Cups backend started, no output to printer.

cov · 05-12-2007, 07:10 AM

Hi,

I'm sending a print job from a Windows XP box to my Suse 10.1 server with a printer connected by USB (Lexmark z600).

I can test print from the server to the printer, so the Cups drivers appear to be installed, printer cable intact, etc.

Printing from the XP machine appears to be sent to the server, no error messages, Samba seems to be quite happy.

/var/log/cups/error_log has the following lines:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ snip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[12/May/2007:10:50:57 +0200] Adding start banner page "none" to job 6.
I [12/May/2007:10:50:57 +0200] Adding end banner page "none" to job 6.
I [12/May/2007:10:50:57 +0200] Job 6 queued on 'z600series' by 'dave'.
I [12/May/2007:10:50:57 +0200] Started backend /usr/lib/cups/backend/usb (PID 7835) for job 6.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ snip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These jobs (1 - 6) are all presumably sitting in a queue somewhere.

The printer driver on the XP machine is for "Apple Color LaserWriter 12/600" which should generate postscript output and I've included "use client driver = Yes" in /etc/smb.conf (testparm passes it).

Anyone got any ideas?

allend · 05-12-2007, 08:43 AM

You might do better by having the XP machine generate the print job locally using the driver for your Lexmark printer and then send this to a raw printer queue in CUPS.

cov · 05-13-2007, 10:36 AM

Well, yes.

I'm not too worried what happens to the output as log as it appears on the printed page.

The problem is that the XP printer drivers are producing postscript output and passing this across to the Suse box which is losing them.

I want to know where they have gone.

I can't see any error messages, so I assume that the Suse box thinks that the printer has received the output.

And, if that is the case, I can't see why sending the Suse box raw output is going to make any difference.

Still, I'll give it a go....

cov · 05-13-2007, 11:08 AM

In /etc/cups/mime.types, I have uncommented the following line:

application/octet-stream

And this line in /etc/cups/mime.convs,:

application/octet-stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -

And I have changed the drivers on XP.

But now, in /var/log/samba/log.smbd it says "Connection refused".

If I change the printer driver back to Postscript, samba apparently accepts the print job:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ snip from /var/log/cups/page_log ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
styluscolor580 dave 1 [29/Sep/2005:17:51:20 +0200] 1 1 - localhost
styluscolor580 dave 2 [13/Oct/2005:14:34:15 +0200] 1 1 - localhost
z600series dave 1 [12/May/2007:09:49:23 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 2 [12/May/2007:10:14:19 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 3 [12/May/2007:10:23:37 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 5 [12/May/2007:10:47:45 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 6 [12/May/2007:10:50:57 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 7 [13/May/2007:14:41:18 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ snip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a point: the test prints to the printer from the Suse box (using the YAST printer configuration tool) don't show up on the page_log. Is that normal?

cov · 05-15-2007, 01:22 PM

I don't understand why this is such a mission.

Below is the tail of my /var/log/cups/error_log:
Jobs 8 & 9 are from my Windows XP box.
Jobs 10 and 11 are locally printed (user name 'shirley') and have produce successful printed output.
[HTML]
I [15/May/2007:16:22:46 +0200] LoadPPDs: Read "/etc/cups/ppds.dat", 4275 PPDs...
I [15/May/2007:16:22:49 +0200] LoadPPDs: No new or changed PPDs...
I [15/May/2007:16:22:49 +0200] Full reload complete.
I [15/May/2007:19:47:02 +0200] Adding start banner page "none" to job 8.
I [15/May/2007:19:47:02 +0200] Adding end banner page "none" to job 8.
I [15/May/2007:19:47:02 +0200] Job 8 queued on 'z600series' by 'dave'.
I [15/May/2007:19:47:02 +0200] Started backend /usr/lib/cups/backend/usb (PID 4672) for job 8.
I [15/May/2007:19:49:14 +0200] Started "/usr/lib/cups/cgi-bin/admin.cgi" (pid=4674)
I [15/May/2007:19:55:34 +0200] Adding start banner page "none" to job 9.
I [15/May/2007:19:55:34 +0200] Adding end banner page "none" to job 9.
I [15/May/2007:19:55:34 +0200] Job 9 queued on 'z600series' by 'dave'.
I [15/May/2007:19:55:34 +0200] Started backend /usr/lib/cups/backend/usb (PID 4684) for job 9.
I [15/May/2007:20:01:34 +0200] Adding start banner page "none" to job 10.
I [15/May/2007:20:01:34 +0200] Adding end banner page "none" to job 10.
I [15/May/2007:20:01:34 +0200] Job 10 queued on 'z600series' by 'shirley'.
I [15/May/2007:20:01:35 +0200] Started filter /usr/lib/cups/filter/pstops (PID 4750) for job 10.
I [15/May/2007:20:01:35 +0200] Started filter /usr/lib/cups/filter/pstoraster (PID 4751) for job 10.
I [15/May/2007:20:01:35 +0200] Started filter /usr/lib/cups/filter/rastertoz600 (PID 4752) for job 10.
I [15/May/2007:20:01:35 +0200] Started backend /usr/lib/cups/backend/usb (PID 4753) for job 10.
I [15/May/2007:20:03:14 +0200] Adding start banner page "none" to job 11.
I [15/May/2007:20:03:14 +0200] Adding end banner page "none" to job 11.
I [15/May/2007:20:03:14 +0200] Job 11 queued on 'z600series' by 'shirley'.
I [15/May/2007:20:03:14 +0200] Started filter /usr/lib/cups/filter/pstops (PID 4756) for job 11.
I [15/May/2007:20:03:14 +0200] Started filter /usr/lib/cups/filter/pstoraster (PID 4757) for job 11.
I [15/May/2007:20:03:14 +0200] Started filter /usr/lib/cups/filter/rastertoz600 (PID 4758) for job 11.
I [15/May/2007:20:03:14 +0200] Started backend /usr/lib/cups/backend/usb (PID 4759) for job 11.

[/HTML]
On the other hand /var/log/cups/page_log has the following content and does not contain jobs 10 and 11:
[HTML]
z600series dave 1 [12/May/2007:09:49:23 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 2 [12/May/2007:10:14:19 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 3 [12/May/2007:10:23:37 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 5 [12/May/2007:10:47:45 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 6 [12/May/2007:10:50:57 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 7 [13/May/2007:14:41:18 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 8 [15/May/2007:19:47:02 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
z600series dave 9 [15/May/2007:19:55:34 +0200] 1 1 - 192.168.1.100
[/HTML]

So here's what I'm thinking: that there is somehow a conflict between samba and cups and samba is placing the plot files somewhere where cups can't see them.

Does anyone feel they can add a little light here?

cov · 05-15-2007, 03:13 PM

Well, it doesn't really matter, I guess.

I managed to find this thread which details network printing without Samba, so I've set it up as suggested:http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...highlight=cups

Don't know why I hadn't found it before, must've been using the wrong keywords. Anyway, use http://localhost:631 and go to 'Jobs'. You should see the URL of your printer if you pass the cursor over it.

Install your favorite postscript driver (adobe do one that works) on your XP or windows 98 box (http://www.marlboro.edu/resources/co...rinting/win98/on how to get W98 to use internet printing) and use http://your_linux_box_name:631/printers/z600series as the network path to the printer (substitute your printer name and the path to your printer as indicated above).

It worked for me.