May 12th, 2008
PrinterSetup project for CUPS
A recently released printer utility for larger Mac deployments is in “prototyping phase.” For those managing mass-quantities of Macs and Unix machines, this project could be useful.
PrinterSetup is a component of PrintingWorks, an open-source CUPS “print accounting solution” by Lucid Information Systems. The docs say it’s developed on Mac OS X for Mac OS X but could be used by any UNIX system; it’s been tested on Debian v3.1.
PrinterSetup is designed to simplify the management of printers on a small- to medium-sized network. It has been designed with the goal of keeping printer deployment feasible as the network grows in size you add more printers to the network, or as many system administrators who are not not already using printer setup dread a printer being moved from one place to another. Possibly on a remote site, which you also manage.
The documentation suggest that while PrinterSetup can be used on its own, it’s designed to work with the RADmind administration software.
Manuel Deschambault, a sysadmin for an educational site in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, gave it a thumbs up. He said he used it to manage 700 Macs.
Its beta, so some blood and sweat must be invested but the developers are great and have answered all my questions, so kudos. I can now create printers on my machines by simply dragging a few icons. And in my next source release, the process will be fully automated.
The current version comes with scripts that can start or cancel all jobs on all print queues. The development notes include the hope of porting the software to Ruby, which will help with support for Windows printer management.
If you missed the RADmind session at the Macworld Expo’s Mac IT track, a video is available online. Patrick McNeal of MIT’s Information Services & Technology Division offered Managing Mac OS X with Radmind - Imaging, Rollback, and No License Fees, which now can be found at Macworld Encore in the Mac OS X/Administration tabs.
A PDF of the presentation is here.
David Morgenstern has covered the Mac market and other technology segments for 20 years. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Subscribe to The Apple Core via Email alerts or RSS.
