Hey LQ,

I have a Lexmark X5650 I want to install on my Slackware 13 desktop server, and I would like to share it on the network. I want to be able to print to it from any PC - the scanner can just scan to a folder on the Slackware box, and I can share the folder.

The Slackware box is running SAMBA and I am able to share files/folders from the computer on my Windows SOHO network no problem.

So, is there any way to make this happen? I tried installing the deb package and the rpm package from the Lexmark site, and both failed. So then I tried to install using the browser-based CUPS tool, but I couldn't find a PPD file on the web. I tried to use the existing one that most closely matched (x73), but no dice.

I love Slackware for its out-of-the-box server capabilities, but it's a huge pita do set something up as simple as an all-in-one.

Any help out there?

The Open Printing Database does not offer much optimism. This is not the end-all and be-all, because it's a volunteer site.

http://www.openprinting.org/printer/.../Lexmark-x5650

Lexmark claims to have *.debs and *.rpms for it. If rpm2tgz is still around, maybe you could use that.

thanks frankbell,

Yeah, I went to the OPD - looks bleak. I'll try to rpm2tgz the rpm download.

Out of frustration, I decided to go to the store last night and purchase a 20' USB cable and just hook the thing up to my Windows 7 box across the room.

But we'll see. If I manage to get it working, I'll certainly post back how I did it.

If the cable doesn't work, try moving the printer to a shorter cable. The USB spec for cables is 3 meters or 5 meters, depending on whether the attached device is low or high speed.

20 feet is slightly over six meters, if my arithmetic is correct (which is doubtful).