[cups.general] Documentation clarification for CUPS newbie

[Ambrose Li]

On 01/08/06, gcr <quaternion at comcast.net> wrote:
> I added the printer on the WINDOWS machine using the "Add Printer" wizard, and specified the printer as http://foo:631/printers/HPLaserJet4ML , [stuff deleted]
> However since I haven't configured the samba server on foo, how is my WINDOWS machine accessing the printer? I
>  researched this some over the internet, and if I had to explain what's going on, I'd say WINDOWS is really accessing the printer through IPP rather than CUPS per se, with CUPS providing a web-based interface for the WINDOWS machine, without providing a server capability. Does that sound about right?

Yes and no. You are correct that in your case XP is accessing
your printer through CUPS via IPP. But incorrect in that CUPS
certainly does not just provide a web interface; it also "provides
a server capability" and acts as the print server.

I suppose the documentation talks about auto-configuration;
I had been printing from Windows directly using IPP for
months. This even works on Windows 95 and Windows 98.
No Samba is required.

(Miraculously, IPP printing does not seem to work on Windows
2000; I have not tested XP but from what you wrote I suppose it
works.)

(I don't know how much of the above is still correct for cups 1.2.)
-- 
cheers,
-ambrose