[sf-lug] need help with ubuntu computer and hp laserjet 5 M

[Rick Moen]

Quoting jim (jim at well.com):

>    person has a computer running ubuntu 9.04 as 
> well as a computer running windows xp and a hp 
> laserjet 5M that is connected directly to a third 
> computer running windows xp but is unusably slow. 
> 
>    i want to disable the unusably slow computer and 
> have the person use the ubuntu computer primarily 
> (have already transferred contacts from old slow 
> windows computer to ubuntu computer and have 
> configured evolution to do email, which works). 
> 
>    the problem is that the person continues to use 
> windows because of the printer. 
>   
>    HOW TO GET THE HP LASERJET 5 M PRINTER TO BE 
> VISIBLE ON THE LAN? 
> 
> alternately, 
> 
>    HOW TO CONNECT THE HP LASERJET 5 M PRINTER TO 
> THE UBUNTU MACHINE AND GET THE WINDOWS COMPUTER 
> TO PRINT THROUGH THE UBUNTU MACHINE? 

Jim, here's what I'd do:

The LaserJet 5M has an onboard ethernet port.  I see people ignoring
those ports all the time and going for slaving the printer off a
workstation's USB port, for not better reason than their thinking they
unserstand workstations and USB, but not understanding networks.  This
is tragic when the printer is a fully network-capable device natively,
as most HP printers are.

So:

1.  I would detach the printer from the workstation, and put it on the
LAN.  I would configure the printer to have a suitable static IP
address, and configure both lpr (Unix) printing and SMB (MS-Windows)
print services in the printer setup.  Consult HP docs for how to do
printer setup, but traditionally one could either telnet into the
printer or use (proprietary) JetAdmin software.  I hear that recent
HP printers also have administration via Web browser.

Note that SMB services are not strictly necessary:  MS-Windows machines
can print to lpr printers.  However, client configuration for that 
is a bit obscure, and also lpr devices don't show up in Network
Neighbourhood as browseable objects.

2.  Configure the Ubuntu machine's CUPS (localhost:631) admin pages to
print to the printer's IP as an lpr printer.  Print a test page.

3.  Configure MS-Windows to print to the printer as a native-Windows SMB
printer.  Print a test page.