1 | # $Id$ |
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2 | |
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3 | PyKota - Print Quota for CUPS and LPRng |
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4 | |
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5 | (c) 2003 Jerome Alet <alet@librelogiciel.com> |
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6 | This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify |
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7 | it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by |
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8 | the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or |
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9 | (at your option) any later version. |
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10 | |
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11 | This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, |
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12 | but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of |
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13 | MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the |
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14 | GNU General Public License for more details. |
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15 | |
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16 | You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License |
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17 | along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software |
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18 | Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA. |
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19 | |
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20 | ==================================================================== |
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21 | |
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22 | READ SPECIAL LICENSING AND REDISTRIBUTION TERMS IN THE FILE 'LICENSE' |
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23 | |
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24 | ==================================================================== |
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25 | |
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26 | PyKota is a complete Print Quota system for the Common Unix Printing |
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27 | System (aka CUPS) or LPR Next Generation (LPRng), which works by directly |
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28 | querying the printers for the number of pages they have printed. |
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29 | |
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30 | Actual working features : |
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31 | |
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32 | - Supports both CUPS and LPRng backends. |
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33 | |
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34 | - Can store quota information either with PostgreSQL or with |
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35 | OpenLDAP. |
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36 | |
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37 | - Per printer user and group quotas. |
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38 | |
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39 | - Automated email warning of users above quota to the |
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40 | user himself and to the print quota administrator. |
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41 | |
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42 | - Filter for quota accounting : pykota |
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43 | |
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44 | - Command line print quota editor : edpykota |
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45 | |
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46 | - Command line print quota report generator : repykota |
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47 | |
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48 | - Command line print quota automated warning sender : warnpykota |
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49 | |
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50 | - Command line print quote maker, to learn how much a print job |
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51 | will cost in advance : pykotme |
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52 | |
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53 | - Command line tools mimic the disk quota utilities for |
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54 | easier mastering. |
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55 | |
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56 | - Centralized storage of quotas : you can manage quotas for |
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57 | different printers on different print servers and store them all |
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58 | on the same quota storage server. |
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59 | |
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60 | - SNMP querying of any networked SNMP-enabled printer. |
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61 | |
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62 | - Netatalk querying of any networked AppleTalk-enabled printer. |
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63 | |
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64 | - External command querying of any printer : you can use |
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65 | you own querying command, e.g. to query a printer via |
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66 | the serial port, sending it a special PJL job and |
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67 | reading the result. See the example scripts in the |
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68 | "untested" directory and try to adapt them to your |
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69 | configuration. |
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70 | |
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71 | - External accounting methods : you can use your own accounting |
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72 | method to compute each job's size. Just create a shell script |
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73 | which reads the job's data from its standard input and prints |
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74 | the job's size on its standard output, and you're done ! |
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75 | |
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76 | - Special scripts included for a seamless integration of |
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77 | PyKota on Debian machines. |
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78 | |
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79 | - Complete job history is saved. This will allow more |
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80 | complex reports in the future. |
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81 | |
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82 | - Price per page and price per job can be defined for |
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83 | every printer. A job's price is the sum of the |
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84 | price per job for this printer plus the number of |
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85 | pages multiplied by the price per page for this |
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86 | printer. |
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87 | |
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88 | - User's account balance and lifetime paid money are now |
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89 | stored in the Quota Storage, and account balance can be |
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90 | used to limit the user printing instead of a print quota. |
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91 | Actually you can limit either by account balance OR by |
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92 | print quota. Account balance is shared between printers |
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93 | for an user, while quotas are define separately for |
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94 | each printer the user prints on. |
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95 | |
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96 | All the command line tools accept the -h | --help command line option |
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97 | which prints all the available options and show usage examples. |
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98 | |
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99 | Planned features are described in the TODO file. |
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100 | |
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101 | Actually three (or an infinity of) page accounting methods are |
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102 | implemented : |
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103 | |
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104 | - The 'querying' method consists in querying the printer (via SNMP |
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105 | or Netatalk) for its total pages counter, just before the beginning |
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106 | of a job, and use this to modify the *preceding* user's quota. So |
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107 | you're always late of one print job, but this is generally ok, |
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108 | especially because a check is also done to see if the current user |
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109 | is allowed or not to print. You're not limited to SNMP or Netatalk, |
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110 | because you can also use any external command instead if you want. |
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111 | |
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112 | - The 'external' method consists in delegating the computation of the |
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113 | job's size in number of pages to any external command of your choice. |
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114 | The command can read the job's data from its standard input and MUST |
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115 | output the job's size on its standard output. |
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116 | |
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117 | - The 'stupid' method consists in counting the 'showpage' PostSript |
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118 | statements in the job. THIS IS UNRELIABLE, but can serve as an |
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119 | example if you plan to write your own accounting method for |
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120 | integration into PyKota. |
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121 | |
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122 | PyKota is known to work fine with HP Laserjet 2100 and 2200, and |
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123 | Apple LaserWriter 16/600 PS, both with CUPS and LPRng, under |
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124 | Debian GNU/Linux (Sarge and Sid) operating systems. |
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125 | |
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126 | I'm interested in receiving success or failure reports with other |
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127 | brands or models of printers, as well as with other operating |
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128 | systems. |
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129 | |
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130 | ============================================================ |
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131 | |
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132 | INSTALLATION: |
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133 | ============= |
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134 | |
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135 | WARNING : |
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136 | ========= |
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137 | |
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138 | If you run a PyKota version lower than 1.03, you definitely have to |
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139 | upgrade you Quota Storage Database. Please read the documentation |
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140 | included in the initscripts subdirectory first ! |
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141 | |
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142 | Users of MacOS-X may find the following tutorial useful : |
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143 | |
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144 | http://ell-tech.com/pages/pykota.php |
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145 | |
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146 | Prerequisite : |
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147 | -------------- |
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148 | |
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149 | You need to have the following tools installed on the CUPS Server : |
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150 | |
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151 | - CUPS or LPRng |
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152 | - Python v2.1 or above |
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153 | - eGenix' mxDateTime Python extension |
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154 | - SNMP tools (specifically the snmpget command) if you plan to |
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155 | request your printer's lifetime page counter via SNMP. |
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156 | - Netatalk (specifically the pap command) if you plan to |
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157 | request your printer's lifetime page counter via AppleTalk. |
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158 | - PostgreSQL's PygreSQL Python extension and the PostgreSQL client |
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159 | libraries if you plan to use PostgreSQL as the Quota Storage |
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160 | backend. |
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161 | or |
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162 | - python-ldap Python module and the OpenLDAP client libraries |
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163 | if you plan to use OpenLDAP as the Quota Storage backend. |
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164 | |
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165 | You need to have the following tools installed on the Quota Storage |
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166 | Server : |
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167 | |
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168 | - PostgreSQL |
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169 | |
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170 | or |
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171 | |
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172 | - OpenLDAP |
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173 | |
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174 | NB : |
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175 | |
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176 | PygreSQL must be linked with the PostgreSQL client libraries on |
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177 | the Print Server. The PostgreSQL client libraries' version must |
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178 | match the PostgreSQL version used on the Quota Storage Server. |
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179 | |
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180 | or |
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181 | |
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182 | python-ldap must be linked with the OpenLDAP client libraries on the |
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183 | Print Server. The OpenLDAP client libraries' version must match the |
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184 | OpenLDAP version used on the Quota Storage Server. |
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185 | |
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186 | This list of prerequisite software may change in the future, when |
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187 | PyKota will support more functionnalities you will be given |
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188 | alternatives. |
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189 | |
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190 | Of course the Print Server and the Quota Storage Server can be the |
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191 | very same machine if you've got a tiny network, or you can have |
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192 | multiple Print Servers all storing their quotas on the same Quota |
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193 | Storage Server if you've got a bigger network. |
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194 | |
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195 | Then : |
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196 | ------ |
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197 | |
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198 | Download the latest PyKota version from the CVS tree on : |
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199 | |
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200 | http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/pykota |
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201 | |
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202 | Just type : |
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203 | |
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204 | python setup.py install |
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205 | |
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206 | You may need to be logged in with sufficient privileges (e.g. root) |
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207 | |
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208 | The installation script will now automatically check if some software |
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209 | is missing and ask you if you still want to proceed with the |
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210 | installation or abort it completely. |
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211 | |
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212 | Go to the initscripts subdirectory of PyKota's sources, and choose |
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213 | the appropriate storage backend for your configuration. Read |
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214 | the associated README file and execute the initialization script |
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215 | to create an empty PyKota Storage. Upgrade scripts may be |
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216 | provided as well. |
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217 | |
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218 | Copy the conf/pykota.conf.sample and conf/pykotadmin.conf.sample |
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219 | sample configuration files to /etc/pykota/pykota.conf and |
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220 | /etc/pykota/pykotadmin.conf. The installation script tries to do this |
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221 | for you if needed and you agreed to this action. |
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222 | You need to adapt these files to your own needs. |
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223 | Especially you have to create sections named after your own |
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224 | printers, and change the administrator's email address. |
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225 | |
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226 | - CUPS Print Backend : |
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227 | |
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228 | Modify the PPD files for each printer on which you want to manage |
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229 | print quotas, for example /etc/cups/ppd/lp.ppd : |
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230 | |
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231 | --- Add the line below exactly as-is somewhere near the top --- |
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232 | *cupsFilter: "application/vnd.cups-postscript 0 /usr/bin/pykota" |
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233 | --- Add the line above exactly as-is somewhere near the top --- |
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234 | |
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235 | Modify the path to the pykota executable if needed, unfortunately |
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236 | you have to supply the correct absolute path here due to CUPS |
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237 | internals, or put the pykota executable into /usr/lib/cups/filter |
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238 | instead of into /usr/bin. |
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239 | |
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240 | Do this for each ppd file present in this directory if you want |
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241 | to enable quota on every printer. |
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242 | |
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243 | WARNING : In the case you've got a non-postscript printer, chances |
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244 | are that the *cupsFilter is already filled-in and points |
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245 | to cupsomatic or such a print filter. In this case please |
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246 | check if you can switch your printer to PostScript mode |
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247 | or if there's a way to make it accept PostScript jobs. |
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248 | If yes then ensure that your workstations uses a PostScript |
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249 | printer driver, and replace the *cupsFilter line with the |
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250 | one pointing to the pykota filter. This should work, but |
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251 | is currently untested. |
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252 | If your printer really needs the original *cupsFilter line |
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253 | then you may not be able to use PyKota easily for now. |
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254 | |
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255 | - LPRng Print Backend : |
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256 | |
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257 | Modify the /etc/printcap file to add two lines identical to these ones : |
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258 | |
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259 | :achk=true |
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260 | :as=|/usr/bin/pykota |
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261 | |
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262 | For each printer on which you want to use print accounting. |
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263 | |
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264 | Add printers and users to the quota system and set their quota values : |
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265 | |
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266 | $ edpykota --add -P hp2100 -S 40 -H 50 user1 ... userN |
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267 | |
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268 | launching edpykota without any argument or with the --help |
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269 | command line option will show you all the possibilities. |
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270 | |
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271 | by default, each user is limited by "quota", this means that on |
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272 | each printer he can have a different soft and hard limit. |
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273 | You may want to limit the user by his account balance value, |
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274 | in which case, the print quota is shared between all printers |
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275 | instead of being different. To do this, use the following : |
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276 | |
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277 | $ edpykota --add -P hp2100 --limitby balance --balance 10 user1 ... userN |
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278 | |
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279 | This will put 10 $ (or Euros, PyKota doesn't care) on each user's account |
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280 | balance, and tell PyKota to limit them by their account balance value. |
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281 | Whenever they print on any printer, their account balance value is |
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282 | decreased by an amount which depends on the particular price per page |
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283 | and per job that you may have defined on the printer with edpykota's |
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284 | --charge command line option. |
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285 | Soft and Hard limits are not used if "--limitby balance" is used, |
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286 | but you can define a "poorman"'s threshold in /etc/pykota/pykota.conf |
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287 | to obtain a similar result (warning message when quota is low). |
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288 | |
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289 | Restart CUPS or LPRng, for example under Debian GNU/Linux systems : |
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290 | |
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291 | $ /etc/init.d/cupsys restart |
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292 | |
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293 | or : |
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294 | |
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295 | $ /etc/init.d/lprng restart |
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296 | |
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297 | Your users now should be able to print but not exceed their |
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298 | printing quota. |
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299 | |
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300 | To see printer command usage, you can use : |
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301 | |
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302 | $ repykota --printer lp |
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303 | |
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304 | or : |
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305 | |
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306 | $ repykota |
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307 | |
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308 | which will print quota usage for all users on all printers, |
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309 | along with totals, if you are the root user. If you are |
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310 | a regular user, only your own quota report will be produced. |
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311 | |
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312 | Quota reports are also available remotely by using the CGI script |
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313 | printquota.cgi provided in the cgi-bin/ subdirectory. |
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314 | |
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315 | For different security concerns, please give a look at the SECURITY |
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316 | file which is part of this software. |
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317 | |
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318 | ============================================================ |
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319 | |
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320 | Mailing list : |
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321 | -------------- |
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322 | |
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323 | A mailing list is dedicated to Pykota, you can subscribe to it |
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324 | or consult its archives at : |
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325 | |
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326 | http://cgi.librelogiciel.com/mailman/listinfo/pykota |
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327 | |
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328 | ============================================================ |
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329 | |
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330 | Please e-mail bugs to the mailing list at : pykota@librelogiciel.com |
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331 | or to the main author at : alet@librelogiciel.com (Jerome Alet) |
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