I am trying to get my printer configured. My parallel port does not seem to be working under linux (it works fine under WinME).

I have mainboard Asus A7V333 (w/ RAID unfortunately).

Programs such as lprngtool do not find my parallel port. I am pretty sure that I have all modules compiled in my kernel (Debian 3.0 w/2.4.18).

Any suggestions?

thank you

1. do you have any bios settings related to your parallel port?

2. Do you have a file something like /dev/lp0 or /dev/usblp0
(if the answer to this is "yes" is user root, group root the owner of the file?

3. Do you see an entry in \etc\modules.conf something like:
alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc
options parport_pc io=0x378 irq=5

If you want to start over again, try this excerpt from an archived version of a document by Osamu Aoki <debian@aokiconsulting.com> (sorry couldn't find a current version available)

3.6. Printer configuration
--------------------------

For the `lpr'/`lpd' type spoolers (`lpr', `lprng', and `gnulpr'), set up `/etc/printcap' as follows if they are connected to postscript or text only printer (basics):

<lp>|<alias>:\
:sd=/var/spool/lpd/<lp>:\
:mx#0:\
:sh:\
:lp=/dev/lp0:

Meaning of above lines:
* Head line: <lp> --- name of spool, <alias> = alias
* mx#0 --- max file size unlimited
* sh --- suppress printing of burst page header
* lp=/dev/lp0 --- local printer device, or port@host for remote

Following set up will enable `gs' to convert postscript to the printer compatible data stream for the non-postscript printer:

<lp0>|<alias>:\
:sd=/var/spool/lpd/<lp0>:\
:mx#0:\
:sh:\
:lp=/dev/lp0:\
:if=/usr/bin/gs -q -sDEVICE=<lips3> -r<300x300> \
-sPAPERSIZE=letter -sOutputFile=-:

Meaning of above is:
* Head line: <lp0> --- name of spool, <alias0> = alias
* mx#0 --- max file size unlimited
* sh --- suppress printing of burst page header
* lp=/dev/lp0 --- local printer device, or port@host for remote
* if=... --- input filter which does accounting, use <lips3>
driver.
* of=... --- output filter
# apt-get install gnulpr

If Windows machines use printer through Samba, they can access it without filtering through a native Windows printer driver or with `gs' filtering on Linux by selecting postscript printer drivers such as Apple LaserWriter on Windows machine side.

There are many auto configuration tools provided for setting up
`/etc/printcap'. Combination can be:
* `lpr' and `apsfilter'
* `lprng' and `lprngtool'
* `gnulpr' (`lpr-ppd') and `printtool'
* `lpr' and `magicfilter'
* `lprng' and `magicfilter'

Wow;

Thanks for the info. In this case, I got parallel port fixed by changing BIOS configuratiion to EPP instead of ECP. Then I used lprngtool to configure printer. Works great now.

thanks