The system-config-printer tool detects my network printer in Salix Mate. I have no idea what is different in my Slackware systems, whether configuration, missing packages, or PEBKAC.

many distro use cups-pk-helper, maybe it's the solution.

http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Soft...ups-pk-helper/

Mate's dependency list may reveal an answer, but otherwise because Mate is technically still an unofficial package, getting an answer is going to be hit or miss. I would suggest rebuilding system-config-printer with cups-pk-helper, but you may want to ask the Mate developers for more information before you proceed. If this was a SBo package, you might get a better answer.

The only valid suggestion, even if it's not wanted, I can give is use the CUPS intranet configuration, or, if your network printer is an HP, is to use the hplip driver and utility pack.

Sorry bro.

try this package:

http://download.zenwalk.org/people/g...x86_64-1gm.txz

http://download.zenwalk.org/people/g...5-i486-1gm.txz

I am not interested in configuring the printer. I can do that manually. I already have. I ONLY want to know why system-config-printer does not work in Slackware.

I tested. Same results. I restarted CUPs but did not test with a full reboot.

Edit: A full reboot made no difference. Looks like there are more elements to this.

It could be an unresolved dependency or co-dependency somewhere back in the chain. That's all I can think of. Because system-config-printer is mostly a GNOME package, it may have some unresolved dependency in GNOME libraries that Slackware doesn't or can't cover by design.

I use a simple iptables setup on my Slackware machine. In doing so, I have to shut it off to have system-config-printer see my printer on the network. Once I do that, it sees it, I configure it, and then I turn the firewall back on (this is all on my personal laptop in my home so I am not bothered by the step). I know when I do the same thing in Fedora it prompts me asking me if I am OK with the firewall rules be adjusted to be able to configure the printers. I assume it is opening up some communication that would normally be blocked.

I just never bothered looking into what was exactly being blocked or opened to say for certain. Sorry.

Likely the case --- the other distros are GTK-centric.

I allow all traffic on the local subnet, which includes the printer. Nonetheless, I tested disabling the iptables firewall and system-config-printer still did not discover the printer.

Question, but do you have any other printers you can test it against, as well as any other desktop environments?

Since it too is GTK based, does Xfce's configuration tools detect it?

$ system-config-printer --debug

No other printers to test.

I do not see anything specific in Xfce to test the printer.

The avahi browser sees the printer. I again tested the cups web interface and now I notice the printer is not listed in "Discovered Network Printers" section. I temporarily renamed /etc/cups, reinstalled the cups package, and restarted the service. The cups web interface still did not list the printer, nor did system-config-printer. The avahi browser still finds the printer and with a new /etc/cups that means the avahi browser is not merely sniffing config files but actually discovering.

I might create a fresh stock Slackware VM and see what happens.

Only thing that popped out at me was a dbus message about not finding some CupsPkHelper file. I again installed the cups-pk-helper package and searched and found the missing files. I started system-config-printer, the dbus message did not appear, but again did not discover the network printer.

I ran the same command on SolydX and I notice one obvious different output message:

dnssdresolve.DNSSDHostNamesResolver instance
Resolving address for hp LaserJet 4200

I started my Salix VM and ran the same command. I did not see that same output message yet the applet discovers the printer. The cups web interface discovers the printer. Salix does not have avahi and cups-pk-helper installed. So something else is related to the discovery.

I think I will create a temporary stock Slackware VM and see what happens.

BTW, I don't think system-config-printer is a Red Hat app. Looks like the app is OpenSuse or at least originated with OpenSuse.

Tim, the dev of system-config-printer work at Red Hat

http://cyberelk.net/tim/software/system-config-printer/

I'm running Slackware64 14.1.

I added AlienBOB's KDE 4.13.2 packages. Other than that, and grabbing avahi from Slackbuilds.org, this is a clean install.

Printer is an HP Color LaserJet 2600n.

system-config-printer discovers my printer. Successful in both KDE and XFCE.

Edit: I'll add that this also works in Debian Wheezy and Linux Mint 17.

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Anything different in your /etc/cups/cupsd.conf?
Mine for reference:
I wonder if a tcpdump might reveal the 'discovery' issue at play here.