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https://github.com/jordonh18/continuum

Printer Proxy is a Linux-based service that transparently redirects print jobs from failed printers to available devices using iptables NAT, without requiring client reconfiguration.
https://github.com/jordonh18/continuum

debian dnat failover high-availability iptables linux nat networking printer printer-management python self-hosted selfhosted sysadmin ubuntu

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Printer Proxy is a Linux-based service that transparently redirects print jobs from failed printers to available devices using iptables NAT, without requiring client reconfiguration.

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README 

          
# Continuum



[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE)

[![Python 3.9+](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.9+-blue.svg)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)

[![Platform](https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-linux-lightgrey.svg)](https://ubuntu.com/)

[![GitHub release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/Jordonh18/continuum)](https://github.com/Jordonh18/continuum/releases)

[![GitHub issues](https://img.shields.io/github/issues/Jordonh18/continuum)](https://github.com/Jordonh18/continuum/issues)

[![CodeRabbit Pull Request Reviews](https://img.shields.io/coderabbit/prs/github/Jordonh18/continuum?utm_source=oss&utm_medium=github&utm_campaign=Jordonh18%2Fcontinuum&labelColor=171717&color=FF570A&link=https%3A%2F%2Fcoderabbit.ai&label=CodeRabbit+Reviews)](https://coderabbit.ai)



A modern network printer management platform with transparent traffic redirection. When a printer fails, Continuum automatically redirects print jobs to working printers using NAT/iptables, no client reconfiguration required.



## Features



### Printer Management

- **Automatic Discovery**: Find printers via mDNS, SNMP scanning, or manual entry

- **Health Monitoring**: Real-time status tracking with ICMP and TCP checks

- **Job Tracking**: Monitor print jobs and page counts via SNMP

- **Statistics & Analytics**: Historical data and uptime reports



### Network Redirection

- **Transparent Failover**: Automatically redirect traffic from failed printers to working replacements

- **Secondary IP Assignment**: Dynamically claims failed printer IPs as network aliases

- **NAT/DNAT Rules**: iptables-based traffic forwarding for seamless redirection

- **Protocol Support**: RAW (9100), IPP (631), LPR (515)

- **Group Redirects**: Schedule redirects for multiple printers simultaneously



### Workflow Automation

- **Visual Workflow Builder**: Drag-and-drop interface for creating automation

- **Triggers**: Schedule-based, event-based, or manual workflow execution

- **Actions**: Printer operations, redirects, notifications, HTTP requests, email

- **Conditions**: Branch logic based on printer status, time, or custom variables



### Notifications & Alerts

- **Multi-Channel**: Email, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, webhooks

- **Event Types**: Printer offline/online, redirect changes, job completion, workflow events

- **Custom Rules**: Configure notification preferences per event type



### Security & Access

- **JWT Authentication**: Secure API access with token-based auth

- **User Management**: Create users, set passwords, manage permissions

- **MFA Support**: TOTP-based two-factor authentication

- **Account Lockout**: Brute-force protection with configurable thresholds

- **API Tokens**: Generate tokens for programmatic access

- **Rate Limiting**: Protect against abuse with configurable rate limits



### Modern Web Interface

- **React + TypeScript**: Fast, responsive single-page application

- **Dark Mode**: System-aware theme switching

- **Real-Time Updates**: Live status updates via polling

- **Mobile-Friendly**: Responsive design for any device



### System & Deployment

- **APT Repository**: Easy installation and automatic updates

- **Systemd Integration**: Native service management

- **Nginx Reverse Proxy**: Production-ready HTTPS setup

- **Self-Signed Certificates**: Auto-generated SSL for development



## Installation



### Via APT Repository (Recommended)



```bash

# Add the GPG signing key

curl -fsSL https://apt.jordonh.me/gpg-key.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/continuum.gpg



# Add the repository

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/continuum.gpg] https://apt.jordonh.me stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/continuum.list



# Install Continuum

sudo apt update

sudo apt install continuum

```



### Manual Installation



```bash

# Download the latest .deb package

wget https://github.com/Jordonh18/continuum/releases/latest/download/continuum_VERSION_all.deb



# Install

sudo dpkg -i continuum_VERSION_all.deb

sudo apt-get install -f  # Install dependencies

```



## Quick Start



1. **Access the Web UI**: Navigate to `https://` (accept the self-signed certificate warning)

2. **Create Admin Account**: Complete the initial setup wizard

3. **Discover Printers**: Use the discovery tool to find printers on your network

4. **Create Redirect**: Select a failed printer and redirect it to a working one



## How It Works



```

                           ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐

                           │       Continuum Server           │

                           │                                      │

                           │  1. Claims 192.168.1.10 as secondary │

                           │  2. Applies DNAT rule in iptables    │

                           │  3. Forwards traffic to target       │

                           └──────────────────────────────────────┘

                                          ▲           │

                       Print to           │           │ Forwarded

                    192.168.1.10:9100     │           │ to target

                                          │           ▼

┌──────────────────┐                      │           ┌───────────────────────┐

│   Client PC      │──────────────────────┘           │   Working Printer     │

│                  │                                  │   192.168.1.20        │

│  No changes      │                                  │   Receives jobs       │

│  required        │                                  └───────────────────────┘

└──────────────────┘

```



Continuum operates at the network layer, intercepting TCP print traffic destined for a failed printer and transparently redirecting it to a working replacement. The proxy server claims the failed printer's IP address as a secondary interface and applies DNAT rules to forward connections, clients continue printing without any configuration changes.



## Upgrading



```bash

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade continuum

```



The service will automatically restart after upgrade.



## Development



### Prerequisites

- Python 3.9+

- Node.js 18+ and npm

- Linux with iptables support



### Setup



```bash

# Clone repository

git clone https://github.com/Jordonh18/continuum.git

cd continuum



# Backend setup

python3 -m venv venv

source venv/bin/activate

pip install -r requirements.txt



# Frontend setup

cd frontend

npm install

npm run build



# Run development server (backend on :8080)

cd ..

python run.py

```



### Building



```bash

# Build .deb package

./scripts/build-deb.sh



# Package will be in builds/

```



## System Requirements



- **OS**: Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 11+

- **Python**: 3.9 or higher

- **Permissions**: Root/sudo access for iptables manipulation

- **Network**: Interface capable of multiple IP addresses



## Project Structure



```

continuum/

├── app/                    # Backend application

│   ├── models/            # Database models

│   ├── routes/            # API endpoints

│   ├── services/          # Business logic (health check, discovery, etc.)

│   └── utils/             # Authentication, rate limiting, etc.

├── frontend/              # React + TypeScript SPA

│   └── src/

│       ├── components/    # UI components

│       ├── pages/         # Page components

│       └── lib/           # API client, utilities

├── scripts/               # Build and utility scripts

├── debian/                # Debian packaging files

└── config/                # Application configuration



```



## Contributing



Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature`)

3. Commit your changes (`git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'`)

4. Push to the branch (`git push origin feature/amazing-feature`)

5. Open a Pull Request



## License



MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.



## Links



- **Documentation**: [GitHub Wiki](https://github.com/Jordonh18/continuum/wiki)

- **Issue Tracker**: [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/Jordonh18/continuum/issues)

- **APT Repository**: [https://apt.jordonh.me](https://apt.jordonh.me)