How to setup Print Clients and Servers with CalderaRIP?

This article will show you how to configure users as print clients or servers. You will also learn how to configure your printer drivers within the Client-Server Architecture. 

Definitions

• Print Client: Computer that sends and requests data to the Print Server.
  • Client name: Name of the interface of the driver that can submit jobs.
• Print Server: Computer that RIPs files.
  • Server name: Name of the driver that will compute jobs.
• Hostname: Name of the workstation, at an operative system and network level
• RIP name: Name of the CalderaRIP, at a software level.

How to Setup a Print Client and Print Server?

In this example, the Print Client will:

• RIP the files for "Printer B" locally. 
• Send the files to the Print Server (User 2) computer to be RIP and printed by "Printer B".

Setup your Print Client

To show you how to set up a Print Client, we will submit data to print from User 1 to Printer-B. Make sure you have your Printer B driver installed on the User 1 station.

1. In the ApplicationBar, open the Settings tab and double-click the Config icon:
   

    

2. In the Software Configuration window, select Printer-B and click on the Edit button:
   

    

3. In the Module parameters window, type the IP address of User 2  in the Hostname field. This will define the User 2 station as the Ripping computer for Printer-B:
   

    

4. Click OK then Restart the software to apply changes. 

Setup your Print Server

Follow the steps below to configure User 2 as a Print Server. Before proceeding, you must install your Printer-B driver. 

1. In the ApplicationBar, open the Settings tab and double-click the Config icon:
   

    

2. Select the Printer-B icon and click the Edit button:
   
   

    

3. In the Module Parameters window that appears, type "localhost" in the Hostname field: 
   
   

     Info

   To learn more about hostnames, server names, and their definition on each Client-Server, and even in each RIP instance, please take a look at this dedicated article.

Configure your Printer B driver 

As Ripped files will be submitted to the printer by User 2, you must properly configure the driver connection from the ServerAdmin. 

1. Go to ServerAdmin:
   

    

2. Select Printer-B and click on Configure...:
   

    

3. Once the connection Tab is open, type the Printer-B IP address in the Host/IP address field then click Proceed to validate:
   

    

4. Enter the Caldera password to apply changes:
   

    

   The print client and the print server configuration for the Printer B driver is done. Now, if we print a file from User 1 (Client), the job will be submitted to User 2 (Server), which will handle the RIP processing.
   
   

Test the setup

1. In the ApplicationBar, click on the Printer-B Icon:
   

    

2. Drag and Drop an image from the Image Bar to the Print Module:
   

    

3. Press the Print button to validate.

    

4. If you access User 2 Spooler, you will that the file is Ripped locally as expected:
   
   
   You can also see the Client Computer's IP Address displayed inside the job information tab. This means that the Client-Server configuration is operating correctly: