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Printer setup under RedHat**-Linux** 9 or Fedora Core 3

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Last revision of this document:
2006-10-10

This document describes the setup of local or remote printers.

Overview:

Setup of a local printer if GUI is not available

Setup of a local printer under GNOME

Samba-Bugfix in Redhat-Linux 9

Important Notice concerning CUPS:
For some reason I did not find out, RedHat distributions change the configuration file of CUPS (/etc/cups/cupsd.conf) !
So, if you do a re-configuration using the methods described here, consult Using the CUPS Printing System under Fedora Core 3 to make the CUPS-server available to other machines within the network again.

Setup of a local printer if GUI is not available

Warning: This installation method is not suitable under Linux with Fedora Core 3 if the printer should be accessible under SAMBA.
For a reason I do not know yet, the printer can be seen at a Workstation with Windows** but printing is not possible.

Although the Setup of a printer with the graphic-assistant (see part Setup of a local printer under GNOME) is more convenient, RedHat**-Linux** Version 9 offers a text-based-assistant too.

Prerequisites:

Installation-instruction:

On the command-line start the assistant by entering redhat-config-printer.

On the appearing screen use the TAB-Key to select [New] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

On the next screen
enter a symbolic name for the printer (Queue Name / Notebook-Prt in our example),
select the Queue Type (LOCAL in our example)
use the TAB-Key to select [Next] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

On the next screen
select the Device (/dev/lp0 in our example, but there are also options for USB-Devices on newer PCs)
use the TAB-Key to select [Next] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

On the next screen use the Up-Key and Down-Key to
select the manufacturers of the printer (HP in our example) , press the ENTER-Key to see the models,
select the model (DeskJet 340C in our example) , press the ENTER-Key to see the available drivers and
select the driver (gimp-print in our example).
use the TAB-Key to select [Next] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

The following screen is a summary of the selections made till now;
use the TAB-Key to select [Finish] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

The basic installation is completed now. But as the driver has usually set default values for U.S. (e.g. paper-size), the next steps show how to parameterize the installation.

On the appearing screen use the TAB-Key to select [Edit] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

The next screen allows to change different setup-values; use the TAB-Key to select [Driver] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

The next screen has also an option to change the Manufacturer, model and driver.
As this values should not be changed, the previously selected driver is kept and the options will be changed by using the TAB-Key to select [Edit Driver Options] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

On the next screen select the Driver Option (Page Size in our example) by using the Up-Key or Down-Key, use the TAB-Key to select [Edit] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

Select the suitable value (A4 in our example) on the next screen, use the TAB-Key to select [Ok] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

After changing all requiered driver options (in the example for the HP DeskJet 340C it is also recommended to set the Output Type according to a color- or black-cartridge) use the TAB-Key to select [Done] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

Use the TAB-Key again to select [Done] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

And again use the TAB-Key to select [Done] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

The setup is completed now and the configuration-assistant can be terminated by using the TAB-Key to select [Exit] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

At this stage the configuration-assistant allows to test the setup. This procedure is described under Test a few lines down.

To end the setup-assistant, use the TAB-Key to select [Exit] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

If some changes were made which are not already confirmed (during the Test), a confirmation screen to save the changed data appears.
Use the TAB-Key to select [Yes] and press the ENTER-Key to confirm the changes.

Additional hints:

The file can only be changed with access-rights as 'root'.

Test:

At the command-line start the assistant by entering redhat-config-printer.
(This step is not neccessary if the Test is performed as a part of the installation.)

Use the Up-Key and Down-Key to select the printer to be testet (only applicable if more than one printer is installed) and the TAB-Key to select [Test] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

If the test is performed during the setup-procedure, a confirmation screen to save the changed data appears.
Use the TAB-Key to select [Yes] and press the ENTER-Key to confirm the changes.

If the test is performed without doing any changes of the setup, the following screen will not appear.

The next screen allows the selection of the test-printout.
Use the Up-Key and Down-Key to select the pattern to be printed (A4 PostScript Testpage in our example) and the TAB-Key to select [Test] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.

A confirmation-screen is displayed; use the TAB-Key to select [Test] and press the ENTER-Key to close the screen.

The Test is completed and the selected pattern should be printed.
To end the test, use the TAB-Key to select [Exit] and press the ENTER-Key thereafter.



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Setup of a local printer under GNOME

RedHat**-Linux** Version 9 offers an assistant to set up a printer with a graphic tool.
N.B.: The setup was performed under GNOME - I did not verify if there is a similar option under KDE.

Prerequisites:

Installation-instruction:

The assistant is started by navigating to > System Settings > Printing.

After clicking onto 'Printing', the 'Printer configuration' window appears.
To configure a new printer, click onto the 'New' icon.

.

If there is no other printer configured already, the following window appears. The message is confirmed by pressing the 'Forward' button.

The following window allows to enter a name and a descrption for the printer to be installed. The entered values are confirmed by pressing the 'Forward' button.

On the next window, the kind of queue type (Locally-connected in this case) and the connection (/dev/lp0 for the parallel printer port) is selected.
Thereafter the 'Forward' button is pressed to continue to the next window.

The next window allows the selection of the manufacturer (combo-box) and the model (list-box) of the attached printer.
The selction is confirmed by pressing the 'Forward' button.

With pressing the 'Apply' button on the next screen the configuration is saved and the print-service is restarted.

Additional hints:

When the setup-assistant completes the installation procedure there is frequently an error-message that the test-page could not be printed.
It is suspected, that some task are already starting while prerequisite one are not yet completed.

Test:

On the 'Printer configuration' window, select the printer to be tested and select > Test > CUPS test page from the drop-down-menu.

A test-page will be printed thereafter.

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SAMBA-Bugfix in RedHat**-Linux** 9

With the change from the BSD-based lp* (line-printer) to the more powerfull CUPS (C-Unix-Printing_System) commands have slightly changed and the changes were not incorporated in RedHat**-Linux** 9.
Therefore small changes in the SMB-configuration-file have to be made.

Prerequisites:

Credits:

The problem and the fix are well documented in http://www.wlug.org.nz/SambaPrinting.
Thanks to the anonymous author(s).

Installation-instruction:

The file /etc/samba/smb.conf is modified as described:

Find the section for the installed printer.
In this example it is a Hewlett-Packard Deskjet 340, so the section is marked with [HPDJ-340] but this is be different for another type of printer.
Add the bold printed:

[HPDJ-340]
comment = portable printer
path = /var/spool/samba
read only = No
printable = Yes
printer name = HPDJ-340
oplocks = No
print command = lpr -P %p -o raw %s -r
lpq command = lpstat -o %p
lprm command = cancel %p-%j

Additional hints:

The file can only be changed with access-rights as 'root'.
That the change takes effect, it is requiered to restart the SMB-services (in a terminal window enter the command service smb restart) or to restart Linux**.

Test:

Under the Windows operating system install the printer and perform a test-printout.

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