[Cialug] acrophobia
Nathan C. Smith
cialug@cialug.org
Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:51:38 -0600
If you grab the RPM and extract it you will see there isn't much to it. My
understanding is that the installation script is now longer than the actual
project code. It is designed so that even a small firm with little
technical prowess and an extra or old machine can make use of it as simply
as possible.
In a nutshell:
A command can take the place of a SAMBA printer, in this case, ePDF.py or
.sh depending on version. The Postscript pumped in is run through ps2pdf
and named and e-mailled according to the metadata that rides along with the
printer stream - file name and username.
---------------------------------------
Below are the installation instructions.
PDF creation is an essential part of any law firm's technological
infrastructure. Acrophobia is an easy, proven and FUN way to provide this
vital capability to your firm. Did I mention that it's free? Acrophobia
can be set up on commodity hardware (that's a euphemism for the obsolete
junk you have piled in the store-room) in under an hour.
Many new features have been added to Acrophobia version 3. Among these are:
Super-easy installation via an rpm package
Vastly improved compatibility with Windows 2000 and XP
Active Directory and NDS Integration - ** No more map files!! **
Task Oriented Printers - Set up PDF printers that render output in Black &
White, Color, miniscript format (4 pages per sheet) or booklet format
Batch Printing - Multiple documents can be queued and returned in a single
e-mail.
Whether you are new to Linux or a seasoned veteran, Acrophobia is a breeze
to set up. The release candidate has an abbreviated set of instructions.
If you have never touched Linux before, a very detailed manual will be
distributed along with the upcoming final release.
It's bonus time friends. Install Acrophobia now and be sure to tell your
CEO and CFO how much money you saved!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Quasi-abbreviated instructions for installing Acrophobia version 3
**Note: If you currently have RC1 installed, you do not need to install
RC2. The only difference is the removal of some debugging information in
the setup script. There is no functional difference. ****
If you have already installed an earlier beta of Acrophobia, you must remove
it before installing RC2. To uninstall, do the following:
Make sure samba is stopped: "service smb stop"
Run the command: "rpm -e lawnet-acrophobia". This will remove the python
and shell scripts, but leave any custom settings in ePDF.conf intact (i.e.
rpm will preserve ePDF.conf if you have updated it since the original
install, otherwise rpm will remove it). The old ePDF.conf file is not
compatible with Acrophobia v3RC2. When RC2 is installed, the old file will
be renamed to ePDF.conf.rpmsave. You can keep it around for reference, but
you should not copy it back to ePDF.conf
Clean up (not strictly necessary, but it's best start fresh)
Save your ePDF.conf file if you need to refer to any settings in it.
remove the config directory (rm -rf /etc/ePDF) be careful when you type
this!!
remove the spool directory (rm -rf /var/spool/ePDF) be careful
remove the driver directory (rm -rf /etc/samba/drivers) be really careful
Remove all of the print shares from smb.conf (they are all at the end,
following [print$])
Remove the [print$] share from smb.conf
Skip to step # 3 below
To install RC2 from scratch do the following:
Get Fedora Core 2 Linux (Note Fedora Core 3 is out, but I haven't tested it
yet). You can get the FC2 iso files from:
http://mirrors.kernel.org/fedora/core/ or via Bit Torrent. To use Bit
Torrent, download and install the bittorrent software
(http://bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/download.html) then use the link at
http://torrent.dulug.duke.edu/ to start the download (the link you want is
"tettnang-binary-i386-iso".)
Install FC2.
Install as a "Server" (ass opposed to "Workstation", "Laptop", etc.)
At the firewall screen, open the following ports:
137:udp,138:udp,139:tcp,445:tcp
Add the following Packages: X-Windows, Gnome, Graphical Internet, Mail
Server, System Tools
Install the Acrophobia program. You can download it, or install it directly
from the web.
The rpm can be downloaded from
http://www.peertopeer.org/pg/ilta-acrophobia-3.0RC2-1.i386.rpm. After
downloading, install it with "rpm -ivh ilta-acrophobia-3.0RC2-1.i386.rpm"
Alternatively, you can have RPM download it for you. "rpm -ivh
http://www.peertopeer.org/pg/ilta-acrophobia-3.0RC2-1.i386.rpm"
Run "ePDFconf.sh" as instructed. Read the descriptions for each
configuration item carefully. You will receive a confirmation prompt prior
to any changes being made to any files. ePDFconf.sh can always be re-run if
you want to change your answers to any of the questions. Do read the log
that accompanies each set of files changes - it details everything that was
done. All files are backed up with numbered extensions, so you can always
go back.
Start up samba by typing "service smb start". Optionally, you can run
testparm first to see if smb.conf is OK
Set up the NT password hashes for root: type "smbpasswd -a root" and then
enter the root password at the prompt. If you previously installed a beta
version of Acrophobia 3, you still need to perform this step due to a change
in the passdb back end. You may get an error indicating that the account
already exists. Disregard the error.
Here is the tricky/weird/fun part. Follow directions precisely. I did this
from an XP-SP2 machine - it may work differently on other versions Please
let me know.
Go to a windows machine and browse to the print$ share of the acrophobia
server. This is a hidden share, so you'll have to type it in explicitly
(Start | Run | \\acrophobia\print$)
Double click the addprinter.cmd file and then enter your root password to
run the add printer wizard.
Accept the default for the printer port (Samba Port). Be sure to "share"
the printer (the default is "Do not share"). You can name the printer and
the share anything you wish. When it asks for the printer type/driver,
click "Have Disk". Look in \\acrophobia\print$ for the driver files
(ghostpdf.inf). If you are prompted to keep or replace the driver files,
you can choose either. When you click Finish, several driver files will be
copied to the samba box.
The "Printer Comment" field can be used to pass certain parameters to
Acrophobia for that given printer.
If "[debug]" is found in the comment, Acrophobia will output detailed
information to the samba log files (/var/log/samba/machine-name)
The "[batch=share]" keyword is used to set up a batch printer. See below.
Do NOT try to open or add the newly installed printer to your machine (yet).
Since Samba/Linux cannot execute the driver code, the default devmode for
the printer is not setup - installing the printer or opening the property
pages will probably crash your machine. The default devmode needs to be set
first. Read on
>From the command prompt, run: runas /netonly /user:root "rundll32
printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /t3 /n\\acrophobia\ePDF". Again, the quotes are
necessary and need to be typed exactly as shown. replace \\acrophobia\ePDF
with \\yourserver\\yourshare. When the property dialog pops up, you should
see a "Printing Defaults" button. Click it... Do NOT switch over to the
General tab and select Printing Preferences from there - the resulting
dialog box may look the same, but it won't achieve the desired results.
Set any defaults you would like in the printing defaults page. Under the
"Advanced" button, you will find some settings that require attention. Set
the PostScript Output Option (under PostScript Options) to "Optimize for
portability".
Click "OK" or "Save" until you've cleared out all of the dialogs.
Now you can browse to your acrophobia server and point-n-print (i.e. double
click the printer you just installed) to install the printer on your
machine. Note that I have observed Samba segfaulting at this stage. You
probably won't notice unless you are watching the logs - it seems like a
momentary hiccup at the client machine. Hopefully this is fixed in FC3. I
have not observed this occurring during printing or any other operation that
a user would notice. It appears to just be a minor annoyance at this point.
At this stage you should be able to print (test page, document, etc) and you
will observe that the print queue actually works. Don't try to delete jobs
from the print-queue window, though - that won't work.
Repeat from step #10 and set up as many printers as you like. Here are a
few things to try in step #13.
Set up a printer that defaults to Black & White. This is useful if your
document templates use colored text to indicate "Non-TOC text". Attorneys
generally do not like that "festive" look going out with their documents.
Set up a "miniscript" printer by setting the "pages per sheet" default to 4.
Set up a booklet printer by setting "pages per sheet" to 2 and "Orientation"
to Landscape
Finally, from your linux box, run a "chkconfig smb on" so that Samba will
start when/if the box gets rebooted.
Batch Printing
A batch printer is simply an extension of another "regular" printer - it
uses the same queue, but doesn't mail the PDF at the end of the job.
Set up a standard printer first. Make note of the Share name
(capitalization must match, so make note of that)
The batch printer is set up just like a regular printer, except: When
running the add printer wizard, you need to add "[batch=sharename]" to the
Printer Comment field. Replace "sharename" with the share name of the
standard printer from step #2
The printer defaults should be set identically to that of the standard
printer. It would be annoying to have print jobs sent to the standard
printer come out in portrait, and have jobs sent to the batch printer come
out in landscape!
To use the batch printer, print all of your jobs except the last to the
batch share. Print your last job to the standard share. When the last job
is complete, you will receive an e-mail with all jobs attached.
If you forget to print the last job to the standard printer, just print
something (anything) to the standard printer to trigger the release of the
files. When you receive the e-mail, you can easily remove the final (extra)
attachment.
Handy tips
Get a command prompt and run: "rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /?". You
can do a lot with this little command. Primarily, it can be used to
distribute printer connections in a login script!!
If you are installing FC2 on a Compaq - er HP - server: You can download
the management subsystem (agents, etc) for RedHat Enterprise Linux v3 from
the HP website - FC2 appears to have a lot in common with RHELv3.
Jerry Askew
jerry@askew.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Bryan Baker [mailto:ka_klick@mac.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 10:43 AM
To: cialug@cialug.org
Subject: Re: [Cialug] acrophobia
I'm a techie. I'm on the ABA's LAWTECH listserv, and several lists on
http://lstech.org and I'll admit that this group sounds interesting,
but since I work for a NPO it may be tough to justify the upfront cost
of the sub, but I'll check into it. Maybe they have a discount for LSC
folks. :-)
I looked through the SF site, and it's still pretty bare - I noticed
the only thing they've got up there so far is the RPM - CVS is still
empty, so no poking around on source yet - and apparently they assume
that they're being installed on their OWN FC2 box - they say they
overwrite config files for samba, etc.
I guess at this point I'm still more interested in how / what they are
doing than in actually using the "product".
On Nov 17, 2004, at 10:22 AM, Nathan C. Smith wrote:
> Are you an attorney, an IT guy or a little of both?
>
> You may be interested in joining Lawnet if you are it or both. It is
> cheap
> ($300), relatively speaking. Acrophobia itself has already repaid that
> amount in spades. There is a linux special interest group (linux+legal
> tech, how cool is that), as well as some others. They publish an
> interesting newsletter and have member surveys about email, law firm
> technology, etc.
>
> http://www.peertopeer.org/
>
> -Nate
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bryan Baker [mailto:ka_klick@mac.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 10:13 AM
> To: cialug@cialug.org
> Subject: Re: [Cialug] acrophobia
>
>
> Thanks, I poked around for some time to try and figure out what they
> did and was pretty miffed that they were keeping it private. This is
> great news.
>
> On Nov 17, 2004, at 10:07 AM, Nathan C. Smith wrote:
>> A month or two ago I mentioned a project I was using called
>> Acrophobia to create PDF images through a SAMBA printer and have them
>> mailed back. Several people indicated an interest.
>>
>> It is now available as an open-source project on Sourceforge. The
>> most recently released version graduates it from a shell script into
>> a python program.
>>
>> http://sourceforge.net/projects/acrophobia/
>>
>> -Nate
>>
>> Nathan Smith McKee, Voorhees & Sease, P.L.C. 515.288.3667
>> _______________________________________________
>> Cialug mailing list
>> Cialug@cialug.org
>> http://cialug.org/mailman/listinfo/cialug
>>
> --
> Bryan Baker
> Technology Advocate
> Iowa Legal Aid
> Suite 230
> 1111 9th Street
> Des Moines, Ia 50314-2527
>
> (515) 243-2151 (x1635)
>
> http://www.iowalegalaid.org
> bbaker@iowalaw.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> Cialug mailing list
> Cialug@cialug.org
> http://cialug.org/mailman/listinfo/cialug
>
--
Bryan Baker
Technology Advocate
Iowa Legal Aid
Suite 230
1111 9th Street
Des Moines, Ia 50314-2527
(515) 243-2151 (x1635)
http://www.iowalegalaid.org
bbaker@iowalaw.org