CUPS: how do i install a serial printer via cli 'lpadmin' ?

lefty.crupps · 07-18-2007, 01:38 PM

RedHat (actually, CentOS 4.4)

I need to have a way to install a serial printer (I think!) via the command line, using the lpadmin tool or any other program that can be run in a script.

I say 'I think!' because my client seems to want this to be a serial printer but he keeps discussing having the printer's URI be a file /var/isd/SER-A07/printdata

Whatever -- when he sets up the printer using the printconf-tui tool, these are the steps that he takes:

Quote:

For the non-interactive option, I only need to pass one parameter which would be a sitename (i.e. SER-A07). Using printconf, the equivalent options would be:

Add
Queue Name = SER-A07
LOCAL printer
Custom
Device File = /var/isd/SER-A07/printdata
Text Only printer
Finish

When following these instructions, I get the following entry in the /etc/cups/printers.conf file:

Code:

<Printer SER-A07>
Info Created by redhat-config-printer 0.6.x
DeviceURI file:/var/isd/SER-A07/printdata
State Idle
Accepting Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
</Printer>

We want the same entry to appear in printers.conf as above, but done with a non-interactive command or script. Currently when I try to do this I get:

Code:

[root@linux ~]# lpadmin -p serial_test -v file:/var/isd/SER-A07/printdata -E
lpadmin: add-printer (set device) failed: client-error-not-possible
[root@linux ~]#

What am I doing wrong from the command line? Do I need to specify the interface ('-i' flag) somehow, and if so what the heck is that?? (I've not found any real info on that, anywhere). Do I need to specify a PPD file, and if so, what would that be for a text-only printer? Notice when doing it via printconf-tui there is never a question about the printer model, because its text; I don't think the PPD is used.

Anyone familiar with CUPS and lpadmin and can help me? I tried a few times in #rhel and #cups and #centos on IRC but no one knows.

lefty.crupps · 08-02-2007, 11:55 AM

an update, but not yet solved...

running the command:

Code:

lpadmin -p serial_test -v file:/var/isd/SER-A07/printdata -E

gives the same error as above; if I change that command to read:

Code:

lpadmin -p serial_test -v serial:/var/isd/SER-A07/printdata -E

it adds in my printer just fine. It seems to be the -v flag doesn't like any sort of 'file' that I give it, always returning the above error and changing the entry in /etc/cups/printers.conf to be

Code:

DeviceURI file:/dev/null

and that is wrong...

lefty.crupps · 08-02-2007, 12:15 PM

In the file [/etc/cups/cupsd.conf] I had to change this line from

Code:

#FileDevice No

to match the following:

Code:

#
# FileDevice: determines whether the scheduler will allow new printers
# to be added using device URIs of the form "file:/foo/bar". The default
# is not to allow file devices due to the potential security vulnerability
# and due to the fact that file devices do not support raw printing.
#
FileDevice Yes
#

and it worked! Notice no errors:

Code:

[root@linux ~]# lpadmin -p success -v /var/isd/SER-A07/printdata -E
[root@linux ~]#

BUT it does NOT show up when I run:

Code:

printconf-tui

BUT the lines in /etc/cups/printers.conf are correct:

Code:

[root@linux ~]# cat /etc/cups/printers.conf
# Printer configuration file for CUPS v1.1.22rc1
# Written by cupsd on Thu 02 Aug 2007 10:07:46 AM PDT
<DefaultPrinter success>
Info Created by redhat-config-printer 0.6.x
DeviceURI file:/var/isd/SER-A07/printdata
State Idle
Accepting Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
</Printer>
[root@linux ~]#

I still am fighting to get it to be a Text-Only printer; giving either of the following flags:

Code:

lpadmin -p success -v /var/isd/SER-A07/printdata -P /usr/share/cups/model/textonly.ppd -E
lpadmin -p success -v /var/isd/SER-A07/printdata -m textonly.ppd -E

both add the printer without error or warning, but when viewed in printconf-tui the driver is listed as Raw...

I hope that this helps someone in the future, thanks for reading.