consistent problems in KDE printing to remote cups server

[pipitas]

Tim Kelley wrote:

> I am positive this is a KDE problem, but I am hoping someone here knows of
> a fix for this.
> 
> When KDE is set to use a remote cups server, it presents a login dialog no
> matter what the print servers access controls are.

I think I am the 2nd most experienced person on the planet with
KDE/CUPS printing, across various KDE releases since 1.0. But I
never experienced something like this.

Could you please specify more details about your setup, to hunt
this problem down?

* What is your OS? 
* What is your exact KDE version? 
* What is your CUPS version? 
* *How* is your CUPS setup so that it makes you sure it hasnt enabled 
  any access controls?
* How did you setup "kprinter" and KDEPrint?
* What is the exact wording of the dialog that pops up asking for the 
  credentials?
* Are you going to the remote CUPS server via a proxy?

> I can set the cups 
> server to allow completely anonymous printing, yet KDE still prompts for a
> login. Note that everything does work, even though (parts of) KDE thinks
> it
> doesn't.  I can get the list of printers and print just fine; I just keep
> getting the annoying login dialog.

Can you post the following files, please?

* "/etc/cups/cupsd.conf" from your remote CUPS server (remove all comments, 
  please -- just the bare settings are enough.)
  (Try "grep -v ^# /etc/cups/cupsd.conf | grep -v ^$ > cupsd.conf.nocomments"
  to produce a "naked" cupsd.conf.nocomments file.)

* "/etc/cups/cupsd.conf" from your KDE client (remove all comments like
  indicated above).

* "/etc/cups/client.conf" from your KDE client. Remove all comments like
  this:
  "grep -v ^# /etc/cups/client.conf | grep -v ^$ > client.conf.nocomments"
  (You may get an empty file, that's OK.)

* "$HOME/.cupsrc" from your KDE client. Remove all comments like this:
  "grep -v ^# $HOME/.cupsrc | grep -v ^$ > cupsrc.nocomments"
  (You may get an empty file, that's OK.)

* "$KDEDIR/share/config/kdeprintrc" from your KDE client

* "$KDEDIR/share/config/kprinterrc" from your KDE client

> I realize I could set up a local cups server, have it browse the main
> server, and point KDE to that, but I would much rather just use the cups
> server remotely, the way it's supposed to work. 

It *IS* supposed to work with a local CUPS daemon (albeit one that 
automatically picks up the printer list from a real CUPS print server
automatically by means of browsing). Printing without a local daemon
(a.k.a. "spoolerless printing") does only make sense for embedded 
systems which are short of RAM/HDD resources. Spoolerless/daemonless
printing may block your complete user interface if you can't access
the remote CUPS server in the moment of hitting the "Print" button.

> Running a local cups 
> daemon on every machine that needs to print is messy and excessively
> complicated.

This doesn't match my own experience. Maybe it is for you, because
of the particular OS you are using. But when you use the default
cupsd.conf as shipped by CUPS.org source distributions, it makes
a perfect CUPS printing client (with a running local cupsd that
auto-picks up printers ). The only thing you need to configure is
the CUPS server.

Cheers,
Kurt