[cups.general] Best way to add remote cups printers to osx?

[henri]

> I've got a cups 1.4.1 print server which I shared the printers on to
> Linux clients via ldap browsing without issue.     I've been asked to
> look at making the same printers available to osx clients at the  
> company
> that I work at.    I'm unsure of the recommended way to handle this  
> though.
>
> I've taken a look at altering the cupsd.conf configuration on the OSX
> machines and can via ether setting up ldap browsing lines or  
> browsepoll
> lines make the printers get listed via lpstat on the command line.
> However gui osx programs don't show any of the printers unless I go  
> into
>   System Preferences -> Print & Fax -> + -> select the printer -> add
> and actually select one of the shared printers to add.   That then  
> makes
> it show in gui printers but I can't work out what changes at a cups
> level to make it visible.
>
> Considering I have 40 printers x  100 mac clients and most of the  
> users
> are the type that can't work out how to add a printer I'd like to  
> find a
> cups config that makes all the shared printers how up in the list
> without any additional work being needed.  (and yes I now in osx 10.4
> there is a 'shared printers' list available in the printers list, on
> that 10.6 shows local printers in the print drop down for easy  
> addition.
>   unfortunately these clients are 100% 10.5.)
>

Sorry, I have not had any issues doing this with earlier version of  
Mac OS X I have not tried this kind of setup on Mac OS 10.5.x.

However, as a temporary solution, until you work out the CUPS  
configuration, you could setup an automated script to pull the data  
from the server and configure the queues on the clients.

PrinterSetup <http://www.lucidsystems.org/printingworks/printersetup/>  
has scripts bundled to help you pull the queues from the server and  
configure them on a client.

Hopefully, someone else on this list with experience with this kind of  
configuration on Mac OS 10.5.x and a CUPS 1.4.1 print server, will be  
able to provide details regarding the CUPS configuration.

Hope this helps.