temp file links left in /tmp to ppd file in /etc/cups after printing

[Scott Moser]

smoser@brickies:~/t/query$ ls -altr /tmp | grep cups | wc -l
24
smoser@brickies:~/t/query$ ls -altr /tmp | grep cups
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:01 4ec1d626d9c1e -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:10 4ec1d82e590c4 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:11 4ec1d86793e28 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:12 4ec1d899ddac3 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:13 4ec1d8ca65743 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:14 4ec1d8fc60981 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:14 4ec1d92ce256e -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:15 4ec1d95ec33e9 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:16 4ec1d98e7dc69 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:17 4ec1d9c07720b -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:18 4ec1d9f190626 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:18 4ec1da23d893b -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:19 4ec1da5434731 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:21 4ec1dad0e26ae -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:22 4ec1db085aa32 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:23 4ec1db3b399d0 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:24 4ec1db6aef2c6 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:25 4ec1db9cb3ce8 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:26 4ec1dbcd66aa5 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:26 4ec1dc0078de0 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:27 4ec1dc302ed89 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:28 4ec1dc6283de6 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:29 4ec1dc939456a -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 27 22:30 4ec1dcc685f46 -> /etc/cups/ppd/MFC-420CN.ppd

# ls output above had user , group and Day trimmed for width's sake.
# user and group were smoser, day was 'Nov 14' (yesterday).

I actually printed 24 copies of a document last night around that time, so that is likely what resulted in these links.

The ppd file in question is:
$ dpkg -S /usr/share/ppd/Brother/brmfc420cn_cups.ppd
brother-cups-wrapper-extra: /usr/share/ppd/Brother/brmfc420cn_cups.ppd
$ dpkg-query --show brother-cups-wrapper-extra
brother-cups-wrapper-extra 1.2.1-0ubuntu3

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: cups 1.5.0-11
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.1.0-2.3-generic 3.1.0
Uname: Linux 3.1.0-2-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 1.26-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
CupsErrorLog:
 W [15/Nov/2011:07:40:51 -0500] failed to AddProfile: org.freedesktop.ColorManager.Failed:profile object path '/org/freedesktop/ColorManager/profiles/MFC_420CN_Gray__' has already been added
 W [15/Nov/2011:07:40:51 -0500] failed to AddProfile: org.freedesktop.ColorManager.Failed:profile object path '/org/freedesktop/ColorManager/profiles/MFC_420CN_RGB__' has already been added
Date: Tue Nov 15 09:17:26 2011
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
Lpstat: device for MFC-420CN: usb://Brother/MFC-420CN?serial=BROL5F736191
MachineType: LENOVO 7417CTO
Papersize: letter
PccardctlIdent:
 Socket 0:
   no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
 Socket 0:
   no card
PpdFiles: MFC-420CN: Brother MFC-420CN CUPS v1.1
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.1.0-2-generic root=UUID=f9832678-e9fb-41c5-8edb-5edd5200ed0a ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: cups
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2011-11-07 (8 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 12/06/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.bios.version: 7UET91WW (3.21 )
dmi.board.name: 7417CTO
dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.board.version: Not Available
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.chassis.version: Not Available
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvr7UET91WW(3.21):bd12/06/2010:svnLENOVO:pn7417CTO:pvrThinkPadT400:rvnLENOVO:rn7417CTO:rvrNotAvailable:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNotAvailable:
dmi.product.name: 7417CTO
dmi.product.version: ThinkPad T400
dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO

[Lars Karlitski (larsu)]

This is not a cups bug. It happens when an app calls cupsGetPPD and fails to unlink the returned file as described here:

  http://localhost:631/help/api-cups.html?QUERY=cupsgetppd#cupsGetPPD

With which application did you print? I'm only aware of acrobat reader still leaving those (and other) files around.

[John McPherson (john-mcpherson)]

I'm getting something similar, although it's not occurring when I print, so I don't think it's happening from any user action.

lrwxrwxrwx 1 jrm jrm 34 2012-01-21 07:57 4f19ff523c9d9 -> /etc/cups/ppd/L6-Postdoc-C3370.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 jrm jrm 34 2012-01-21 07:57 4f19ff523ca99 -> /etc/cups/ppd/L6-Postdoc-C3370.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 jrm jrm 34 2012-01-23 07:46 4f1c9ff2b1b8b -> /etc/cups/ppd/L6-Postdoc-C3370.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 jrm jrm 34 2012-01-23 07:46 4f1c9ff2b1c10 -> /etc/cups/ppd/L6-Postdoc-C3370.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 jrm jrm 34 2012-01-25 08:04 4f1f4712ae616 -> /etc/cups/ppd/L6-Postdoc-C3370.ppd
lrwxrwxrwx 1 jrm jrm 34 2012-01-25 08:04 4f1f4712ae6d6 -> /etc/cups/ppd/L6-Postdoc-C3370.ppd

I wasn't in the office at any of those dates/times, so it's not caused by me printing (the 21st was a Saturday and the 23rd was a public holiday).

the CUPS error log contains the following line 4 times:
W [25/Jan/2012:08:04:34 +0800] failed to AddProfile: org.freedesktop.ColorManager.Failed:profile object path '/org/freedesktop/ColorManager/profiles/L6_Postdoc_C3370_Gray__' has already been added

with similar lines in the older rotated log files for the same timestamps as the older files. I also see log messages for a 2nd printer (both printers were added manually, rather than discovered automatically via browsing), but that 2nd printer does not have symlinks to its ppd file.

[John McPherson (john-mcpherson)]

I tried to set the bug to "also affects" the colord package, but I can't see how to do that without removing the currently assigned package. It looks like the original poster's problem is caused by acroread (or another app).

[Lars Karlitski (larsu)]

Added colord and removed cups, since this is definitely a bug in the applications. Please add applications which you suspect of doing this.

@John you can add other projects by clicking "Also affects distribution". (I don't know why that makes sense ;) )

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Hans Deragon (deragon)]

I am having the same problem, but only with one of my printer for which CUPS is not working. If I print to my HP Laserjet 6L, my page is printed and not temporary file is to be found under /tmp. If I print to my Brother MFC-j615W, nothing gets printed (no errors reported though; this is another bug) and the temporary files remain.

The application used is LibreOffice 3.5.4.2 Build ID: 350m1(Build:2), Ubuntu 12.04 up to date as of 2012-08-30.

[Marcel Partap (empee584)]

I just deleted literally a million of these, or howevermuch the /tmp fs can handle when it ran out of inodes.. all created at the same time, same link... - -

[Ray DeCampo (rdecampo)]

I had the same thing as Marcel noted in comment #8. My /tmp directory was filled with links to a ppd file under /etc/cups. I had to reboot in recovery mode to remove them. There were more a million, there were at least one link for every 13-digit hexademical number starting with the same 6 digits so at least 2^28, or approximately a quarter of a billion. I had to create a script to delete them because it was too many arguments for rm to handle.