The OctoPrint community 
it was just an addition to @Ray_Cadmus post
Got it - understand - thanks!
Since I already have the 4 ea Pi4s and the switch along with cables and power supplies I might as well use them. Plan on connecting the switch to the modem/router. Then from the switch connect to my PC. Then from the switch to each of the Pi4s. No wireless involved. Will give OctoFarm a try.
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Honestly, anyone who tries to put four printers on a single computer of any kind is being penny-wise and pound-foolish, in my humble opinion. It's not worth losing four print jobs at once.
If I understand your post correctly if I have either one or all four of my 3D printers printing off of their own Pi4 and I am doing something else on my main PC and for some reason my main PC freezes or has a problem then ALL my 3D printers will lose their print jobs?
Please explain how this can occur as it just might help others!
Thank you - Alan
@Alan One-printer-one-Pi is the expected situation. If one OctoPrint has problems with one printer it won't affect any of the other printers/jobs running.
Four-printers-one-Pi sets up for a single problem producing four failed print jobs at once. If OctoPrint has problems it would affect all four print jobs running.
And then there's the PC/workstation where you're trying to connect and oversee the job. This computer can reboot and it shouldn't affect the expected setup. But on that note...
The Raspberry series at best have four cores. OctoPrint runs on one of those. The webcam service reasonably uses up another core streaming this back to the browser.
If there are four printers and four webcams that's a lot of processing power just for streaming webcams. It just feels like too much work and "putting all your eggs in one basket", risk-wise.
Thank you for your feedback. As I will be running 4 printers and 4 Pi4 using OctoFarm I think I will be just fine.
We will see. If not then lessons learned and the Pi and OctoFarm dev will all gain.
Thanks again
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