Printing hangs, leaving lots of stuck processes

[Markus Laker]

For the benefit of anyone arriving here via a search engine, I've posted a workaround at the Launchpad URL below.

Markus


> After further research, it looks as if the problem may have been caused by a recent update to HPLIP, sent out by Canonical on Friday or thereabouts.  I've raised <https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/hplip/+bug/153562>.
>
> Markus
>
>
> > Hello.  I'm at my father's place for a few hours, trying to sort out a printing problem for him.  He's using an HP PhotoSmart C3180 on 64-bit Ubuntu 6.10, with HPLIP 1.6.9 and CUPS 1.2.4.
> >
> > When I print a test page (or anything else), nothing appears on the printer.  The page is visible at <http://localhost:631/jobs/>, but it never gets printed.  At <http://localhost:631/printers/>, the printer is shown with a yellow status indicator and this text:
> >
> > Description: Photosmart_C3180
> > Location: Desk
> > Make and Model: HP PhotoSmart C3100 Foomatic/hpijs (recommended)
> > Printer State: processing, accepting jobs, published.
> > Device URI: hp:/usb/Photosmart_C3100_series?serial=MY67RC602104P9
> >
> > `ps aux | grep cupsys' shows lots of processes that never complete:
> >
> > epl at garton:~$ ps aux | grep cupsys
> > cupsys    3940 13.7  0.4  29128  2528 ?        Ss   09:34  12:16 /usr/sbin/cupsd
> > cupsys    4623  0.0  1.4  23884  7464 ?        S    09:40   0:00 /usr/bin/perl /usr/lib/cups/filter/foomatic-rip 243 epl Test Page 1 job-uuid=urn:uuid:fe4d6d9a-9a71-3ce9-5cd9-7aa86766f0a7
> > cupsys    4624  0.0  0.2  11312  1248 ?        S    09:40   0:00 hp:/usb/Photosmart_C3100_series?serial=MY67RC602104P9 243 epl Test Page 1 job-uuid=urn:uuid:fe4d6d9a-9a71-3ce9-5cd9-7aa86766f0a7
> > cupsys    4632  0.0  1.2  23884  6264 ?        S    09:40   0:00 /usr/bin/perl /usr/lib/cups/filter/foomatic-rip 243 epl Test Page 1 job-uuid=urn:uuid:fe4d6d9a-9a71-3ce9-5cd9-7aa86766f0a7
> > cupsys    4633  0.0  1.1  23884  5928 ?        S    09:40   0:00 /usr/bin/perl /usr/lib/cups/filter/foomatic-rip 243 epl Test Page 1 job-uuid=urn:uuid:fe4d6d9a-9a71-3ce9-5cd9-7aa86766f0a7
> > cupsys    4634  0.0  0.1   2768   524 ?        S    09:40   0:00 sh -c gs '-sstdout=%stderr' '-dBATCH' '-dPARANOIDSAFER' '-dQUIET' '-dNOPAUSE' '-sDEVICE=ijs' '-sIjsServer=hpijs' '-sDeviceManufacturer=HEWLETT-PACKARD' '-sDeviceModel=deskjet 5600' '-dDEVICEWIDTHPOINTS=595' '-dDEVICEHEIGHTPOINTS=842' '-dDuplex=false' '-r300' '-sIjsParams=Quality:Quality=0,Quality:ColorMode=2,Quality:MediaType=0,Quality:PenSet=2,PS:MediaPosition=7' '-dIjsUseOutputFD' '-sOutputFile=%stdout' '-'
> > cupsys    4637  0.0  1.3  49892  6852 ?        S    09:40   0:00 gs -sstdout=%stderr -dBATCH -dPARANOIDSAFER -dQUIET -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=ijs -sIjsServer=hpijs -sDeviceManufacturer=HEWLETT-PACKARD -sDeviceModel=deskjet 5600 -dDEVICEWIDTHPOINTS=595 -dDEVICEHEIGHTPOINTS=842 -dDuplex=false -r300 -sIjsParams=Quality:Quality=0,Quality:ColorMode=2,Quality:MediaType=0,Quality:PenSet=2,PS:MediaPosition=7 -dIjsUseOutputFD -sOutputFile=%stdout -
> > cupsys    4638  0.0  0.1   2768   524 ?        S    09:40   0:00 sh -c hpijs
> > cupsys    4639  0.0  0.3  17692  1896 ?        S    09:40   0:00 hpijs
> > epl      15947  0.0  0.1   3908   804 pts/1    R+   11:03   0:00 grep cupsys
> > epl at garton:~$
> >
> > The printer itself seems mechanically sound: it can make photocopies.
> >
> > `lsusb' shows that the computer can see the printer:
> >
> > epl at garton:~$ lsusb
> > Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
> > Bus 002 Device 002: ID 03f0:5611 Hewlett-Packard
> > Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
> > epl at garton:~$
> >
> > I have, of course, tried power-cycling everything.
> >
> > My father says that the only recent change is a routine update patch sent by Ubuntu.  In case it helps, the precise versions of the packages he's using are:
> >
> > cupsys 1.2.4-2ubuntu3
> > hplip 1.6.9-0ubuntu2.1
> >
> > Is there anything I can try?  I'm afraid I don't know enough about the interaction between CUPS and HPLIP to know which package is jammed up.
> >
> > Thanks for any help you can give.
> >
> > Markus
> >
>