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 REDISTRBUTION 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 | - Per printer user and group quotas. |
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35 | |
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36 | - Automated email warning of users above quota to the |
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37 | user himself and to the print quota administrator. |
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38 | |
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39 | - Filter for quota accounting : pykota |
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40 | |
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41 | - Command line print quota editor : edpykota |
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42 | |
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43 | - Command line print quota report generator : repykota |
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44 | |
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45 | - Command line print quota automated warning sender : warnpykota |
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46 | |
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47 | - Command line tools mimic the disk quota utilities for |
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48 | easier mastering. |
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49 | |
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50 | - Centralized storage of quotas : you can manage quotas for |
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51 | different printers on different print servers and store them all |
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52 | on the same quota storage server. |
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53 | |
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54 | - SNMP querying of any networked SNMP-enabled printer. |
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55 | |
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56 | - Netatalk querying of any networked AppleTalk-enabled printer. |
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57 | |
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58 | - External command querying of any printer : you can use |
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59 | you own querying command, e.g. to query a printer via |
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60 | the serial port, sending it a special PJL job and |
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61 | reading the result. See the example scripts in the |
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62 | "untested" directory and try to adapt them to your |
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63 | configuration. |
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64 | |
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65 | - External accounting methods : you can use your own accounting |
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66 | method to compute each job's size. Just create a shell script |
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67 | which reads the job's data from its standard input and prints |
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68 | the job's size on its standard output, and you're done ! |
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69 | |
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70 | - Special scripts included for a seamless integration of |
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71 | PyKota on Debian machines. |
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72 | |
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73 | - Complete job history is saved. This will allow more |
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74 | complex reports in the future. |
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75 | |
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76 | - Price per page and price per job can be defined for |
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77 | every printer. A job's price is the sum of the |
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78 | price per job for this printer plus the number of |
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79 | pages multiplied by the price per page for this |
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80 | printer. |
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81 | |
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82 | - User's account balance and lifetime paid money are now |
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83 | stored in the Quota Storage, and account balance can be |
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84 | used to limit the user printing instead of a print quota. |
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85 | Actually you can limit either by account balance OR by |
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86 | print quota, but maybe both should be checked at the |
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87 | same time. Tell me what you prefer. |
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88 | |
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89 | All the command line tools accept the -h | --help command line option |
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90 | which prints all the available options and show usage examples. |
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91 | |
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92 | Planned features are described in the TODO file. |
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93 | |
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94 | Actually three (or an infinity of) page accounting methods are |
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95 | implemented : |
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96 | |
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97 | - The 'querying' method consists in querying the printer (via SNMP |
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98 | or Netatalk) for its total pages counter, just before the beginning |
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99 | of a job, and use this to modify the *preceding* user's quota. So |
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100 | you're always late of one print job, but this is generally ok, |
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101 | especially because a check is also done to see if the current user |
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102 | is allowed or not to print. You're not limited to SNMP or Netatalk, |
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103 | because you can also use any external command instead if you want. |
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104 | |
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105 | - The 'external' method consists in delegating the computation of the |
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106 | job's size in number of pages to any external command of your choice. |
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107 | The command can read the job's data from its standard input and MUST |
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108 | output the job's size on its standard output. |
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109 | |
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110 | - The 'stupid' method consists in counting the 'showpage' PostSript |
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111 | statements in the job. THIS IS UNRELIABLE, but can serve as an |
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112 | example if you plan to write your own accounting method for |
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113 | integration into PyKota. |
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114 | |
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115 | PyKota is known to work fine with HP Laserjet 2100 and 2200, and |
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116 | Apple LaserWriter 16/600 PS, both with CUPS and LPRng, under |
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117 | Debian GNU/Linux (Sarge and Sid) operating systems. |
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118 | |
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119 | I'm interested in receiving success or failure reports with other |
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120 | brands or models of printers, as well as with other operating |
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121 | systems. |
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122 | |
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123 | ============================================================ |
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124 | |
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125 | INSTALLATION: |
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126 | ============= |
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127 | |
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128 | WARNING : |
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129 | ========= |
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130 | |
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131 | If you run a PyKota version lower than 1.03, you definitely have to |
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132 | upgrade you Quota Storage Database. Please read the documentation |
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133 | included in the initscripts subdirectory first ! |
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134 | |
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135 | Prerequisite : |
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136 | -------------- |
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137 | |
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138 | You need to have the following tools installed on the CUPS Server : |
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139 | |
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140 | - CUPS or LPRng |
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141 | - Python v2.1 or above |
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142 | - eGenix' mxDateTime Python extension |
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143 | - PostgreSQL's PygreSQL Python extension and the PostgreSQL client |
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144 | libraries. |
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145 | - SNMP tools (specifically the snmpget command) if you plan to |
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146 | request your printer's lifetime page counter via SNMP. |
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147 | - Netatalk (specifically the pap command) if you plan to |
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148 | request your printer's lifetime page counter via AppleTalk. |
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149 | |
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150 | You need to have the following tools installed on the Quota Storage |
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151 | Server : |
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152 | |
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153 | - PostgreSQL |
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154 | |
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155 | PygreSQL and the PostgreSQL client libraries's versions on the Print |
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156 | Server must match the PostgreSQL version used on the Quota Storage |
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157 | Server. |
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158 | |
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159 | This list of prerequisite software may change in the future, when |
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160 | PyKota will support more functionnalities you will be given |
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161 | alternatives. |
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162 | |
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163 | Of course the Print Server and the Quota Storage Server can be the |
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164 | very same machine if you've got a tiny network, or you can have |
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165 | multiple Print Servers all storing their quotas on the same Quota |
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166 | Storage Server if you've got a bigger network. |
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167 | |
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168 | Then : |
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169 | ------ |
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170 | |
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171 | Download the latest PyKota version from the CVS tree on : |
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172 | |
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173 | http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/pykota |
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174 | |
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175 | Just type : |
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176 | |
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177 | python setup.py install |
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178 | |
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179 | You may need to be logged in with sufficient privileges (e.g. root) |
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180 | |
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181 | The installation script will now automatically check if some software |
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182 | is missing and ask you if you still want to proceed with the |
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183 | installation or abort it completely. |
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184 | |
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185 | Go to the initscripts subdirectory of PyKota's sources, and choose |
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186 | the appropriate storage backend for your configuration. Read |
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187 | the associated README file and execute the initialization script |
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188 | to create an empty PyKota Storage. Upgrade scripts may be |
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189 | provided as well. |
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190 | |
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191 | Copy the conf/pykota.conf.sample sample configuration file to |
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192 | /etc/pykota.conf, and adapt this file to your own needs and |
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193 | configuration. The installation script tries to do this for |
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194 | you if needed and you agreed to this action. |
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195 | |
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196 | - CUPS Print Backend : |
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197 | |
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198 | Modify the PPD files for each printer on which you want to manage |
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199 | print quotas, for example /etc/cups/ppd/lp.ppd : |
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200 | |
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201 | --- Add the line below exactly as-is somewhere near the top --- |
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202 | *cupsFilter: "application/vnd.cups-postscript 0 /usr/bin/pykota" |
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203 | --- Add the line above exactly as-is somewhere near the top --- |
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204 | |
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205 | Modify the path to the pykota executable if needed, unfortunately |
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206 | you have to supply the correct absolute path here due to CUPS |
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207 | internals, or put the pykota executable into /usr/lib/cups/filter |
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208 | instead of into /usr/bin. |
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209 | |
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210 | Do this for each ppd file present in this directory if you want |
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211 | to enable quota on every printer. |
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212 | |
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213 | WARNING : In the case you've got a non-postscript printer, chances |
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214 | are that the *cupsFilter is already filled-in and points |
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215 | to cupsomatic or such a print filter. In this case please |
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216 | check if you can switch your printer to PostScript mode |
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217 | or if there's a way to make it accept PostScript jobs. |
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218 | If yes then ensure that your workstations uses a PostScript |
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219 | printer driver, and replace the *cupsFilter line with the |
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220 | one pointing to the pykota filter. This should work, but |
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221 | is currently untested. |
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222 | If your printer really needs the original *cupsFilter line |
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223 | then you may not be able to use PyKota easily for now. |
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224 | |
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225 | - LPRng Print Backend : |
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226 | |
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227 | Modify the /etc/printcap file to add two lines identical to these ones : |
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228 | |
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229 | :achk=true |
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230 | :as=|/usr/bin/pykota |
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231 | |
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232 | For each printer on which you want to use print accounting. |
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233 | |
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234 | Add printers and users to the quota system and set their quota values : |
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235 | |
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236 | $ edpykota --add -P printer -S softlimit -H hardlimit user1 ... userN |
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237 | |
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238 | launching edpykota without any argument or with the --help |
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239 | command line option will show you all the possibilities. |
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240 | |
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241 | Restart CUPS, for example under Debian GNU/Linux systems : |
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242 | |
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243 | $ /etc/init.d/cupsys restart |
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244 | |
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245 | Your users now should be able to print but not exceed their |
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246 | printing quota. |
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247 | |
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248 | To see printer command usage, you can use : |
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249 | |
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250 | $ repykota --printer lp |
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251 | |
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252 | or : |
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253 | |
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254 | $ repykota |
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255 | |
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256 | which will print quota usage for all users on all printers, |
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257 | along with totals. |
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258 | |
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259 | For different security concerns, please give a look at the SECURITY |
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260 | file which is part of this software. |
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261 | |
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262 | ============================================================ |
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263 | |
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264 | Mailing list : |
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265 | -------------- |
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266 | |
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267 | A mailing list is dedicated to Pykota, you can subscribe to it |
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268 | or consult its archives at : |
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269 | |
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270 | http://cgi.librelogiciel.com/mailman/listinfo/pykota |
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271 | |
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272 | ============================================================ |
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273 | |
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274 | Please e-mail bugs to: alet@librelogiciel.com (Jerome Alet) |
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