Is this release beta quality software?

PaperCut has been around for almost 9 years now. The Novell OES Linux release shares around 97% of the same source code as the Windows, Mac and Linux/CUPS versions so the vast majority of the application is production quality code. The iPrint specific code however is new and needs testing and feedback from users on real networks.

Where do I get the version of iPrint compatible with PaperCut (the one with the new hooks)?

The current release of iPrint supplied with OES Linux 2 does not have the APIs we require. On our request the iPrint team has added the APIs and these will be included in the SP1 release. OES 2 SP1 is currently in public beta and can be downloaded at the Novell Beta Program site.

Can I install this on a production system?

Yes and No. You should be aware that this is a beta period. A sensible approach on larger networks might be to set up a separate print server independent of the production server. This can be used for testing with the full confidence that you can flick back to the production server if required.

Smaller sites may choose to install on a production server. The backup plan should something go wrong is to either unbind PaperCut from the queues by removing the "papercut" accounting option from the Print Manager, or just to uninstall.

Tell me about the beta testing program

The Novell community is very active and enthusiastic. We have not done any explicit advertising or even announced our development efforts, but even still the word has spread through the grape vine. We've had over 50 organizations contact us expressing eagerness to help us test. The objective of the testing program is to tap into this enthusiasm and gather feedback. Over the next few weeks we'd love to hear your feedback, ideas and opinions about the release. We're also going to give back in the form of discounts the final version and some free licenses will also be issued to selected sites.

We're looking for feedback on areas such as:

• Bugs or problems
• Are we doing things the "Novell way"?
• Ideas and potential new features
• How we can promote and make other Novell users aware of the application.

Organizations participating in the testing program who submit feedback will receive:

• A free license allowing you to run the software for two months (if required).
• A 50% discount on final purchase.

Does it support Netware?

No. We've decided to focus our development effort on OES Linux to ensure that it's future proof. We also have a lot of experience with Linux development and this approach allowed us to leverage a lot of existing code.

We are a business and I'd like to run PaperCut ChargeBack (not NG)?

No problems. Please contact us. PaperCut ChargeBack will also be released soon for Novell OES Linux. We are fully commited to the iPrint platform and will offer all features as we do for all other platforms.

What is the required OS version?

Officially Novell OES 2 SP1 - yet to be released. OES2 SP1 is currently in Public Beta and is expected to be final soon.

How to I track changes/updates made during the testing program?

Chris and Tom will be maintaining a list of changes and discussion topics in the developer blog.

I am a long-time Novell user and have a suggestion

You're just the person we're looking for! Please email your ideas through to the development team via the support email.

Are there any known issues with the current release?

During our internal testing we found two problem areas.

1. The API has a bug and is not returning the IP address of the machine that submitted the print job. The iPrint team are looking into this. In the meantime we've implemented a quick hack where we look up the MAC address in the system's ARP table. This may however not work on all networks so some sites may have issues when users can log on multiple systems at the same time.
2. Automatic refunding of cancelled/errored jobs is currently being looked at.

How do I install?

The first place to start is the install instructions for Novell. Please have a quick read before installing.

Is the Novell version a second class citizen when measured against the Windows version?

The Novell OES Linux version is fully featured and will always be on equal footing with other operating systems. It is not a port. The Mac, Linux and Windows versions share around 97% of the same source code and all versions are developed in parallel. The code base is modern (major re-write in 2005) and from the inception of the first line of code, supporting all platforms equally has been a design objective. Novell users can expect the same level of functionality and support and releases will track all other platforms.

Is PaperCut NG open source?

PaperCut NG is a commercial application with commercial support. It's not open source in relation to it being licensed under the GPL or equivalent. We do however provide our customers with access to the source code and our development process is very open. Check out our release history and blog to get a feel for this.

What does/will it cost?

This has been a hotly debated topic. Novell is not as popular as other platforms such as those starting with "W" and the cost to deliver a solution with the same feature set is equal, so one could argue that a Novell version should cost more. We have however stuck to our guns and lived up to our promise to support all platforms equally. Just like in terms of features, the price will be the same as that offered to Windows, Mac and Linux users. We hope the Novell community are encouraged by this policy and support it by supporting us.

Does it have an uninstaller?

Yes. The script titled "uninstall" will fully uninstall the application.

What was it like developing the iPrint version of PaperCut?

Personally (and hoping that the Mac and Windows guys never read this page) I think iPrint on OES Linux is the best platform for print queue hosting. Windows has some great stuff in Windows-only networks but on a modern cross-platform network it's quite a fight. Mac Server is quite a long way off all the platforms. CUPS is great and very configurable but unfortunately the options exposed on Mac OS X Server are very limited and this hampers administrators. iPrint is a heavy solution but IMHO is the benchmark in the enterprise space.

How long did the iPrint integration for PaperCut take to develop?

We first started looking at integrating with Novell iPrint queues on OES Linux (the first release) back in mid-2007. At this stage we were in discussions with the iPrint team about the best methods to support 3rd party print accounting applications, and the kind of functionality that would be required to make it possible. Unfortunately the layoffs at Novell it late 2007 delayed the project, and things didn't really get started again until mid-2008.

Once we got our hands on the required APIs the development was quite an easy task. PaperCut is developed with a modular service oriented architecture, so the portion of code that needed to be ported for adding iPrint support was a small portion of the overall code base.

How does PaperCut interface with the printers?

PaperCut hooks into the iPrint Print Manager via the new APIs provided by the iPrint Dev Team. This hook is configured at a queue level.

Does PaperCut support eDirectory?

Yes. PaperCut NG has full support for LDAP over SSL and understands standard eDirectory schema. We've also added OES Specific auto detection code so in most cases PaperCut will automatically determine your LDAP configurations.

I have another question. How do I get in touch with the developers?

Send through an email to support. Chris heads up the Novell development and he'll be more than happy to help with any related questions.