file printed from Acrobat
Reader (acroread-8.1.5-0.1.1) to a PostScript printer using the
socket:9100 interface caused the printer to crash.
When viewing the page log (/var/log/cups/page_log), many more pages are
listed as being printed than actually were printed. If the page log were
used for some accounting purposes, it would give wrong numbers.
I'm aware that printers use buffers to receive multiple pages, but I also
know that specifically PostScript printers are able to talk back to the
computer, right from the beginning.
Why not modify CUPS in a way that the printer confirms printing of each
page back to the computer, and then an entry is written into the page log?
This will throttle the spooler, but it will produce more accurate results
(e.g. when users turn off the printer after paper jam, or similar). That
will not only result in more accurate page counters, but also in more
accurate time stamps (Now all the pages seem to be printed almost
immediately):
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:31:48 +0200] 1 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:31:56 +0200] 2 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:09 +0200] 3 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:11 +0200] 4 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:11 +0200] 5 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:11 +0200] 6 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:11 +0200] 7 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:11 +0200] 8 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:17 +0200] 9 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:39 +0200] 10 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:45 +0200] 11 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:32:57 +0200] 12 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:33:01 +0200] 13 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:33:02 +0200] 14 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:33:03 +0200] 15 1 - localhost
KM-3060 user1234 300 [26/May/2009:14:33:10 +0200] 16 1 - localhost
[...]

Link: http://www.cups.org/str.php?L3207
Version:  -feature