[conspire] solution re: need help setting up Windows XP print client to debian CUPS server

[Eric De Mund]

People,

original post:
/-----------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 01:56:07 -0800
From: Eric De Mund <ead-conspire at ixian.com>
To: conspire at linuxmafia.com
Subject: [conspire] need help setting up Windows XP print client to debian CUPS server

Has anyone here successfully configured a Windows 2000/XP Professional
box to print to a remote debian+CUPS served USB printer?

I'm not having any luck configuring my Windows XP Professional SP2 box
to print to the HP PSC 2350 USB printer hanging off of my debian 4.0
testing host running CUPS.

I've installed these packages on my debian testing host:

o   cupsys
o   hplip
o   hpijs
o   lpr
o   footmatic-db
o   foomatic-db-hpijs
o   cupsys-bsd

And <http://localhost.localdomain:631/printers> shows:

o   HP_PSC_2350_series_USB_myserialnumb_HPLIP
    Description: HP PSC 2350 series
    Location: Local Printer
    Make and Model: HP PSC 2350 Foomatic/hpijs (recommended)
    Printer State: idle, accepting jobs, published.
    Device URI: hp:/usb/PSC_2350_series?serial=myserialnumb

And I can print to this printer locally just fine. However, when I
attempt an IPP print setup on my XP box, entering the string
"http://chickamauga:631/printers/HP_PSC_2350" as the URL, the dialog
immediately spits back an error:

o   attempted setup:

    Add Printer Wizard
    What printer do you want to connect to?
    (o) Connect to a printer on the Internet or on a home or office
        network:
    URL: [ http://chickamauga:631/printers/HP_PSC_2350 ]

o   immediate error message:

    Connect to Printer
    Windows cannot connect to the printer. Either the printer name was
    typed incorrectly, or the specified printer has lost its connection
    to the server. For more information, click Help.

    [    OK    ][   Help   ]

Any pointers anyone can send to help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also open to having this debian box serve up the printer in an LPR/
LPD manner. I've not had luck setting that up, either, and my Windows XP
box is ready to speak LPR/LPD to a remote host.
\-----------------------------

While I was unsuccessful in getting IPP printing to work, I did get
LPR/LPD printing to work *when I specified my printer correctly*. I had
been (unsuccessfully) using the string "HP_PSC_2350" to refer to my
printer; instead I should have used the full string that CUPS was
reporting, namely "HP_PSC_2350_series_USB_myserialnumb_HPLIP".

Also note that when setting up one's Windows box for LPR/LPD printing,
one does this by (counterintuitively) selecting:

    (.) Local printer attached to this computer

and:

    (.) Create a new port:
    Type of port                  [ LPR Port ]
    Name or address
      of server providing lpd:    [ chickamauga ]
    Name of printer or
      print queue on that server: [ HP_PSC_2350_series_USB_myserialnumb_HPLIP ]
    Manufacturer:                 Generic
    Printers:                     Generic / Text Only

and then later, under Properties for that new "Generic" printer, select-
ing a driver type of HP PSC 2350. Why not select that printer type right
away, instead of "Generic"? Because the "HP PSC 2350" printer type might
not be present in the list displayed. My understanding is that with
these modern printer installs in Windows that are carried out by running
e.g. a 26 MB file named "NN_drv_rub_w01_ENU.exe", one never sees a .inf
driver file that one can select from a [ Have disk... ] button.

Cheers,
Eric
--
Eric De Mund              |      Ixian Systems      | 
email: <ead at ixian.com>    | 650 Castro St, #120-210 | ICQ: 811788
http://www.ixian.com/ead/ | Mountain View, CA 94041 | Y!M: ead0002