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Printing from Command Line won't work - just sits in print queue

CUPS was not originally installed on my server, I have installed it but cannot print to my network printer. On my laptop, I can... they are both running the same version of Debian. What could be missing?

Here are some details...

I have two computers running the same version of Debian. One is a server with no GUI and the other is my laptop with GDM installed. My laptop (which prints with no problem) is connected via Wifi. My server is connected directly to the router via Ethernet. I cannot print from the server.

The printer is a Canon Pixma MP495 that connects to the router via Wifi. I have downloaded drivers for the printer from http://support-au.canon.com.au/conte...100301501.html and installed them successfully using dpkg on both computers.

Right now I have a regular text file that I am using for a test page. To print from my laptop (with success) I type:

Code:

cat test.txt | lpr

This does not work from the server. What could I be missing?

lpq run on server:

Code:

root@server:# lpq

lp is ready and printing

Rank  Owner      Job  Files                                                                              Total Size

active root      14  (standard input)                                                                  54 bytes

lpinfo readout:

Code:

root@server:# lpinfo -v

network ipp

network beh

serial serial:/dev/ttyS0?baud=115200

serial serial:/dev/ttyS1?baud=115200

direct scsi

network http

network socket

network lpd

network cnijnet:/87-65-43-1C-C5-A3

One other thing I noticed:

lpq shows there is a job in the queue but when I use the web interface (at http://localhost:631/admin) there are no jobs.

I have also set the printer to shared.. my laptop discovered the printer, shared through the server. So I printed via the share, through the server and the page printed. However, I still cannot print from the server, via the command line.

My first swag is the default printer name is not the same as your network printer.
Can you print a test page via cups printers webpage successfully?
Try instead
lpr -P printername test.txt

Here's a tutorial that might help: http://www.debiantutorials.org/debia...linux-etch-228.

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk (Post 4312781)

My first swag is the default printer name is not the same as your network printer.
Can you print a test page via cups printers webpage successfully?
Try instead
lpr -P printername test.txt

I cannot print a test page from the CUPS printer webpage. Also, here are is the readout of your suggestion:

Code:

root@server:# lpr -P MP495LAN test 

lpr: MP495LAN: unknown printer

I think you're onto something.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigrigdriver (Post 4312782)

Here's a tutorial that might help: http://www.debiantutorials.org/debia...linux-etch-228.

Thanks I was looking for one but the ones I could find seemed incomplete... I will check it out.

Ok look at the output and post the info for your printer:
localhost:631/printers

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk (Post 4312802)

Ok look at the output and post the info for your printer:
localhost:631/printers

I already deleted the printer and added it through the cups web interface... printed a test page and it worked. However printing with lpr -P printername test.txt will not work still.

Here is the info on the localhost:631/printers page:

Code:

▼ Queue Name ▼        Description        Location        Make and Model                        Status

cMP495                cMP495                                Canon MP495 series Ver.3.40        Idle

Also...

Code:

root@server:# lpstat -v

device for cMP495: cnijnet:/88-88-88-8C-C8-8A

So far I cannot find any useful reading material on this. Thanks for the help.

At first glance looks ok. What happens when you try:
lpr -P cMP495 test.txt

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk (Post 4312889)

At first glance looks ok. What happens when you try:
lpr -P cMP495 test.txt

Unfortunately, this:

Code:

root@server:# lpr -P cMP495 test.txt

lpr: cMP495: unknown printer

It is baffles me because, from all of the readout and settings from the CUPS web interface, it appears to be setup correctly. I thought maybe I did not install a needed package. But I've done aptitude build-dep cups as well as some other utilities for handling print jobs. So everything needed should have installed.

It might be possible that your lpr is the BSD printer spooler and not the cups-lpr wrapper.
Look at the output of the command:
dpkg -s cups-bsd
dpkg -s cups-client

On another note, I did notice that when I print from the command line on my laptop it says (stdin) instead of (standard input), which appears on the server's job queue.

And here is some output below... from what I see below, you are right about it being the BSD version (I could be wrong).

Code:

root@server:# dpkg -s cups-bsd

Package `cups-bsd' is not installed and no info is available.

Use dpkg --info (= dpkg-deb --info) to examine archive files,

and dpkg --contents (= dpkg-deb --contents) to list their contents.

Code:

root@server:# dpkg -s cups-client

Package: cups-client

Status: install ok installed

Priority: optional

Section: net

Installed-Size: 480

Maintainer: Debian CUPS Maintainers <pkg-cups-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org>

Architecture: i386

Source: cups

Version: 1.4.4-7

Depends: libc6 (>= 2.4), libcups2 (>= 1.4.0), libcupsimage2 (>= 1.4.0), zlib1g (>= 1:1.2.3.3.dfsg), cups-common (>= 1.4.4), adduser

Suggests: cups, kdeprint, gtklp, cups-pt, xpp, cups-bsd

Conflicts: lprng

Description: Common UNIX Printing System(tm) - client programs (SysV)

 The Common UNIX Printing System (or CUPS(tm)) is a printing system and

 general replacement for lpd and the like.  It supports the Internet

 Printing Protocol (IPP), and has its own filtering driver model for

 handling various document types.

 .

 This package provides the System V style print client programs.

I also got curious and ran this too (checkout the red text below):

Code:

root@server:# dpkg -s lpr

Package: lpr

Status: install ok installed

Priority: optional

Section: net

Installed-Size: 400

Maintainer: Adam Majer <adamm@zombino.com>

Architecture: i386

Version: 1:2008.05.17

Replaces: logcheck-database

Depends: libc6 (>= 2.7-1), netbase

Suggests: magicfilter | apsfilter, gs

Conflicts: suidmanager (<< 0.50)

Conffiles:

 /etc/logcheck/ignore.d.server/lpr 74b2c368d40e723c8bab38d048246131

 /etc/default/lpd 9b883786cf372c34999ff8e9ac0efd70

 /etc/init.d/lpd 9691cb1031e389e6b0c0e9a6b94a4c22

 /etc/cron.weekly/lpr 3573da7a7ab9e260c53a79831d80d280

Description: BSD lpr/lpd line printer spooling system

 This is the BSD printer spooler and associated utilities.

 You can use this for local and remote printers.

 .

 If you install magicfilter or apsfilter (along with ghostscript),

 lpr will be able to automatically handle special file types

 (such as Postscript and PDF files).

So I need to remove lpr and use lprng?

Code:

root@server:# apt-cache search lpr | grep spool

lpr - BSD lpr/lpd line printer spooling system

lprng-doc - lpr/lpd printer spooling system (documentation)

lprng - lpr/lpd printer spooling system

Hmmmm.... I am thinking of removing lpr and installing lprng... but because of deps I get the below code. Any suggestions?

Code:

root@server:# aptitude install lprng

The following NEW packages will be installed:

  lprng{b} 

0 packages upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Need to get 1,155 kB of archives. After unpacking 2,867 kB will be used.

The following packages have unmet dependencies:

  cups-client: Conflicts: lprng but 3.8.A-3 is to be installed.

  lprng: Conflicts: lpr but 1:2008.05.17 is installed.

The following actions will resolve these dependencies:



      Remove the following packages:                              

1)      cups                                                      

2)      cups-client                                              

3)      cups-driver-gutenprint                                    

4)      lpr                                                      



      Leave the following dependencies unresolved:                

5)      foomatic-db-engine recommends cups                        

6)      foomatic-db-engine recommends cups-client                

7)      foomatic-db recommends cups                              

8)      foomatic-db recommends cups-client                        

9)      foomatic-filters recommends cups | enscript | a2ps | mpage

10)    ghostscript-cups recommends cups                          

11)    ghostscript-cups recommends cups-client                  

12)    hpijs recommends cups                                    

13)    hpijs recommends cups-client                              

14)    min12xxw recommends cups                                  





Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?]

AFAIK cups-bsd replaces lpr. I do not think lprng is what you want.

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk (Post 4315080)

AFAIK cups-bsd replaces lpr. I do not think lprng is what you want.

Do think it is odd that I was able to set the printer as shared on the server and use my laptop to print on the shared version of the printer?

When I printed on the shared version of the printer, through the server, I imagine CUPS on the laptop processed the print job, not CUPS on the server. Right?

I am thinking of just starting over again, uninstall (purge) and re-install cups.