Secondary servers
You can use secondary servers to do some of the more processing-intensive steps in your various workflows and to prevent the primary server from becoming overloaded. The primary server works with the secondary servers to coordinate the movement of all jobs across the system. The secondary servers do not have their own embedded databases for storing system information. All the servers work with the database that is installed on the primary computer.
RICOH ProcessDirector supports different types of secondary servers:
- Local secondary servers
- Created directly on the primary computer. Require minimal configuration.
- Remote secondary servers
- Created on a Linux computer that is separate from the primary computer. You must install a Secondary Server feature on the remote computer and set up communication between the secondary server and the primary server.
- Container secondary servers
- Created either on the Linux primary computer or on a Linux computer that is separate
from the primary computer. You must install Docker Engine 19.03 or above on the computer
that will host the container secondary server. On a remote computer, you must also
set up communication between the secondary server and the primary server. In addition,
you might need to install a Secondary Server feature.
Then, you create the container secondary server in RICOH ProcessDirector. Creating the server loads an image into a Docker container on the computer. The image contains a Linux operating system and everything needed to run a RICOH ProcessDirector secondary server.
Secondary servers can manage all types of RICOH ProcessDirector objects, such as input devices, steps, and printers. They can also run external programs that RICOH ProcessDirector accesses through external steps. External programs can do more processing or special types of processing.
For installations that have many printers and a high volume of jobs, adding secondary servers to the system can increase job throughput. The throughput increases because each server has a smaller number of printers and jobs to monitor and control.
For AFP printers, you can set up secondary servers to stage work to the remote server so that RICOH ProcessDirector keeps the pipeline to the printer full, reducing the likelihood that the printer waits for data. This configuration is particularly useful if you installed RICOH ProcessDirector on an externally hosted or distributed network, such as a virtualized or cloud environment that is far removed from the physical printers. Properties of the AFP printer object allow you to specify a directory on the secondary server to receive the print files. The secondary server then manages releasing jobs to the AFP printer when the printer needs work.
You can create secondary servers on the primary computer or install the Secondary Server feature on these systems:
- CentOS Linux 7.9 through latest 7.X for x86_64
- Red Hat 7.6 through latest 7.X
- Red Hat 8.1 through latest 8.X
- Rocky Linux 8.4 through latest 8.X
- Rocky Linux 9.0 through latest 9.X
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 12.0 with Service Pack 4 or above for x86_64