[RndTbl] Request for HELP! Solaris 11 printing (CUPS)

Trevor Cordes trevor at tecnopolis.ca
Wed Jan 13 16:27:37 CST 2016


On 2016-01-13 Kevin McGregor wrote:
> I just don't understand Unix printing, I guess. We had it working on

Join the club.  I don't think anyone understands CUPS.  It's Apple's
fault, they made the thing and I don't think Apple understands (in the
slightest) the *NIX philosophy.

> system for cowsvpprmom: 192.168.59.113 (as lpd://
> 192.168.59.113/printers/GENERAL_ENTRY#Solaris)
> 
> On the new Solaris 11 system (zone) I tried:
> # lpadmin -p cowsvdprmom -E -v
> lpd://cowsvdprmom/printers/GENERAL_ENTRY # lpadmin -p cowsvpprmom -E
> -v lpd://cowsvpprmom/printers/GENERAL_ENTRY

I hate to say it, but with cups it's best to work with the GUI, web
browse to localhost:631, add your printer that way.  Then, after, if
you're interested in the details, see what it did in /etc/cups so you
can grok the actual conf changes.

Even then you might have trouble guessing the actual printer id string
(i.e. lpd://cowsvdprmom/printers/GENERAL_ENTRY may not be what cups
wants to see).

> lpd_command returning 1 D [13/Jan/2016:11:18:20 +0600] [Job 3]
> Backend returned status 1 (failed) D [13/Jan/2016:11:18:20 +0600]
> [Job 3] Printer stopped due to backend errors; please consult the
> error_log file for details. D [13/Jan/2016:11:18:20 +0600] [Job 3]
> End of messages D [13/Jan/2016:11:18:20 +0600] [Job 3]
> printer-state=5(stopped) D [13/Jan/2016:11:18:20 +0600] [Job 3]
> printer-state-message="/usr/lib/cups/backend/lpd failed"
> D [13/Jan/2016:11:18:20 +0600] [Job 3] printer-state-reasons=paused

Start with the first error log cmd that shows a non-zero return.  So
that's lpd_command.  Start your googling on that basis.  Luckily, your
problem should be generic across OS's so you don't have to hunt for
Solaris specifics.

There's a whole chain of filters/progs that have to work for something
to print out of cups.  My hunch would be ensure you have all the
relevant packages installed.  If Solaris gives you foomatic*, install
every last one of them.  If your printer is hp, install the hp* ones
too.  Often some filter/driver/ppd is missing somewhere in the chain
and all you get is a cryptic error message.  Also make sure you have
every cups* package installed (i.e. all the subpackages if any).  Also
try playing with the printer ID string ("lpd:..."), perhaps try a
different connection option, like ipp, just try everything until it
works, and look at what strings other people use on the net.  It's all
hit and miss, but it always ends up working eventually.

RTFM doesn't help much in this situation, as the docs really are just a
FM, with emphasis on the F, for cups.


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