[sf-lug] SF-LUG meeting notes for Monday 21 January 2019

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Bobbie Sellers (bliss-sf4ever at dslextreme.com):

> On 1/25/19 3:23 AM, Rick Moen wrote:
> >Do you have at least a printer object defined in
> >http://localhost:631/printers/  ?  If so, is the 'Status' field displayed
> >as 'Idle'?
>     I don't find that directory?

Um, 'directory'?  I'm sorry, what are you talking about?

You know that 'http://localhost:631/printers/' is a URL intended to be
parsed and acted upon by Web browser software, right?  And, since you
keep talking about CUPS and your work setting up printers, I'd assumed
you know the most famous, best-known thing about it, which is that it 
puts up a local administrative WebUI for the local system administrator
at http://localhost:631/ .  http://localhost:631/printers/ is,
obviously, a subpage where known printer objects (queues) are listed and
can be configured.  Moreover, CUPS displays there whether the printer in
question has been recently reachable or not, and permits the admin user,
if he/she wishes, to send test pages to the queue(s) shown, and to check
on and (if desired) cancel pending print jobs in the queue(s).

If you were unaware of that, then you somehow missed hearing about te
main distinction, main attraction, and most famous feature in the CUPS
engine.  So, if so, you should tool around in those pages and get to
know them.




> Bit searching on printers I find the following


You found that where?  Is this a file on your system?  If so, what file?
It looks like it could be your /etc/cups/printers.conf file -- but I'm 
mystified about why specifically you posted that.

Among other things, that in no way clarifies whether you have the
Gutenprint RPM package installed -- just that CUPS _expects_ to print 
to the thing using a Gutenprint filter/driver.

One thing I note:  

   DeviceURI dnssd://EPSON8E2DF7._printer._tcp.local/

Ugh.  ZeroConf network transport.  I would never, ever rely on that.
Any of the alternatives is less flakey and easier to diagnose.


> Now I want to thank you for your advice but I seem to have a dead printer.

Well, it's your call weter you want to give up on your printer, but you
might want to do basic hardware diagnosis before throwing it away.
Does the LCD display screen indicate a hardware problem?  Does the
http://localhost:631/printers/ screen appear to show the printer as
online and reachable?  Does it pass a self-test?[1]  Can you have CUPS
send it a test page and have it comply?

[1] https://files.support.epson.com/htmldocs/nx510_/nx510_ug/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm