Broken sharing cups printers to 9.x ; works with everything else.

Since I am not sure where the problem lies I will explain the situation,
then give my suspicions. I am using a Linux (Fedora core 5) cups print
server. (FC5 linux uses cups and is very similar to OSX in configuration
files.) This server will serve Mac OSX, OS 9.x, Windows (XP and 2000) and
AS400s.
The OSX and Windows use IPP and work perfectly. AS400 is using
LPR and also works. I have also tested printing from Windows via
LPR ("create new port"), and this works also. Just less
conveniently that IP printing.

The 9.x boxes don't work at all. I have tried to enable Appletalk via
netatalk and can share directories on the Linux box with 9.x by connecting
with Appleshare. However, 9.2 does not see printers shared by Linux. I
tried to connect using "Apple Desktop Printer Utility" to create an LPR
printer, connect to IP address and queue name. The utility says it can see
the printer (I think this just verifies the IP address, not port) but
after creating the printer, jobs fail to send. The error message is that
the printer is not accepting jobs.

I started wireshark (essentially ethereal) on the Linux box and it sees
the attempt to print LPR. If I am correctly interpreting what I see, the
Linux box does indeed seem to say the queue is not accepting jobs. I do
not see where the Mac specified the queue to use.

Suspicions:
I think Appletalk is not working on Linux because of bad configuration in
the /etc/atalk/papd.conf file. I think it should only need one line,
something about cupsautoadd. However, I've seen this as
cupsautoadd@zonep=root: cupsautoaddp=root:
and numerous multi-line configurations. I want to add all shared printers
to use the PPDs installed on Linux and have no zones. If anyone knows the
correct format (or what else I might be missing) I'd like to hear from
you.

Alternately, printing via TCP LPR from 9.x: Since the Linux box can accept
LPR jobs from Windows, I know LPR is working on Linux. I think "Apple
Desktop Printer Utility" is not correctly specifying the queue, possibly
because I do not know the correct format to enter in the box when
prompted. (Is it just "cupslaserwriter"? Or "/printer/cupslaserwriter"?
Or maybe "printer/cupslaserwriter"?

Hello Gary,

Gary Carroll schrieb/wrote:

> Since I am not sure where the problem lies I will explain the situation,
> then give my suspicions. I am using a Linux (Fedora core 5) cups print
> server. (FC5 linux uses cups and is very similar to OSX in configuration
> files.)

That's because OS X uses CUPS, too.

[..]
> The 9.x boxes don't work at all. I have tried to enable Appletalk via
> netatalk and can share directories on the Linux box with 9.x by connecting
> with Appleshare. However, 9.2 does not see printers shared by Linux.

Have you "exported" your printers using netatalk?
My papd.conf looks like this:

LaserJet 6MP:\
r=|/usr/bin/lp -d LaserJet6:\
d=/usr/local/etc/netatalk/laserjet6.ppd:


And printing from MacOS 9 clients works like a charm.
Is your papd started at all? Does your kernel support AppleTalk?

> I tried to connect using "Apple Desktop Printer Utility" to create an LPR
> printer, connect to IP address and queue name.

OK, that's what I would have done next.

> The utility says it can see
> the printer (I think this just verifies the IP address, not port) but
> after creating the printer, jobs fail to send. The error message is that
> the printer is not accepting jobs.

Do your server logs show any attempts accessing the queue?

> I started wireshark (essentially ethereal) on the Linux box and it sees
> the attempt to print LPR. If I am correctly interpreting what I see, the
> Linux box does indeed seem to say the queue is not accepting jobs. I do
> not see where the Mac specified the queue to use.
>
> Suspicions:
> I think Appletalk is not working on Linux because of bad configuration in
> the /etc/atalk/papd.conf file. I think it should only need one line,
> something about cupsautoadd. However, I've seen this as
> cupsautoadd@zonep=root: cupsautoaddp=root:

Just take a look at your AppleTalk network to check if your printers
really appear there:
Running "nbplkup" on my server looks like this:
$ nbplkup
LaserJet 6MP:LaserWriter 65280.165:130
LinuxServer:AFPServer 65280.165:128
server:netatalk 65280.165:4
server:Workstation 65280.165:4

> and numerous multi-line configurations. I want to add all shared printers
> to use the PPDs installed on Linux and have no zones. If anyone knows the
> correct format (or what else I might be missing) I'd like to hear from
> you.

See above. I'm not that familiar with the cupsautoadd feature, so I
would recommend adding your printers by hand.

> Alternately, printing via TCP LPR from 9.x: Since the Linux box can accept
> LPR jobs from Windows, I know LPR is working on Linux. I think "Apple
> Desktop Printer Utility" is not correctly specifying the queue, possibly
> because I do not know the correct format to enter in the box when
> prompted. (Is it just "cupslaserwriter"? Or "/printer/cupslaserwriter"?
> Or maybe "printer/cupslaserwriter"?

Just fire "lpstat -t" on the server. It will show all the queues with
their names then.

Regards & hth,
Christian
--
Christian Schmidt | Germany |
No HTML Mails, please!!
De eene hett 'n Rittergut, de annere ritt 'n Gitter rut.

Thanks a lot for your very helpful reply. I will investigate as per your
suggestions.

One more bit of info I have found...

The file "/var/log/messages" contains:
"Sep 28 18:11:24 localhost papd[4423]: cupsautoadd: Cups support not
compiled in"
This would explain why cupsautoadd does not work right in papd.conf and
thus appletalk does not see the printers. However, I am running cups on
the system, and print just fine from cups. (??)

I very quickly (without really understanding the details) configured a
printer by hand and it does show up in chooser on a 9.2 Mac, though it
hangs during printing. I am yet concerned about that since I am almost
certain to have messed up the configuration a bit. Now that it is
communicating I will be better able to figure out what is going on.

Hello Gary,

Gary Carroll schrieb/wrote:

> Thanks a lot for your very helpful reply. I will investigate as per your
> suggestions.
>
> One more bit of info I have found...
>
> The file "/var/log/messages" contains:
> "Sep 28 18:11:24 localhost papd[4423]: cupsautoadd: Cups support not
> compiled in"

Ah.
Then you've got to add your printers to papd.conf by hand, and you can
delete the "cupsautoadd" line.

> This would explain why cupsautoadd does not work right in papd.conf and
> thus appletalk does not see the printers.

That's right.
Have you built your own netatalk, or is it the version packaged by
your distributor?

> However, I am running cups on
> the system, and print just fine from cups. (??)

That's another issue. But when lacking the cupsautoadd feature,
netatalk cannot automatically publish the printers/queues hosted by
CUPS.

> I very quickly (without really understanding the details) configured a
> printer by hand and it does show up in chooser on a 9.2 Mac, though it
> hangs during printing. I am yet concerned about that since I am almost
> certain to have messed up the configuration a bit.

Don't panic! I don't think that you have messed it up - because there
hasn't been any papd configuration at all. ;-)

Just create on appropriate entry (see my posting before) for each
printer and make sure that the ppd files are also located on the
server. When copying them from a Mac beware of the line feeds/carriage
returns.

Regards,
Christian
--
Christian Schmidt | Germany |
No HTML Mails, please!!
De eene hett 'n Rittergut, de annere ritt 'n Gitter rut.