[SOLVED] Unable to set HP printer as shared on CUPS (HP LaserJet Pro 402dn)

drgibbon · 08-14-2016, 01:07 AM

I'm trying to share my HP printer over the LAN on Slack 14.2_64, and for some reason it always shows up as "Not shared" in the CUPS web interface. At this address http://localhost:631/printers/HP_LaserJet_M402dn I get;

Code:

HP_LaserJet_M402dn (Idle, Accepting Jobs, Not Shared, Server Default)

Although inside /etc/cups/printers.conf it says

Code:

# Printer configuration file for CUPS v2.1.4
# Written by cupsd on 2016-08-14 15:56
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE WHEN CUPSD IS RUNNING
<DefaultPrinter HP_LaserJet_M402dn>
UUID urn:uuid:baea5ee1-33fe-380d-5934-d18decc1318c
Info HP_LaserJet_M402dn
MakeModel HP LaserJet Pro M402-M403 Postscript (recommended)
DeviceURI hp:/usb/HP_LaserJet_M402dn?serial=PHCND02163
State Idle
StateTime 1471153083
ConfigTime 1471153240
Type 8425684
Accepting Yes
Shared Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
OpPolicy default
ErrorPolicy stop-printer
</DefaultPrinter>

and in /etc/cups/cupsd.conf I have the default Slack config with the following added;

Code:

#Listen localhost:631
Port 631

<Location/>       
  Order allow,deny
  Allow @LOCAL
</Location>

I'm not sure why this printer would always fail to show up as shared?

drgibbon · 08-14-2016, 01:27 AM

Turns out setting;

Code:

BrowseLocalProtocols dnssd

in cupsd.conf makes the printer show up as "Shared". The next problem is trying to connect a Mac computer to this share, if I work it out I will post the answer.

drgibbon · 08-14-2016, 01:34 AM

Sorted it out. On the Mac computer I went to ipp://cups-server-hostname/printers/HP_LaserJet_M402dn in Safari and it automatically added.

Regarding cupsd.conf, on the forum there's some old stuff about "BrowseRemoteProtocols", but this doesn't seem to be required anymore;

Code:

E [14/Aug/2016:16:32:26 +1000] Unknown directive BrowseRemoteProtocols on line 19 of /etc/cups/cupsd.conf.

drgibbon · 08-14-2016, 01:46 AM

For future reference, adding 'BrowseLocalProtocols dnssd' and having the printer show as "Shared" in the CUPS web interface is, confusingly enough, not even required for sharing. As long as the printer is set to shared in /etc/cups/printers.conf, the minimum changes I needed in cupsd.conf were;

Code:

#Listen localhost:631
Port 631

<Location/>       
  Order allow,deny
  Allow @LOCAL
</Location>

From there I could successfully add the printer on the client using the ipp address.

the3dfxdude · 08-14-2016, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drgibbon

For future reference, adding 'BrowseLocalProtocols dnssd' and having the printer show as "Shared" in the CUPS web interface is, confusingly enough, not even required for sharing. As long as the printer is set to shared in /etc/cups/printers.conf, the minimum changes I needed in cupsd.conf were;

Code:

#Listen localhost:631
Port 631

<Location/>       
  Order allow,deny
  Allow @LOCAL
</Location>

From there I could successfully add the printer on the client using the ipp address.

Thanks for the info. I also saw the "Not Shared" issue in the cups web interface. But as the same you mention in the config, it is definitely shareable since cups is listening on 631. I suspect the 'BrowseLocalProtocols dnssd' is a cosmetic assumption built into cups, and doesn't really do anything without Avahi anyway.

There really needs to be this info, and the other info collected lately, compiled into a wiki page. There isn't a site on the web that actually has any info on how cups works now. Most of the pages on the web just assume a simplistic approach with something like avahi running, and not actually using cups directly.

bassmadrigal · 08-14-2016, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the3dfxdude

There really needs to be this info, and the other info collected lately, compiled into a wiki page.

Registrations are open again on the slackwiki

drgibbon · 08-14-2016, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassmadrigal

Registrations are open again on the slackwiki

I will add this info in once my wiki account becomes properly active (I can't currently add pages). Might save someone a few headaches.

bassmadrigal · 08-14-2016, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drgibbon

I will add this info in once my wiki account becomes properly active (I can't currently add pages). Might save someone a few headaches.

It's actually kinda weird on how you have to create pages (at least, I haven't found a better way). Basically, you need to edit a page to give you the link to the page you want to create (it'll be red), then you just click on that page, and at the top there'll be a "create this page" link. Click on that and you're good to go. Another option is to just create the page based on the web address directly, but I find that a bit more difficult.

I just did a link called "printer_stuff" and provide the link below. You can then see at the top the option to create the page. You can either change the url yourself, or "create the page", and edit it to provide a link to the page you actually want. Click preview, and you'll now have a clickable link. As long as you don't save the initial page, you won't have any problems. Personally, I ended up creating a page for my username (just click on it), then I put a section in there for "Unfinished pages". Once I am done with my page, I'll move it to a "Finished pages" section.

http://docs.slackware.com/howtos:printer_stuff

bassmadrigal · 08-14-2016, 02:23 PM

As drgibbon found on another thread, but in case others don't frequent the ARM subforum, the page creation issue has been fixed by Eric. At the top of the HOWTO categories' pages, there is now a box to help you create a page.

There's now no need for the workaround I posted...

drgibbon · 08-15-2016, 12:37 AM

I added a wiki howto for sharing a usb printer over cups, any corrections or improvements welcome.

pdi · 03-10-2017, 02:30 AM

Apologies for resurrecting and old thread, but coming late to 14.2 I found cups did not work with my old settings and spent much time trying to figure this out. So it may save some kind soul the bother :-)

The bottom line is /etc/cups/cups-browsed.conf needs an entry BrowsePoll <server_ip>:631, and /etc/rc.d/rc.cups-browsed start.

I wrote a short note on the discussion page of drgibbon's documentation. If no errors are spotted by fellow-Slackers, feel free to incorporate it in your article, drgibbon.

kjhambrick · 03-10-2017, 06:53 AM

Thanks for the info pdi.

And thanks again for Cups client configuration, Slackware

Short, simple and sweet.

One Q ... I suppose that cups-browsed need not be started before cupsd ?

If not ( and apparently not ), I'll remove my mods in /etc/rc.d/rc.cups and move them into rc.local and rc.local_shutdown as you've recommended.

-- kjh

pdi · 03-10-2017, 02:37 PM

Glad to have helped, kjhambrick :-)

The comments at the top of rc.cups-browsed seem to indicate that cups must be up prior to cups-browsed. They say that cups-browsed creates local cups queues pointing to the remote ones (which I suppose means that cups is up) and that cups is 'required'. That's why I thought rc.local and rc.local_shutdown are reasonable choices. I have not tried to bring them up the other way around.