Linux + Printing = NOT true
 

Okey, first things first.

Printer: Samsung ML-7300N
Distro: Slackware 10.0 & RedHat 9.0

Printer is connected to the local network with the IP: 192.168.1.101
So it's a network printer, and it's not hooked up by any computer, it's hooked up to the switch.

What I've tried to do to get the printer up and running.

In Slackware 10.0 I can print a test page from CUPS, but I can't share the printer through the network with Samba.

Samba won't read my /etc/printcap when I've set the printer daemon to CUPS. When I try to manually add /etc/printcap instead of CUPS in the printcap name, it is being overwritten all the time. So next I check the config, it says cups instead of /etc/printcap in the printcap name field.
All port are open, everything is allowed, minimal security - no success for sharing.

Tried to get things up and running in RedHat 9.0. No success.
I can't even print a test page. I can ping the network printer, I can set it up in CUPS and the RedHat printer-configuration tool. But nothing happens when I try to print a test page.
When looking at the printer in CUPS, I see the status message: "Connected from port 515." That's all, nothing happens when I try to print a test page.
RedHat security is down as I've read that a few users had problems with their firewall. So that's not the issue.

It feels like I've tried everything, and I know that I've forgot to write down a few things as well that I've tried.
And nothing works. It won't even print in Red Hat.

What could be wrong? Nothing works :(
I've searched the RedHat knowledgebase without any success.

So if anyone have any ideas of what I should do or try to do to get my printer up and running in RedHat, please tell me.

Another question is: Why do I have to enter a printer queue in Redhat printer-configuration-tool, but not in slackware? The testpage works flawless in Slackware without any printer queue. But RedHat won't coninue the guide if I don't enter a print queue. And I don't even know what it is. I know that it has something to do with the printer, and that the queue should be documented in the printers manual. But I can't find anything about it.

I run a Samsung ML1750 through a Slack 10 server over CUPS with no bother at all. I use the HP deskjet 5L driver.

LPR is disabled completely and everything was set up through the CUPS web interface.

Having been biten by 3 versions of RH over the last hmmmm 10? years, I have no faith in it at all although others deem it very capable.

If Slack prints test page then CUPS in Slack is set up fine....are your applications still using lpr command to print or have you changed the command to kprinter? assuming you use KDE that is ;-)

Is the printer set as your default?

As I understand it, you send jobs to the CUPS server and it sends the job to the network IP that is the printer. Usually the CUPS server is on your own PC so you send it to 127.0.0.1 You do not send jobs to the IP of the network printer.

CUPS handles its own queue....fire up the CUPS web interface and click on printers to see the queue.

KDE also has it's own queue...jobs go there first and stay there if CUPS is down or get sent staright out if it's running. I believe Gnome does the same.

Disable LPR....setup printer in CUPS server via browser...setup client to use that CUPS server....


Re SAMBA....no, you probably can't share it through SAMBA..it's a network printer so it isn't 'yours' to share. M$ stuff will connect to it directly and other Linux boxes will interface through CUPS not SAMBA.