I recently acquired a Epson CX8400 & would like to connect it to my Arch Linux server in my office via USB. Both my wife and I use our laptops on the same network as the Arch Linux server and we use it as a file server (NFS & CIFS) so I really would like us to both be able to print to the Epson from both our laptops without having to directly connect it to our machines via USB.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how I can achieve what I am looking to do?

Thanks!

Have you tried CUPS?

you will need Samba installed on your server

sudo pacman -S samba

I did try CUPS on my Debian/Lenny print server. I can print fine from the server itself - the test page pops out quite happily.

However trying to get any other machine to print to this printer (just a plain old HP DeskJet 810C - nothing particularly special) is like a nightmare. A got a nice friendly error message: "client-error-not-found" but I'm not really sure what it means? I guess it means I didn't get an error - well that's downright friendly of CUPS to tell me that.

I can install and configure web servers, SQL databases, samba to access my Vista machine (yep - no trouble at all), I even got Skype working with my logitech headset and ringing the PC speakers. I even managed to get Ekiga to handle my VOIP calls. I got backups working, IDE, php, and Putty. But do you think I can get CUPS to share a little of DeskJet.

I should be patient though - I mean this is all relatively new technology, we've only had the DeskJets around for 10-12 years, and people have only been printing from computers for 20-30 years, and Linux itself is only a trifling 30 years old - I can understand that I probably need to wait for these applications to mature to become more stable and robust. Probably best if I just get out my old typewriter and stop wasting so much paper. Better for the environment too.

Cheers
mc

Do you have a printers section in your smb.conf file? I assume that samba server is installed and running. samba will automatically create shares for all printers. Install the drivers on the windows PCs and use the wizard to add the printer.

You might need to configure the cups.conf to allow other linux computers access. Once this is accomplished then your other computers (with cups running) will automatically add the servers printers.

If the laptops are running Linux, then setup the CUPS server on your Arch Linux server to allow printer sharing. http://localhost:631/help/sharing.ht...#SERVER_CONFIG
If you are running a firewall on your server, you will need to allow both TCP and UDP traffic on the default CUPS port 631.

If the laptops are running Windows, then you will also need Samba. http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/man/...lprinting.html

Okay - the message isn't getting through - you guys are all far too literal....

CUPS is not supporting the configuration of printer sharing adequately. If CUPS is purporting to manage printers it should handle all of the configuration necessary otherwise it's a waste of time piece of software doing a half baked job. I'm guessing since the client in this case is a Vista machine there was probably some Samba config necessary. My point is CUPS should be asking if the client is a Windows machine (or a Mac or an iPhone or whatever) and then check to see all of the necessary configuration is in place.

Similarly CUPS should understand special printer requirements also... there was one website I found where somebody had installed HPLIP in order to get their printer sharing and working. Again CUPS didn't tell me anything about this.

I'm sure CUPS is a good piece of software for doing what it's doing. But if it wants to be great it has to start being intelligent and consider other applications that may or may not be required.

Please don't try and fix my problem - I'm going to save myself hours and buy one of those network printer sharing boxes so that all of my computers can print directly to the printer without any sharing required.

Cheers
mc

I guess since it is open source you can do what ever you want to do with it I wish you luck.
The world would be better with out Microsoft.

My Murray, aren't we the sarcastic one! A pity that wit cannot be used to understand the problem instead.
Your problem is not with CUPS but with Samba. I have had Windows machines being able to add network printers using the Add Printer wizard for years. It does take some effort to configure CUPS and Samba to work together though.
The process is explained in full detail in the Samba documentation that I linked.

another option i've used is a cups only option

if you have CUPS running on your computer you should be able to point your web browser (on the machine with the printer attached) at http://localhost:631/admin

check 'Share printers connected to this system' then 'Allow printing from the Internet', when asked type in your admin password

then click on 'printers', and then click on the printer you want to share
(eg: http://localhost:631/printers/Hewlet...aserJet-4-Plus)

then create a network printer with that address in windows, yes I have done that and make sure the driver is installed

edit: i noticed the cups option was partially mentioned earlier but no you don't need samba for this method

Hi Frieza

This was exactly what I thought too, and I did everything you suggested, then I got that really cool error message: "client-error-not-found" Don't you just love that one!

To everyone who is still reading...

I've spared no expense to purchase a D-Link DP-311P - a wireless print server that will plug directly into the printer and share it on the TCP/IP network - $20 on ebay. It comes with all the instructions to network with Windows but none for Linux - I think I can probably get it working though. So... my problem with sharing printers to Windows machines is now solved!!!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my posts and I hope they made you laugh, even just a little.

Cheers
mc

I concur and have given up trying to print on a WXP-attached printer via Samba because it was taking too long to justify the desired benefit.

It would be nice if it did but it doesn't; like it or not we start from the current situation and it is open to all of us (as already pointed out) to change it ...