Disk Space

When evaluating systems as possible print servers, consider their available disk space. A large spool directory can consume 600 Mbytes of disk space. Evaluate the size and division of disk space on systems that can be designated as print servers.

Also, carefully evaluate the printing needs and use patterns of print client systems. For example, assume that users in a small group typically print only short email messages, which are simple ASCII files without sophisticated formatting requirements. In this example, a print server with 20 to 25 Mbytes of disk space allocated to the /var directory is probably sufficient. If, however, many print client users are printing large documents, bit mapped images, or raster images, the users will likely fill the spooling space quite frequently. When users cannot queue their jobs for printing, work flow is interrupted. Requests for more spooling space can force you to either add disk space for spooling or designate a different system as the print server.

If the print server has a /var directory that is too small, and a larger file system is available, you can mount the larger file system on the /var directory for additional spooling space. For information about mounting file systems and editing the vfstab file, see Mounting File Systems in System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems.