Update lfs-uefi.txt

[linux_from_scratch_hints.git] / printing_with_samba+cups.txt

AUTHOR: Mike Hernandez <mike@culmination.org>\r
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DATE: 2003-09-28\r
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LICENSE: GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2\r
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SYNOPSIS: Printing with samba and cups\r
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ALTERNATE LOCATION: http://www.culmination.org/Mike/printing_with_samba+cups.txt\r
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DESCRIPTION:\r
This hint will help you configure CUPS to work with samba.\r
It includes directions to help you:\r
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1)Print from your LFS box on a windows domain without a samba server running on the domain.\r
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2)Print to a shared printer that is directly attatched to a windows machine\r
on your network, with or without a domain.\r
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The hint now covers HP and Epson printers.\r
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PREREQUISITES:\r
This hint assumes that:\r
1)You have root access to the linux box you are trying to print from.\r
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2a)If you intend to print to a printer that is on a windows domain, that you\r
have an account on that domain, which grants access to the printer which is \r
shared on the domain.\r
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2b)If you intend to print to a shared printer that is attatched to a machine\r
directly, you have a username and password that will grant you access to the\r
printer. (e.g. The printer in my house is attatched to a machine running\r
Windows XP. I do not have a domain, but I have the computers attatched to my\r
router. Samba can access the printer, but requires that I use an account name\r
and password that is valid for the Windows XP machine.)\r
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3)You have the following installed according to BLFS instructions:\r
1.Samba (version 2.2.8a and 3.0.0 definitely work, not sure about others)\r
2.Cups-1.1.19\r
3.ESP Ghostscript-7.07.1rc2\r
*note* I also added the --with-ijs option to esp ghostscript\r
4.which-2.14 or an alternative\r
\r
You will need to download and install the following, preferably with the\r
same --prefix as cups, samba, and esp ghostscript:\r
1.The Foomatic print filters \r
(http://www.linuxprinting.org/download/foomatic/foomatic-filters-3.0.0.tar.gz)\r
2.The Foomatic database engine\r
(http://www.linuxprinting.org/download/foomatic/foomatic-db-engine-3.0.0.tar.gz)\r
3.The HPIJS Drivers (if you plan on using an HP printer)\r
(http://hpinkjet.sourceforge.net/install.php)\r
\r
\r
HINT:\r
*One last reminder:\r
I installed all of the above, including samba, cups, and esp ghostscript with\r
--prefix=/usr.  All instructions below assume you did the same. It won't make\r
too much of a difference when running commands, but if your ppd files aren't\r
where cups can see them, or you dont know where the cups backend directory is,\r
remember this.\r
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Ok let's get to it shall we?\r
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First of all, please make sure you have networking capabilities on your box.\r
It might seem silly, but if you downloaded this at home, and are trying it at\r
work or vice versa, you might not have networking. Check your network interface\r
to be sure you have an ip address by running:\r
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        ifconfig eth0\r
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Or ifconfig eth1, etc. Then try pinging some machines that are on the network to\r
be sure you have basic connectivity. It is worth the time to make sure of this!\r
Also, please be sure that the printer you are trying to use is ON and connected\r
to the network. Trust me, you don't want to find out that something like that\r
is wrong later. \r
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Next we check to see if samba is working, with one of the following commands:\r
        If you are connecting to a printer on a domain:\r
        \r
        smbclient -U Domain/Username -L //Server\r
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        If you are connecting to a shared printer that isn't on a domain:\r
        \r
        smbclient -L //Server\r
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You will be prompted to enter your password upon pressing return.\r
If you are on a domain, enter the password that corresponds to your username,\r
otherwise pressing enter should suffice.\r
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*Question*\r
What if I don't know the name of the server?\r
If you have a windows box near you, you can find out the name of the server\r
by browsing the network via Network Neighborhood or My Network Places, etc.\r
Also make note of what is said in the smbclient man page:\r
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        "Note that the server name required is  NOT  necessarily  the  IP\r
        (DNS)  host  name of the server ! The name required is a NetBIOS\r
        server name, which may or may not be the same as the IP hostname\r
        of the machine running the server."\r
\r
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For example, if your office domain is called Foo, your username is Joe, and\r
the server name is FooServ the command would be:\r
        \r
        smbclient -U Foo/Joe -L //FooServ\r
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If your intent is to use a printer that is attached to a machine that isn't on\r
a domain, use the name of that machine. For example, if the box in question\r
is running Windows XP, you can right click on the "My Computer" icon and\r
select properties, then check for the name on the "Computer Name" tab. The\r
workgroup name is not needed.\r
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If this command works you will get a list of services available on the domain.\r
Though there are many interesting things listed here, what you are looking for\r
is a service of the type Printer. If you don't see any printers listed, there\r
is a problem. Be sure the printer is available on the network, possibly using\r
a windows machine nearby to browse the network if you can. Once you know the\r
name of the printer, you are ready to continue to the next step.\r
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CUPS has a directory called backend where it stores spoolers for various\r
devices. If you installed cups with the --prefix=/usr option then the backends\r
will be in /usr/lib/cups/backend. If you keep your locate database up to date,\r
you can find this directory with the command:\r
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        locate backend | grep cups\r
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Once you know where the backend directory is, change to it.\r
On my laptop the command is:\r
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        cd /usr/lib/cups/backend\r
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Once inside, ls -al to see everything that is there. We will be creating a \r
symbolic link in this directory that points to the samba spooler. If you have\r
samba and which installed accorinding to the BLFS instructions, then the \r
following command will create the symbolic link:\r
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        ln -s `which smbspool` smb\r
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Notice that which smbspool is enclosed in back ticks, not single quotes!\r
The backticks will execute the command within and use the result in the\r
ln command. On my system this is the equivalent of entering:\r
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        ln -s /usr/bin/smbspool smb\r
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Now that we have made this link to the samba spooler, we have to restart CUPS\r
so that we can be sure the change we made will take effect:\r
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        /etc/rc.c/init.d/cups restart\r
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Once you are sure CUPS has been restarted, you can proceed to add and configure\r
your printer. There are a few possible ways to do this:\r
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Method #1 - using the lpadmin command\r
--------------------------------------\r
If you're comfortable using the command line to get things done, the lpadmin\r
command will allow you to add/remove and configure your printers. It is a very\r
powerful command and I *strongly* recommend you read the man page to learn\r
about all of its options.\r
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The trick to using lpadmin to add a printer is that you need to know which\r
ppd file corresponds to your printer. For example, if I want to add the\r
Epson Stylus Color 660 that I have, I will use stcolor.ppd. If you aren't sure\r
which ppd to use, check linuxprinting.org or if you are a good detective maybe\r
you can look at the ppd files, which should be in /usr/share/cups/model and \r
make a guess =) I'm pretty sure that the worst thing that will happen if you \r
guess wrong is that the printer won't print, or will print incorrectly. I am \r
not suggesting that you guess, however.\r
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*note:  Foomatic ppds ought to be in /usr/share/cups/model/foomatic-ppds\r
        and if they aren't you might run into problems later, so read the\r
        foomatic documentation to see what might have happened.\r
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The lpadmin command to add a samba printer is as follows:\r
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        lpadmin -p PrinterName -v smb://Username:Password@Server/Printer \\r
        -P /path/to/yourprintermodel.ppd\r
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The PrinterName that follows the -p is the name by which you wish to refer to\r
the printer on your machine.\r
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For example, to add the HP LaserJet 6P that we use in my office, where my \r
username for the domain is Mike,the password is FooPaSs, the server is FooServ \r
and the printer name is HPLaserJ, the command is:\r
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        lpadmin -p WorkPrinter -v smb://Mike:FooPaSs@FooServ/HPLaserJ \\r
        -P /usr/share/cups/model/foomatic-ppds/HP/HP-LaserJet_6P-hpijs.ppd.gz\r
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Note that it's ok if the ppd has been gzipped, so long as the file name ends in\r
.ppd.gz.\r
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Also, if you are adding a printer that isn't on a domain, but shared and\r
attatched directly to a machine, the Username:Password portion of the device\r
URI will be a Username and Password to an account that has access to the\r
shared printer.\r
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If you received "error: client-not-possible" then chances are there is a typo \r
in your URI, or your link to smbspool is missing or pointing to the wrong place.\r
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After adding the printer, you will need to enable it before it will accept\r
any print jobs. The default status of a printer added with the above lpadmin\r
command is stopped, rejecting jobs. I will not go into detail here as you ought\r
to have read the cups documentation, however I will mention that the state of\r
"stopped, rejecting jobs" describes 2 attributes of a printer. Use the\r
following commands to start the printer, and tell it to accept jobs.\r
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        /usr/bin/enable PrinterName\r
        accept PrinterName\r
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*IMPORTANT!!* - you must use the full path the the enable command!\r
This is because if you are using bash there is a builtin command called\r
enable. Due to the order bash follows when interpreting the command line\r
the enable builtin will be executed rather than the one in /usr/bin. You can\r
see the differences by entering: help enable (for the builtin) and man 8 enable\r
(to see the printer-related enable's man page).\r
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Check if all is well with the command:\r
        \r
        lpstat -a\r
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It should show you that your printer is accpting jobs.\r
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At this point you should try to print using the lpr command. If it doesn't work,\r
try restarting cups. If you keep running into problems, set the LogLevel to\r
debug in the cupsd.conf file. It should be in the /etc/cups/ directory.\r
After doing this, restart cups and read the /var/log/cups/error_log file.\r
Read it carefully, as it can usually explain the problem you are having.\r
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That's it! You can add as many printers as you need to via this method, and\r
print to them using the lpr -P PrinterName command to specify which printer\r
you want to use. Read The Fine Manual to learn more configuration options and\r
how to remove printers, etc. =)\r
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Method #2 - Using the CUPS web interface\r
----------------------------------------\r
If you want to use the CUPS web interface, open your web browser and\r
point it to http://localhost:631\r
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*Note: I also tried this with lynx, and it works. I wouldn't suggest using\r
lynx unless you are an avid lynx user and understand the way it works. If you\r
don't have a graphical web browser, your best bet is probably Method #1*\r
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From the web interface, click on Printers and then Add Printer. If you installed\r
CUPS according to BLFS instructions and haven't edited any configuration files,\r
you will be asked for a user name and password. root and the appropriate\r
password will allow you access.\r
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Enter a name, location, and description of your printer, and click Continue.\r
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The next screen is where you must choose the device. You need to select\r
Windows Printer via SAMBA. If you don't see this in the list of devices,\r
be sure you have the smb link in your /usr/lib/cups/backend directory and\r
check to make sure it is pointing to smbspool. YOU CAN NOT USE ANY OTHER\r
DEVICE TO PRINT TO A SAMBA PRINTER! If you try to you will get a message\r
similar to "client-not-possible".\r
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*Note: Actually the reason you can't is because the beginning of the URI is\r
used by cups to determine which backend to use. I learned this is case by\r
using the lpd device, and making lpd a symbolic link to smbspool. DON'T DO IT!\r
I am just mentioning it here because it was part of the learning process that\r
lead to the creation of this hint*\r
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Once the device has been selected, click continue which will move you to the\r
device URI entry screen. The URI for your samba printer follows the following\r
format:\r
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        smb://Username:password@Server/Printername\r
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For example, smb://Joe:secret123@FooServ/HPLaserJ\r
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When you are sure you entered it correctly, click continue. We will now select\r
the Model/Driver for your printer. If you are using an HP Printer, you will\r
select HP and click continue. If you are using a type of printer that is not\r
listed, I suggest search the linuxprinting.org database for guidance.\r
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The next screen asks you to pick the specific driver. Here you have to be\r
careful in choosing the right one for your printer. I use\r
\r
        HP LaserJet 6P, Foomatic + hpijs (en)\r
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For the printer in my office. Feel free to try different drivers until you find\r
the one that gives the best results.\r
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After clicking continue you should get a message telling you the printer was\r
added successfully. \r
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If you received "error: client-not-possible" then chances\r
are there is a typo in your URI, or your link to smbspool is missing or pointing\r
to the wrong place. (See the end of the Method #1 instructions for tips on how \r
to find the problem)\r
\r
Click the Printers link again, and print a test page for your printer to make\r
sure everything is in working order.\r
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If everything works, you can now print from any application that uses lpr as \r
its print command. You can also print from the command line using lpr. If you\r
install multiple printers, you can print using the format\r
\r
        lpr -P PrinterName\r
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To print to a specific printer.\r
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That's it! =)\r
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TODO:\r
Constructive criticism and/or suggestions regarding this hint are welcomed.\r
There's lots of help out there for the gentoo and redhat folks, but running\r
redhat-printer-config doesn't quite work for us does it? \r
\r
CHANGELOG:\r
[2003-09-28]\r
  *Added command line configuration commands, cleaned up some typos\r
[2003-09-26]\r
  * Initial hint.\r