parallel port not detected

somae · 07-19-2007, 04:52 PM

I've been trying to get our hp laserjet 4L to function. It worked under slack 11 but stopped with slack 12.

The KControl printer section is unable to detect the parallel port that the printer is connected to.

libieee found 3 ports:

Quote:

./libieee1284_test
Found 3 ports:
0x278:
0x378:
0x3bc:

0x278: 0x278
RAW NIBBLE BYTE COMPAT ECPSWE
0x378: 0x378
RAW NIBBLE BYTE COMPAT ECPSWE
0x3bc: 0x3bc
RAW NIBBLE BYTE COMPAT ECPSWE

I'm not sure which port the printer is on or how to enter the port into KControl to add the printer.

Help appreciated.

BCarey · 07-19-2007, 06:48 PM

Do you have the ppdev module loaded (lsmod to find out)?

Brian

gbonvehi · 07-19-2007, 07:47 PM

Check if parallel port modules are loaded with lsmod. The modules are: parport, parport_pc and lp
If they aren't use: /sbin/modprobe parport && /sbin/modprobe parport_pc && /sbin/modprobe lp

somae · 07-19-2007, 10:59 PM

lsmod found parport and parport_pc. I added ppdev but KControl still is not finding a parallel port.

BCarey · 07-19-2007, 11:09 PM

Try using cups's own configuration interface. Use your browser and go to http://localhost:631.

Brian

somae · 07-19-2007, 11:23 PM

I have tried using the 631 cups. It also doesn't find the parallel port.

gbonvehi · 07-19-2007, 11:48 PM

Did you also loaded lp module?

somae · 07-20-2007, 12:12 AM

Yes - lp is running.

somae · 07-20-2007, 02:24 AM

I did some searching with google and came up with this:

(http://www.uwsg.iu.edu/hypermail/lin...12.3/0214.html)

Quote:

Seems as though your parallel port device is really not there when you
boot Linux. I suspect you have a true Plug and Play BIOS that is not
configuring the device and expecting the OS to do it. You didn't say
it, but I would guess you are running Windows 95.

Try looking for something in your BIOS setup screens that say
something like 'Plug and Play OS' and turn it off. When this is
turned on, the BIOS only configures devices necessary to boot (namely
disk drives and video) and leaves the rest up to the OS. Since Linux
is not (yet) plug-and-play, you need to tell the BIOS to configure
everything.

I reset the bios "plug and play" to "no". KControl then found the parallel port. However, it still seemed to not function, (although it took such a long time to load the test page from CUPS I wonder if I just thought it wasn't working when it didn't immediately print a test page.) In any case, I was able to install the printer from CUPS and it printed the test page.

Thanks to everyone for your help.