latest hplip on current64
 

I know there have been some recent threads on hplip on current64, and I've been following those for the simple reason that the last few versions on current are broken, at least as far as the instructions on HP's website is concerned.

I'd like to use it, but I can't, because I need a firmware download and hp-setup can't find it. It's trying to use something called the "old algorhythm" and the cue never installs.

The version before this, I could download the plugins as a user, run hp-setup in a gui, and it would install the drivers. This version just didn't, and failed with the error I described above.

The version in 14.1 just works. hp-setup -i [printer address] as root does exactly what it's supposed to. In current, that workflow hasn't worked on my rig for quite a while, and downloading the drivers beforehand doesn't help.

Without casting blame or pointing fingers, I would like to point out that I've never had a problem on other distros with hplip. hp-setup -i in a terminal as root does the job. I get it that HP doesn't consider Slack a supported distro, but what I don't know is what these other distros are doing that Slack doesn't. I don't have the chops to even start debugging the problem.

Fortunately, for my p1102w, I can use foo2zjs and it works a treat. I'd prefer to use hplip, but if I can't, I can't. I have a sneaking suspicion that the newer versions require a dependency that we don't have to work properly. The program builds and installs, but the problem doesn't manifest until you try to use it to install the print cue.

(As an aside, I get the same behavior with foo2zjs if I try to build it with a SlackBuild. It builds and installs, but it never installs the ppd's. I have yet to find a SB that builds a working package with the latest versions, and I have to do the make/make install tango. I'm wondering if there isn't something related in the two programs that would help find the problem.)

I'm not sure how much this report helps, (I'm guessing not much.) and maybe there's just something in the instructions specific to Slack that I don't get, but I did want to put this out there for whatever value it may have.

My HP P1102 works very well with hplip. But it is true that the gui does not work.
I use "hp-plugin" (as root) and the plugins are installed. After that CUPS, by opening http://localhost:631/admin.
I never used "hp-setup".

I seem to remember trying that and it not working, but now I'm going to have to try again with the latest and see what happens.

I had a thread on this a while back. Something odd happened after hplip-3.14.10 or so that I haven't yet had time to figure out. I have 2 HP printers: Officejet Pro 8620 (no plugin needed); laserjet Pro M1212nf (plugin needed). On 14.1 all was fine. The GUI and HP CLI tools setup both printers. In -current, hp-setup could not find the correct driver or plugin. The workaround (see link below), was to install via CUPS using the URI from hp-makeuri. Then both HP device Manager, hp-plugin, etc worked. Note that CUPS doesn't give you the correct "hp:/net/..." URI option that hplip needs in order to work.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...1/#post5480105

I haven't tested the newer hplip-3.16.5 since, once set up, upgradepkg works ok. You just have to run the hp-plugin tool (or click on "Install Required plugin in HP Device Manager).

hp-makeuri seems to be the piece I was missing. I either didn't see or didn't register that step in the older threads when I tried before. I may try re-installing hplip and seeing if that makes any difference.

I just wonder why all these extra steps are necessary now when they weren't before.

Launfal --

I wonder if there's a missing daemon for hplip that's become necessary since systemd came along ?

I.E. I wonder if slackware current might need an /etc/rc.d/rc.hplip script ?

-- kjh

These are the systemd services in all packages:

I've disabled NetworkManager and I installed wicd and I do have /etc/rd.d/rc.wicd but nothing for gvfs nor hplip ...

Then, this is the content of /usr/lib/systemd/system/hplip-printer@.service:

and this is /usr/bin/hp-config_usb_printer

and finally /usr/share/hplip/config_usb_printer.py:

^ Now that's interesting, and not even something I would have known to look for. Looking at those hooks, it sure looks like systemd is supplying some kind of notification service for the printers, which might explain why even the newer versions work right on distros like Debian and Fedora.

I was wondering several months back, how are Pat and the team dealing with some newer programs that have been modified for systemd and I stumbled on these '.service files' ...

Looking further though, there is a udev rule for USB printers:

That rule does invoke the `/usr/bin/hp-config_usb_printer` python script so this looks like a red herring unless systemd provides something that udev does not ...

-- kjh

I think you're right about the red herring, because the system knows the printer is there. The fault is somewhere between the download of the ppd and the installation of the cue.

I'm due for a reinstall anyway, so I uninstalled foo2zjs and reinstalled hplip.

1. makeuri -i 192.168.1.65 --> generates the CUPS URI
2. hp-plugin
3. hp-setup -i [CUPS URI] / select net / No PPD found using old algorhythm (unable to find an appropriate ppd file) --> This is where the old versions just worked with the old IP address.
4. elinks http://localhost:631 / select generic HP option (selecting the specific model doesn't let me choose a connection address) / enter CUPS URI
5. Fill in model/location information / select continue
6. Select make and model from the next two screens / hit continue
7. Select hpijs option for my model (p1102w) / hit add printer / hit select default options
8. Maintainance/Print Test Page/Go --> job stopped because "Filter failed"

My system knows that the printer's there. It even knows it's there with the old IP address. It's the software itself that can't seal the deal and install the print cue with the correct ppd. HP broke something since the version in 14.1 and the other distros must be doing/installing/fixing something that makes it work for them and not work for us. I just don't know what it is.

launfal --

I 'found' this page at the hplip site:

http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web...slackware.html

I wondered if the problem with the 14.2 / Current build of hplip is because the configure options in step 4 say:

So I tried it out via the KDE System Tray GUI ( I did not try the manual steps you listed above )
Here's the cups ppd directory:

YMMV but this worked for me ...

-- kjh

These are the SlackBuild diffs

We have a winner. hp-setup from the command-line still fails, even after running hp-plugin, but what worked was running hp-plugin, then hp-setup. Hit the buttons, and the driver installed and the test-page printed.

When I do a reinstall, I'll just run hp-setup without hp-plugin and see if that works as well, but for now it sure looks like you've solved the mystery.

Manual installation still fails, but nothing's perfect.

We have a winner
 

^^ As far as I can tell, you fixed it. Fresh install of current, running the gui from a terminal window downloads and installs the ppd and print cue properly. I run evilwm, so I don't have a system tray and it complains about that, but that's a niggle.

As far as I can see, the problems's been solved, and I'm going to mark it that way.

I put a link to here in the current-requests thread to maybe get it fixed for everybody.

Thanks for taking the time.

Y.W. Launfal.

It bothered me that the KDE hp Tray icon didn't work and I wanted them to work so I could occasionally use my wife's color MFP ...

I pulled an end-around and set up my her OfficeJet ProX476 by printing remotely via cups thru a CentOS box in my Lab where hplip was working.

Didn't help with FAX or SCAN but I rarely do those things.

I've not tested it yet but it looks like FAX and SCAN are both 'there' for the testing now.

Curious ...

What did you mean when you said hp-setup still fails from the commandline ?

-- kjh

Well I have tried everything and still can't get my HP DeskJet 3511 to work with current. CUPS sees it but the print job fails with a filter failed Status Message.

Works fine on 14.1.

I hope this gets sorted out but it may will be the HP stuff.

TarFile --

Are you running the stock Slackware Current hplip ?

If so, give it a day or so, there may be an update released by Slackware Development Team.

-- kjh

There already has been an update. Thanks again!

Interesting I have been keeping up to date with current but I will check and see. But unless that is as of today I already have the most recent.

Sorry TarFile.

I wasn't clear.

I believe Pat and the Developer Team will be releasing a new build of hplip in the next day-or-two.

There's nothing out there yet.

Edit: Oops I spoke too soon

a new version of hplip and more is out there 'now'

-- kjh

Actually there is an update as of today. It works with CUPS now but the HP setup still does not work for me. I had problems with it on 14.1 and had to try several times until it finally worked. Not sure exactly what is going on but this is better than nothing. I will see if it will load the scanner and fax stuff under cups. The printer does not show up in the HP device manager.

hp-setup -i 192.168.1.65 still fails as it always has with the can't find ppd message I quoted earlier. I had to download the ppd's and install the print cue from the gui.

It would be nice if the command-line setup worked again, since it was less hassle, but this is certainly more than good enough.

Hum you mean from the hp-setup gui or from CUPS? I get error: Printer queue setup failed. Error : successful-ok-ignored-or-substituted-attributes from either the command line or the hp-setup. hplip does not work but CUPS does I get the CUPS Printer Test Page when I tell it to print a test page. It shows up as a valid printer in the KDE system settings. Nothing on the HP side works for me. It shows up as HP Deskjet 3510 Series, hpcups 3.16.5 in the KDE Printers - System Settings.

The new version works here
 

Zero problems here with Pat's updated version, except for the command-line errors I noted before. Running the hp-setup gui does exactly what it's supposed to do and printing here is fine. I can even print from vim now with the stock :ha which I haven't been able to do since 14.1.

Interesting ...

I removed the FAX and Paper printers I set up via the GUI.

And then added them back using: hp-setup -i 192.168.1.5

I was logged into KDE as a 'regular user' but then I ran hp-setup from a Konsole where I had become root via: su -

It worked with and without the firewall turned on.

edit Another tidbit: I am running Current with Alien's multilib which I keep up-to-date via his massconvert.sh script

I am stumped ...

-- kjh

You're not going to believe this. I don't believe this. It's a locale issue. Check this out...

Running hp-setup -i 192.168.1.65 gives me the errors I've been talking about. This fixed it:

# export LANG=en
# hp-setup -i 192.168.1.65
it finds the ppd and offers to set up the cue.

It seems that cups sends out more detailed info about LANG than hp-setup can handle. So setting LANG to the plain language works. Why it craps out with such an arcane error message I can't answer.

That also doesn't explain why you're not getting the error and I am with the default LANG settings, but that's beyond my debugging capabilities.

NOW, at least in my case, this thread really IS solved.

[edit: clarify thread status for my situation]

Dang !

I set LC_ALL=C in my local profile ( the way god intended ) :)

-- kjh

Aha! Last mystery solved!

Just for giggles, I left LANG alone and changed LC_COLLATE=C to LC_ALL=C in /etc/profile.d/lang.sh and reran hp-setup -i. That worked, too, and it found the ppd file just fine.

Perhaps this patch to setup.py would do the trick:

The

export LANG=en

did the trick for me.

I was going to try the patch to setup.py but the source from HP leaves out most of the drivers including the one I need and I did not feel up to fixing the package from 05/31/16.

Well anyway that seems to be the problem and solution.

Thanks for the continued attention even though the OP got it working earlier.

Thank you Pat !

I created /usr/share/hplip/setup.py.patch ; created setup.py.orig ; applied the patch.

It worked fine for me after removing LC_ALL=C for the session.

That's a keeper !

It should fix Launfal's issue.

I wonder if it will also fix TarFile's issue ?

-- kjh

1. Apply the patch to /usr/share/hplip/setup.py

2. Test Pat's Patch ...

Well I patched the setup.py file in /usr/share/hplip and tried to add another queue but I got the same error. I also could not remove the old queue. I may have needed to

export LANG=en
not sure.

OK I just tried that and it let me delete the old queue but I could not add the printer queue back until I did the

export LANG=en

Well it all works for me that way not sure about the setup.py patch which seemed to have no effect on my end unless I did it wrong?

OK, assuming I'm testing it right, Pat's patch works here, too.

I commented out LC_ALL=C in /etc/profile/lang.sh to set the sorting rules back to en_US like they're supposed to be, applied Pat's patch (That's the first patch I've ever applied, ever, so thanks for making me learn how to do that, btw) and hp-setup -i 192.168.1.65 found the ppd and offered to set up the new printer cue.

so for the problems that I and others have had, it looks like we got 3 solutions to fix them:

1. export LANG=en before running hp-setup -i
2. export LC_ALL=C before running hp-setup -i
3. use Pat's patch on /usr/share/hplip/setup.py

Kudos and thanks to kjhambrick and Pat for taking the time to look at the problem and finding the answer.

Awesome, thanks for testing it! Since I'm a bit of a Luddite, that's the only line of Python I've ever written.

Thanks all !

I certainly learned a lot about hplip.

I never needed it before my wife got her MFP printer / FAX / scanner.

Now it all 'just' works for me.

Thanks again !

-- kjh

p.s. as for being a python luddite -- I am still a complete luddite having never written a single line of python code :)

OK, my final, final, super final last test:

Clean install of latest current, didn't touch any LANG or LC settings. I had backed up the patched setup.py, so all I did was copy that over to /usr/share/hplip and run hp-setup -i 192.168.1.65 and ...

it worked exactly the same way that I've come to expect from other distros. Found the printer, downloaded the ppd, setup the print cue and printed the test page. I finished it off with a lpoptions -d [printer] and Bob was my uncle. (A generic Bob, not THE Bob.)

So now this thread is finally, super-duper really solved, hopefully for the rest of forever.

Loooks like there were a couple of updates. I'll be doing a fresh -current install on a laptop and will see if that fixes this issue here.
EDIT: I really need to refresh my browser pages more often....