cups uses more open files and more memory with each printjob

[Ronny Becker]

Binary package hint: cupsys

Description: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS
Release: 10.04 - Server
64bit System

cups 1.4.3-1ubuntu1.3
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Hello,
when I print a job or just delete a job, the amount of open files used by cups increases by ~ 40 - for every job. Although the memory usage goes up. That' s reproducable. Only a restart - not reload - helps to get cups back to a normal status.

In the logfiles you only find the message "too many open files". This message occurs just when it's too late. The server doesn't accept connections any more. You cannot find any strange messages in the logs before.

Now, I think it has to do something with samba. Because the files that are opened on each job and not closed are:
> cupsd 31763 root 683u unix 0xffff88015d559b00 0t0 308738831 socket
> cupsd 31763 root 684r CHR 1,9 0t0 907 /dev/urandom
> cupsd 31763 root 685u REG 251,3 36864 106058 /var/lib/samba/passdb.tdb
> cupsd 31763 root 686u REG 251,3 16384 106059 /var/lib/samba/account_policy.tdb
> cupsd 31763 root 687u REG 251,3 77824 106057 /var/lib/samba/group_mapping.ldb
> cupsd 31763 root 688u REG 251,3 40960 106043 /var/lib/samba/secrets.tdb

They are left on every job that is cancelled or printed - till there are too much open files.

I do not use samba to print on cups, although amba is installed and needed.

Because I need to install a print server for thousands of Pages every day, I need to find a solution for this problem.

Thanks for any help!!
Ronny

[Ronny Becker (ronny-becker)]

Hello,
today I have solved the problem - for me.

I have Samba and Winbind running on this system. Because cups uses PAM, it uses winbind to authenticate. Now, I changed the cups winbind configuration this way, that cups does not use winbind modules and it works.

So there is something wrong with cups and the winbind / pam module.

Thanks
Ronny

[Torbjörn Moa (moa-physto)]

Had the same problem. I solved it by doing

apt-get remove libpam-smbpass

I had previously removed winbind altogether, with no avail, so that seemed not related at all.

[Doug Brunner (madengineer10)]

Problem still exists on Maverick with CUPS 1.4.4-6ubuntu2.3; same set of files gets repeatedly opened and never closed. I also had to remove libpam-smbpass since I couldn't figure out any way to prevent CUPS from using winbind modules. The only winbind related thing I have installed is libwbclient0, and the Samba install isn't using winbind (to the best of my knowledge).

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[ghomem (gustavo)]

So far removing libpam-smbpass seems to "fix" the problem.

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

Hardy has reached end of life, and this package is not present in later releases. Closing all related bugs.