accessing printer connected to windoze machine

[null]

I am trying to set up samba to allow me to print from my linux machine to a printer connected to my win2k machine. It does not seem too complicated, but before I am even doing anything, I get messages about "error connecting to CUPS server, make sure CUPS is running".... or something like that. What is the command to see if something is running or not?

 

From what I understand, to share the printer connected to my win2k box, I should mark it as "share" on the win2k box. I did. Then on my mandriva box, I go to System-->Config-->KDE-->Peripherals-->Printers in order to get to the Add Printer option. Then I should get to the Backend screen and tell it I am adding a SMB printer... blah blah.... That doesn't seem too hard, however, I am getting that CUPS error message right at the beginning....

 

I thought cups was always running.... how do you see if it is running ? also, how do you make it always start at boot...?

 

thanks

[aioshin]

this should do,

#chkconfig --list | grep cups
cups			0:off   1:off   2:off   3:off   4:off   5:off   6:off
	cups-lpd:	   off

on mine, cups does not start automatically, if you want it to start when your desktop start.. do the command

#chkconfig --level 5 cups on

then do the command below

# chkconfig --list | grep cups
cups			0:off   1:off   2:off   3:off   4:off   5:on	6:off

but its not yet started, so either you restart the PC or you start cups manually

#service cups start

or

#/etc/init.d/cups start

.

and I assume that cups has been already installed on your system

.

to check if its been installed or not

#rpm -qa | grep cups

Edited February 10, 2006 by aioshin

[ianw1974]

I had this when cups wasn't installed. Also, you will see an option at the bottom of the screen called "Administrator Mode". You have to click this first too, before the printer can be added.

 

If you still get the error after this, you need to install cups, as aioshin mentioned above.

[Qchem]

You can check if cups is running in the services section of mcc.

 

IIRC (not at a mandriva box ATM) you can also do

 

service cupsd status

 

from CLI to check if it's running.

[null]

thanks for the replies. I forgot for a couple days that I had started this thread.... Anyway, here's what I get:

 

#chkconfig --list | grep cups

 

error reading information on service cups: No such file or directory

 

 

service cupsd status

 

Cannot find cupsd service

[aioshin]

then try to #urpmi cups

.

if its installed already, then it will tell you that package already installed, if not then.. it will install

[null]

thanks again. I installed cups (urpmi cups). no problems. went through the KDE Add Printer thingie again. Selected Smb printer. Seemingly no problems. When I got to the Print Test Page option towards the end, it said "Test page successfully sent to printer...". However, nothing prints. I did what aioshin said about setting cups to start each startup, and I also manually started cups before doing the Add Printer.

Edited February 14, 2006 by null

[aioshin]

you may try to check the state of your printer if it accepts jobs or there if there's no smb authentication problem by opening a browser or konqueror then type the url http://localhost:631/printers

[null]

ok, when I do that here's what it shows:

 

Description: HP DeskJet 6540

Location:

Printer State: idle, accepting jobs.

Device URI: smb://HOME/dd-win2k/HP

 

which seems correct. However, if I select Set as Default, it asks me for a username & password... does it want the user name & password on my win2k box. That is what I entered, but it keeps redisplaying the username & password prompt, and that I don't have access to this "server"... I don't know what its talking about... this linux box is mine & mine only and the win2k box is mine & mine only... !

 

edit: hmm... I'm thinking that maybe I goofed up when adding the printer... I am wondering if I entered my name & password for the username & password... If it was asking for the windoze box username & password, I should have entered "administrator" for username... that's how I log on to my winbox....

 

How do I edit the settings of the SMB printer I added earlier... to check what I entered..?

Edited February 14, 2006 by null

[aioshin]

you should be root to edit that.. so just enter username as root and root passwd

[null]

I deleted the printer, and then added it again. When I was prompted for user name and password, I entered my windoze box username (administrator) & password.

 

When I get to the Print Test Page, it tells me I need a username & password, I enter administrator & the password, then it just re-displays the same prompt again.... So I put in my username (on my linux box) and password, and it just redisplays that same prompt again.... sheessh !!

 

What the hell does it want? After all these years, this stuff isn't any easier !

[ianw1974]

I had this once before, I entered root and the password, and it worked. Or at least I think it did.

 

Either that, or I deleted the printer, and then made sure I never chose guest as the account for the printer to use and entered root instead.

[Qchem]

When you're adding the printer cups throws up a dialog box for a password - that should be the root account on the linux box.

 

For the windows domain password you need to change the printer URI to something like:

 

smb://username:pass@HOME/dd-win2k/HP

 

where you replace username and pass with your windows username and password and I'm assuming that HOME is your workgroup, dd-win2k is the host machine and HP is the name of the printer share.

 

HTH

[scarecrow]

Maybe a thick question, but here it goes: Is "file and printer sharing" enabled on the Windblows machine?

[null]

lol scarecrow.... , yeah, I'm pretty sure it is, but I'll check when I get home today....

 

Qchem - ok I'll mess around with that when I get home. Maybe its something to do with the printer name? Way back last year when I set my win2k machine as "shared" printer, I may have name it something else... like HP6540 or something....? When I add a SMB printer in KDE's Add Printer, and it asks me for a workgroup, a location, and a printer, do I have to name the printer EXACTLY what it is called on my windoze box? Probably. Maybe I didn't do that.

 

Note: I am using Tux Magazine Aug. 2005 issue that has a nice article about setting up a SMB printer on your linux box so as to print to a printer connected to your windoze box. Its a great article, and it even has a special section for how to do it on a Mandriva box...

 

ianw - when I set up the SMB printer on my linux box, and where it asks for type of account, I chose "normal user". (that's what Tux Magazine says to use). Then maybe I should enter root & password...? Maybe I entered "administrator" & password (the log in on my winbox). But I also tried my linux box username & password.

 

I'll get back into it when I get home from work. Thanks !!