Printer requires an Owner Name

[Helge Blischke]

Al wrote:

> My work has switched to Fuji Xerox printers, which up to today I've been
> able to print to simply by sending a PostScript file to their IP
> addresses. But as of today printing requires a login. Here are the
> (Windows) instructions:
> 
> "Start>Settings>Printers and Faxes>R-Click on the
> printer>Properties>Configuration>Accounting>Change the dropdown box “Use
> Login Name” to “Enter owner name”>Type in your staff ID number in the User
> ID box e.g. “e*******”>OK>Apply"
> 
> All very nice, I'm sure - but how do I apply this to CUPS? Where can I
> find an owner name in CUPS?
> 
> Thanks very much,
> Al

Seems you have been trapped by the "secure printing" option of the 
printer(s) in question. To my knowledge (and experience with printers of 
another vendor) this usually is implemented by a special client side driver 
software which encrypts the authentication data using proprietary 
algorithms.

If you cannot get a vendor supplied filter (or utility which can be wrapped 
to function as a cups filter) for this "secure printing", the only 
workaround I see (and successfully have executed) goes as follows:

(1) Configure a raw file device printer in cups and make it available to a 
suitable Windows box via Samba.
(2) On the Windows box, configure this "fake" printer in exactly the same 
way as the real printer you want to "hack".
(3) Do a test print (not the Windows test page) to this fake printer using 
the appropriate accounting parameters.
(4) Analyze the file your fake printer has generated, identify the part of 
the print job that represents the accounting/login information and 
incorporate it into a home grown filter.

Helge