[cups] Using a network enabled printer from a lappy

Gene Heskett gheskett at wdtv.com
Sun Feb 28 19:40:57 PST 2016


On Sunday 28 February 2016 20:59:25 Daniel Miller wrote:

> Hmm...
>
> Not sure what version the browser got split off into a separate
> process & config.  Assuming you're on an older version the BrowsePoll
> is appropriate in cupsd.conf.
>
> Let's back up a sec and make sure we're understanding each other.  You
> have one or more network-enabled printers that work fine with some
> machines.  Those machines have been configured to print directly to
> the printer.  You have one machine (laptop) that for whatever reason
> you want/need to configure differently and instead send print jobs to
> one of the working machines which will in effect become a print
> server.
>
> Based on that...print sharing needs to be enabled on the designated
> print server.  And the laptop needs to be able to reach the print
> server.  Share some IP address specifics - you're talking local 192.x
> addresses anyway so you're not giving much away.
>
> There's a lot about cups that is supposed to Just Work - and mostly
> does - but sometimes...for whatever reason, the automatic
> share/browse/find/announce/print whatever doesn't automagically
> happen. So explicitly specifying the appropriate commands to force it
> has brought me better results.
>
> Things to verify:
>
> 1.  Designated print server has a listener on it's IP address.  "lsof
> -i
>
> :631" should yield results with either the specified IP or the global
>
That gets me this on what would be the server, this machine:

gene at coyote:~$ sudo lsof -i :631
[sudo] password for gene: 
COMMAND  PID USER   FD   TYPE DEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME
cupsd   4148 root    6u  IPv4 731126      0t0  TCP *:ipp (LISTEN)
cupsd   4148 root    9u  IPv6 731127      0t0  TCP *:ipp (LISTEN)
cupsd   4148 root   11u  IPv4 731130      0t0  UDP *:ipp 

The IPv6 is a no-op, is disabled.

> *:631.  If it's only the localhost - need to fix that using the Port
> or Listen directives.
>
> 2.  Print server needs to advertise it's shared printers.
> "BrowseLocalProtocols" in cupsd.conf should be "CUPS".  Or specify
> "BrowseProtocols CUPS dnssd".

That _was_ "BrowseLocalProtocols CUPS dnssd", I took out the "Local".

> 3.  BrowsePoll 192.168.whatever:631 on the laptop should now show the
> printer.
>
No biscuit for the dog yet, boths cups daemons restarted.

But no printers found when firefox is sent to localhost:631/admin and 
find new printers is clicked on.

> 4.  From the command line, using "cupsctl" to both display current
> settings and make changes may also help shed some light for both your
> server and laptop.

This printer went belly up with a clean the corona wires error after a 
tree took down half the towns power Wednesday moring about 6ish. Finally 
in desperation, having dismantled it and used a few dozen q-tips to 
clean up the innards without effecting the error, I noted that it was 
the only item other than an audio system, that wasn't plugged into eith 
a BIG surge suppressor, or the UPS, and its inrush at power up is way 
too much for the ups.  So I unplugged it from the wall and moved it to 
the BIG surge arrestor.  That got rid of the error.  But I just found I 
cannot send anything to it via the network.

So, next is to see if it will print its 3 pages of configuration data, 
brb.

Yes, which disclosed that its IPv4 address was off by one in the third 
triplet.  Fixed that, sent a cups test page from this machine, worked.  
But while the printer is now seen by the "find new printers" on a 
broswer on the lappy, I still cannot print to it, and cups is still 
demanding the brother drivers.  All it should need is this machines 
address:631 I would think.

Shouldn't there be a "raw" option, which would then let this machine sort 
it out?  I am doing exactly that from a legacy machine 30+ yo in the 
basement, using a java app here called drivewire.  I can 'list filename 
>/p" on that old machine, the /p driver has been replaced by one that 
uses a channel of the drivewire protocol to write it to a file on this 
machine. I then open that file and do a cr to lf conversion to make it 
look like a *nix text file, and lp -dprinter_name filename runs it thru 
cups, and in this case stuffs that back down the same USB extension 
cable to a Brother HL-2140 B&W printer, but I could just as easily send 
it to this color laser printer too, I have done it when I was out of 
toner for the HL-2140.

Anyway, call me puzzled.

Thanks Daniel.
> --
> Daniel
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: "Gene Heskett" <gheskett at wdtv.com>
> To: "The CUPS user discussion list." <cups at cups.org>
> Sent: 2/28/2016 3:31:20 PM
> Subject: Re: [cups] Using a network enabled printer from a lappy
>
> >On Sunday 28 February 2016 17:44:09 Daniel Miller wrote:
> >>  "printer sharing" needs to be enabled on your "machine" and then
> >> try adding BrowsePoll printserverip:port to your laptop's
> >>  cups-browsed.conf.
> >
> >None of the 4 machines where it Just Works(TM) has a
> > cups-browsed.conf I added it to that stanza in cupsd.conf and
> > restarted cups but its still
> >not visible.
> >
> >Thanks.
> >
> >>  Daniel
> >>
> >>  On February 28, 2016 11:34:34 AM Gene Heskett <gheskett at wdtv.com>
> >
> >wrote:
> >>  > Greetings all;
> >>  >
> >>  > Trying to make a network printer work from my lappy.
> >>  >
> >>  > It is addressed at a local network ipv4 address, and cups can
> >>  > see it, but its a brother (both are in fact) that needs its own
> >>  > ppd's from brother.
> >>  >
> >>  > I have them but no quick and dirty way to get them from this
> >>
> >>machine
> >>
> >>  > to the lappy, and finding Brothers ppd's on their site is a drag
> >>  > as they make the linux drivers everything but invisible.
> >>  >
> >>  > So, since its all on the same local 192.168.xx.yy network, how
> >>  > do I go about relaying the printjob to this machine, so that
> >>  > this
> >>
> >>machine
> >>
> >>  > then processes the job and prints it?
> >>  >
> >>  > And its a bit strange, I have another machine on this same local
> >>  > network as the printer, and I cannot find a mention of any
> >>  > printer except the default .PDF generator anyplace in the
> >>  > /etc/cups tree.
> >>  >
> >>  > But if I fire up a copy of the editor, geany and ask it to print
> >>  > a file, every printer available on this main machine, is
> >>  > available
> >>
> >>for
> >>
> >>  > use by that machine.  Ditto on 2 other machines of my local
> >>
> >>network,
> >>
> >>  > but not from the lappy.  Best I seem to be able to do is to see
> >>  > it, but the filter failed.
> >>  >
> >>  > Clues please.
> >>  >
> >>  > Thanks.
> >>  >
> >>  > Cheers, Gene Heskett
> >>  > --
> >>  > "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
> >>  >  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
> >>  > -Ed Howdershelt (Author)
> >>  > Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
> >>  > _______________________________________________
> >>  > cups mailing list
> >>  > cups at cups.org
> >>  > https://www.cups.org/mailman/listinfo/cups
> >
> >Cheers, Gene Heskett
> >--
> >"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
> >  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
> >-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
> >Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
> >_______________________________________________
> >cups mailing list
> >cups at cups.org
> >https://www.cups.org/mailman/listinfo/cups
>
> _______________________________________________
> cups mailing list
> cups at cups.org
> https://www.cups.org/mailman/listinfo/cups


Cheers, Gene Heskett
-- 
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>



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