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Network printers installation

Need help with peripherals or devices?
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gugu
Posts: 16
Joined: 2015-10-17 13:18

Network printers installation

#1 Post by gugu »

Hi everyone. I'm having trouble installing a network printer on my Debian system.

I read several threads and guides but they are not very clear and I think that none of them reflects my specific situation.

I have my Linux PC connected to a WIFI network. Then I connect to the VPN of my working place in order to get access to shared hardrives.

Network printers I want to connect to are in a server inside the network of my working place.

If I go to printers/add printers (through the GUI) and in the network address i type smb:/IES-DEF/138.4.46.239 (where IES-DEF is the domain and 138.4.46.239 the server IP address of the printers) the three available printers appear.

If I select one it asks me to choose makers and model. Here problems begin. For some of the printers there's not a coincidence and there's no way to "import" externally downloaded drivers. For one of them there is the right model but one selected it say "Failed to add new printer" without giving any error message or code.

In windows the printers work just fine.
Any advice?

I tried also to do it with cups opening in the web browser (http://localhost:631/admin) but no success.

shep
Posts: 423
Joined: 2011-03-15 15:22

Re: Network printers installation

#2 Post by shep »

Typically, work place printers are PostScript capable, but I would review the specs of the make/model of printer(s) you wish to use. The other thing is that the Printers are often attached to an IP port. The HP JetDirect port is 9100. In cups, I set my JetDirect port with socket:///xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:9100. If you use IPP://, it is a different port. If you have a network admin, they should be able to provide the addresses:ports.

For a printer to be detected, it has to advertise, not sure that this would get through a VPN. You do not need automatic detection of the printer make/model, it can be specified in the CUPs configation interface.

If your work place printers are PostScript capable, you can send the print job as "raw" rather than filtering it through a cups ppd.

gugu
Posts: 16
Joined: 2015-10-17 13:18

Re: Network printers installation

#3 Post by gugu »

Hi shep, thanks for your answer.

I'm a newby in linux/debian so I think I don't completely understand your answer.

1- I asked the IT guy of my working place and he told me that each printer has its own IP address and that the three printers are installed in a machine with a fourth IP address which is used to install them on all the windows computers in the network. With windows basically you just mount the network path //xxx.x.xx.xxx/tmp, once mounted you run //xxx.x.xx.xxx and all the shared printers appear and you can install them by double cliking. (xxx.x.xx.xxx is the IP address of the computer where the printers are installed).

2- I have no idea if I should use IPP:// or another protocol. This is one of the reason because I'm not able to use CUPS to configure them.

3- I tried to configure the printers as "raw" but I still get the error "Failed to add new printer"

What I don't understand is the reason why I can see the printers in the network but it fails to add them without specifying the reason!!!

Thanks again

User avatar
GarryRicketson
Posts: 5644
Joined: 2015-01-20 22:16
Location: Durango, Mexico

Re: Network printers installation

#4 Post by GarryRicketson »

I don't know much on printers, but on mine , and it is HP, I had to be root to add a new printer. Once it is added and initialized, normal users can use it and print.

shep
Posts: 423
Joined: 2011-03-15 15:22

Re: Network printers installation

#5 Post by shep »

This can be a little complex. Many printers come with a NIC port and can be directly connected to a NIC router. That would be the simplist setup.

Your statement
1- I asked the IT guy of my working place and he told me that each printer has its own IP address and that the three printers are installed in a machine with a fourth IP address which is used to install them on all the windows computers in the network.
suggests they are a "Windows Share". In addition to printers,

You can still use Windows Share printers but it requires the Samba protocol. The wiki below describes the syntax needed to authenticate (name/password) the windows share.
https://wiki.debian.org/SystemPrinting#CUPS_and_Samba

I also had some Ubuntu hits web searching Samba + printer + vpn
Last edited by shep on 2018-10-04 12:30, edited 1 time in total.

gugu
Posts: 16
Joined: 2015-10-17 13:18

Re: Network printers installation

#6 Post by gugu »

Hi. Actually I've come thorugh the Samba-CUPS page you suggested, honestly I didn't try too hard to follow that lead because in the beginning of the section it states "This section needs updating as you can setup print server via samba print sharing just by uploading drivers".

However tonight after work I'll give it a try. I've already have samba installed and through it I can access all windows network resources.
Just a question: the three commands

Code: Select all

smb://username:password@domain/server/printername
smbclient -L computername
smbclient -L base
In the first one the entry "username:password@domain refers to user and password I use to access the shared network isn't it? I mean, it's not user and password of my Debian system right? An "domain" is the "name" of the workgroup? Such as the default "WORKGROUP" in homemade windows networks?
Also, in the third command "base" is an example of the computername?
Last, "server" is the IP of the server I'am trying to connect to?

GarryRicketson, thanks for the suggestion, I'll try to add printers as root. Even if I though I was already doing it, since to mix up with printers configurations the system asks you for root password.

Tonight or tommorrow in the morning I'll try it and I'll let you know if a manage to achieve something.

In the meanwhile thank you very much for your help and patience.

shep
Posts: 423
Joined: 2011-03-15 15:22

Re: Network printers installation

#7 Post by shep »

Found a another debian samba reference and this one includes printers
11.5.2.3. Printing on a Shared Printer
CUPS is an elegant solution for printing from a Linux workstation to a printer shared by a Windows machine. When the smbclient is installed, CUPS allows installing Windows shared printers automatically.
Here are the required steps:

Enter the CUPS configuration interface: http://localhost:631/admin
Click on “Add Printer”.
Choose the printer device, pick “Windows Printer via SAMBA”.
Enter the connection URI for the network printer. It should look like the following:
smb://user:password@server/printer.
Enter the name that will uniquely identify this printer. Then enter the description and location of the printer. Those are the strings that will be shown to end users to help them identify the printers.
Indicate the manufacturer/model of the printer, or directly provide a working printer description file (PPD).

Voilà, the printer is operational!
The above user:password is for Windows. Server is the windows computer your Admin referenced and is also <computername>.. printer is one the 3 windows printers.

https://debian-handbook.info/browse/sta ... samba.html

Also a suggestion, You may want to redact the smb;// address in your first post.

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