Looking for the architect of spooler in Linux...

logicman112 · 07-02-2006, 01:33 AM

I want to learn the architect of a printer driver in Linux, particularly, the spooler system and spooling? What Linux components are invloved in spooling? Is there any kernel document to clarify the subject?

I wonder if any body has a clue to help me.

unSpawn · 07-02-2006, 05:51 AM

I think that apart from printk's the kernel has no notion of printing in general, spooling or printer drivers.
Maybe you should look for say IPP protocol docs, CUPS development docs and the CUPS source code.

sundialsvcs · 07-02-2006, 10:13 AM

Actually, printk() has nothing to do with spooling. There are, as usual, several different ways to handle print-spooling in Unix. lprng is the historic one, but CUPS is easily the best one.

CUPS is used on OS/X as well, behind the scenes.

unSpawn · 07-02-2006, 05:57 PM

Actually, printk() has nothing to do with spooling.
Dunno how you got to that, but I wasn't even *implying* printk did have anything to do with spooling.

logicman112 · 07-03-2006, 12:52 AM

Thank you for the replies. CUPS technology has a book but it is not free, moreover I noticed spooling task is not a kernel duty(because of that we hardly find any file connected with the word, "spool", inside kerenl) and it is handled by a user process daemon and the daemon calls parallel port device driver inside kernel. Please let me know if I am correct.