[help] adding network printer
 

guys, i'm totally newb in linux.my boss wants me to try this out so we can reduce the total license...
Okay, i'm using mandriva 2006. and I've set it up including networks, samba [so that the linux client can browse to windows share folders], etc etc. But i realize that our client / users must be able to print. I attach my printer [hp Laserjet 1320] on a windows workstation [ip 192.168.9.xx] and share it. I install cups and went to firefox, i typed: http://localhost:631. the cups page showed and i click add printer, choose windows network, on the address, i typed: smb://192.168.9.xx/hpLJ1320 -> my share name printer.
Shortly, I sent a test page to the printer, but there's no reaction at all.. Can anybody help me here? Thanks...

It's been a while since I've done this, but to get you on the right track, you have to give the username, password, and workgroup to make the connection... so something like smb://user:pass@workgroup/server/printername

of course, double check that with the CUPS documentation (which is slim), but that should get you pointed in the right direction.

First of all I would highly recommend using the "lppasswd" program to make yourself a cups administrator. On some distro's the root/password when asked in cups won't work, and using lppasswd is a lot easier than reconfiguring the cups.conf file.

HP LaserJet printer work best if you install the "hplip" package. You can go to www.linuxprinting.org or http://hplip.sourceforge.net/ and check if your printer is supported. The hplip package includes a program called makeuri (/usr/share/hplip/makeuri). If you enter the ip address of the windows print server, it may give you a ipp:// based uri to enter into cups. You need to configure the printer through the cups web interface, as you did in the past, or the hp-toolkit program may not be able to connect to your printer. The hplip package includes hpijs and may provide more recent PPD files.

If this printer has a usb interface, there is an alternative of installing a jetdirect device (such as the HP JetDirect 3700 device that my hp laser printer came with). Then you could have the printer connected directly to the LAN instead of using a print server.


Good Luck!