[conspire] Newcomer trying to set up an HP multifunction device
Rick Moen
rick at linuxmafia.com
Thu Feb 16 16:48:29 PST 2012
Or, yet another reason to stick with distro package regimes if
humanly possible.
----- Forwarded message from Elvis b <elvis.elvisb at gmail.com> -----
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:51:11 -0800
From: Elvis b <elvis.elvisb at gmail.com>
To: rick at linuxmafia.com
Subject: lost and confused Elvis
Sorry to bother you, but someone from the Fremont club gave me your contact
information and said that you might be able to help me. I'm a musician and
I travel a lot and its getting old, so I'm looking into the more technical
side, so I'm doing some recordings. I have all the road gear and a ADAT HD
24 Channel Recorder that I send wave files over to Ardour for mixing down.
I'm new to all this unix stuff
??? *I'm running AV-Linux 5.0 - Debian 6.0.4*
??? *I'm trying to install my HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Plus Printer I'm using
the driver *
*~$ sh ???*hplip-3.12.2.run*???*
* and the First error, says*
INSTALL MISSING OPTIONAL DEPENDENCIES
-------------------------------------
*warning*: There are 1 missing OPTIONAL dependencies.
*note*: Installation of dependencies requires an active internet
connection.
*warning*: Missing OPTIONAL dependency for option 'scan': xsane (xsane -
Graphical scanner frontend for SANE)
*warning*: This installer cannot install 'xsane' for your distro/OS and/or
version.
PRE-BUILD COMMANDS
------------------
OK
BUILD AND INSTALL
-----------------
Running './configure --prefix=/usr --enable-qt4 --enable-doc-build
--disable-cups-ppd-install --disable-foomatic-drv-install
--enable-foomatic-ppd-install --enable-hpijs-install --disable-policykit
--disable-cups-drv-install --disable-hpcups-install --enable-network-build
--enable-dbus-build --enable-scan-build --enable-fax-build'
Please wait, this may take several minutes...
Command completed successfully.
Running 'make clean'
Please wait, this may take several minutes...
Command completed successfully.
Running 'make'
Please wait, this may take several minutes...
Command completed successfully.
Running 'su -c "make install"'
Please wait, this may take several minutes...
Command completed successfully.
Build complete.
??? *ect...... and so on, and so on and it keeps doing its thing*
**
??? *And and it evan find my printer and so you think your done, then next
error, says*
* *Printer queue setup Failed. Could not connect to CUPS.
ls user added to ???lpadmin??? group(s)
??? *Can anyone Please Help Me? Elvis*
----- End forwarded message -----
----- Forwarded message from Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> -----
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:46:02 -0800
From: Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com>
To: Elvis b <elvis.elvisb at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: lost and confused Elvis
Organization: If you lived here, you'd be $HOME already.
Quoting Elvis b (elvis.elvisb at gmail.com):
> Sorry to bother you, but someone from the Fremont club gave me your contact
> information and said that you might be able to help me. I'm a musician and
> I travel a lot and its getting old, so I'm looking into the more technical
> side, so I'm doing some recordings. I have all the road gear and a ADAT HD
> 24 Channel Recorder that I send wave files over to Ardour for mixing down.
> I'm new to all this unix stuff
>
> ??? *I'm running AV-Linux 5.0 - Debian 6.0.4*
>
> ??? *I'm trying to install my HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Plus Printer I'm using
> the driver *
>
> *~$ sh ???*hplip-3.12.2.run*???*
[...]
It's a reasonable assumption that you need to download and install HP's
printer driver set, but let's not rush into that assumption. First stop
when you want to research printer support for Linux is OpenPrinting.
Just Web-search for 'linux printer' and you'll get there. Direct URL:
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/openprinting
First paragraph has:
Try our CUPS Quick Start [link] or look for your printer in the
OpenPrinting Database [link].
Ah, that's what we want! For your information, CUPS is the Common Unix
Printing System, a printing software framework now used by all Unixes
including Apple Macintosh OS X. Let's go to the OpenPrinting Database.
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/openprinting/database/databaseintro
You can find all the printer information from the printer listing
[link] page.
Follow that link.
http://www.openprinting.org/printers
Select HP. Look for Officejet Pro 8600 Plus.
Cannot find exact match. If you have the name of your inkjet
printer/scanner/fax device exactly right (I've found that sometimes
newcomers don't write the model names down exactly -- but later
double-checking after writing the foregoing confirms that there is
indeed an Officejet Pro 8600 Plus), then this is a slightly bad sign,
since it suggests that the model is either extremely new or really
obscure, or both. Apparently-similar models listed include:
Officejet Pro 8500 A910
http://www.openprinting.org/printer/HP/HP-Officejet_Pro_8500_A910
Officejet Pro 8500 Premier
http://www.openprinting.org/printer/HP/HP-Officejet_Pro_8500_Premier
Officejet Pro K8600
http://www.openprinting.org/printer/HP/HP-OfficeJet_Pro_K8600
In each case, they recommend that you just use HP's 'hplip' driver
collection.
Here's some background about the hplip ('HP Linux Imaging and Printing')
driver collection: (1) It's a big bundle of drivers for HP-manufactured
printers, all of those drivers being designed to plug easily into the
CUPS framework. HP maintains that massive set in part because they
insist they have to keep part of _some_ printers' drivers in the form of
a proprietary binary-only 'plug-in', where they feel that trade secrets
would be revealed to their competitors if they put the entire driver
into open source.
The most common type of function HP keeps secret is the colour-handling
of many of their inkjet printers. Let's check by Web-searching
'Officejet Pro 8600 Plus', and find HP's own driver page about it:
http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/models/officejet/officejet_pro_8600.html
Ah, good. It says you need HPLIP 3.11.10 or higher, and do _not_ need
a proprietary plug-in.
(2) Linux distros (distributions) _include_ hplip, as distro-packaged
software. Thus, in general, it is neither necessary nor desirable for
you to go to HP's Web site for hplip, fetch 'hplip-3.12.2.run', and run
that binary, doing an end-run around your distro's package-management
system and installing software manually that your distro will thereafter
not even be aware of. Don't do that. Bad.
A couple of other tidbits to note on HP's page:
(a) The driver name within 'models.dat' (presumably the file in the
hplip collection that inventories what drivers the set contains) is
'officejet_pro_8600'.
(b) The page says that Debian fully supports the printer as of Debian
6.0.3 (actually, all the way back to Debian 5.0) using Debian's own
package of hplip. The minor exception is 'Photo Card' support, meaning
that flash storage cards inserted into the 8600's 'photo card slots'
will not get automagically mounted as mass-storage devices as if they
were hard drives, under Linux, nor can their contents (picture files,
etc.) be directly read off, onto Linux, using a utility called
'hp-unload'. I'm sure you won't cry over that.
One of these days, when I write my 'I just installed Linux. What now?'
pamphlet, one major item will include reasons to never install
software from outside your distro's package regime unless there is no
alternative -- and how to check for and use those alternatives.
Anyway, you say you're running AV Linux, which I'd not previous heard of
-- don't worry, that's not a problem -- and which is a tricked-up
variant of Debian with audio-video tools. Cool! Checking the AV Linux
Web site, looks like:
http://bandshed.net/custom/hplip_3.11.10avlinux-1_i386.deb
(Just because that's a clickable URL doesn't mean you should install
the software that way. Use the _right_ tools. Covered below.)
That's the current hplip package the distro (AV Linux 5.0.3 "Tube")
provides -- furnishing HPLIP version 3.11.10. Which is exactly what you
need for the printer functions of your mode 8600 Plus. (The scanner
functions are going to require the SANE aka Scanner Access Now Easy
core package and SANE backend (hardware-driver) package 'libsane-hpaio',
which actually is based on part of HP's hplip code.
I personally run Debian, on which AV Linux is closely based. Querying
the desktop system in front of me about those packages:
$ apt-cache show hplip
Package: hplip
Version: 3.11.12-2
[...]
Description-en: HP Linux Printing and Imaging System (HPLIP)
The HP Linux Printing and Imaging System provides full support for
printing on most HP SFP (single function peripheral) inkjets and many
LaserJets, and for scanning, sending faxes and for photo-card access on
most HP MFP (multi-function peripheral) printers.
.
HPLIP is composed of:
* System services to handle communications with the printers
* HP CUPS backend driver (hp:) with bi-directional communication with
HP printers (provides printer status feedback to CUPS and enhanced
HPIJS functionality such as 4-side full-bleed printing support)
* HP CUPS backend driver for sending faxes (hpfax:)
* hpcups CUPS Raster driver to turn rasterized input from the CUPS
filter chain into the printer's native format (PCL, LIDIL, ...).
(hpcups is shipped in a separate package)
* HPIJS Ghostscript IJS driver to rasterize output from PostScript(tm)
files or from any other input format supported by Ghostscript, and
also for PostScript(tm) to fax conversion support
(HPIJS is shipped in a separate package)
* Command line utilities to perform printer maintenance, such as
ink-level monitoring or pen cleaning and calibration
* GUI and command line utility to download data from the photo card
interfaces in MFP devices
* GUI and command line utilities to interface with the fax functions
* A GUI toolbox to access all these functions in a friendly way
* HPAIO SANE backend (hpaio) for flatbed and Automatic Document Feeder
(ADF) scanning using MFP devices
[...]
One of the lines I didn't include from that package description (for
package 'hplip') reveals that installing it automatically installs the
libsane-hpaio SANE back-end package for Officejet scanners, as a
package dependency.
$ apt-cache show sane
Package: sane
Source: sane-frontends
Version: 1.0.14-9
[...]
Description-en: scanner graphical frontends
This package includes :
o xscanimage, a scanner graphical frontend with GIMP 2.0 support
o scanadf, a command-line frontend for scanners with Automatic Document Feeder
o xcam, for acquiring images continuously from cameras.
.
An alternative to xscanimage called xsane is packaged separately.
.
The scanner frontends use SANE. SANE stands for "Scanner Access Now
Easy" and is an application programming interface (API) that provides
standardized access to any raster image scanner hardware (flatbed
scanner, hand-held scanner, video- and still-cameras, frame-grabbers,
etc.)
[...]
Anyhow, do this, to install those packages and the subsidiary
packages they pull in as dependencies:
$ su - #This makes you escalate to becoming the root user.
# apt-get install sane hplip
[Let package installation do its thing.]
# exit #Cease being the root user by closing that user's shell
$
Printer setup: I'm sure your AV Linux already has CUPS installed.
(If not, installing the hplip package will pull it in as a dependency.)
Now that the hplip drivers are also there, you can do printer setup
inside CUPS's Web interface: Start your Web browser on the Linux
box, and go to this URL:
http://localhost:631
That's CUPS's Web server, which is built right into every copy of CUPS.
You should be able to navigate through setting up your HP printer
(the printer portion of the Officejet), from there.
Scanner setup: Damned if I know, as I've not done it in a long
time, but see if there's a 'sane-find-scanner' utility you can
run, to find and set up the driver configuration for you. You'll
need to run it while you are the root user.
Your diagnostic output included a message about 'xsane' being missing.
That graphical front-end for SANE is _also_ available as a standard
Debian (and thus AV Linux) package. There are others:
http://www.sane-project.org/sane-frontends.html
See, that is _way_ easier, cleaner, and less problematic than
downloading, compiling/building, and running a non-packaged bunch of
software from HPs Web site.
If that doesn't suffice, I'm sorry, but I cannot spend all my time
trying to debug Linux newcomers' problems via private e-mail.
You are _very_ welcome to seek in-person help from members of my
group CABAL, which meets twice monthly at my and my wife's house
in Menlo Park. http://linuxmafia.com/cabal/ (Yes, I know you're
in area code 925. Sorry. I cannot edit geography.)
Also, you can and should seek help in _public_ on Linux community
mailing lists, of which there are many.
Hope that helps.
----- End forwarded message -----
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