Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

I have just installed cups 2.4.1_1 on my KLV-beta14 system, and I'm finding some interesting developments in the CUPS interface (or lack thereof). So I'll report them here and see if anyone has some insight.

The CUPS packages all installed correctly from a freshly updated Octo-XBPS manager. The first thing I tried was finding the cups pdf printer in a couple of applications (Geany, LibreWolf) and it wasn't there. So then I tried my bookmark in LibreWolf for http://localhost:631/printers/. And Libre couldn't access the address. So next I did a file search on the '/' directory for 'cups' and found all of the installed files present, including the help directory full of html files. I began reading them and discovered that the links in the help files are 'deprecated' and all of the link references to http://localhost:631 aren't valid anymore. So I searched for perhaps an alternate 'gui' html page. I finally opened index.html which contained some of the familiar links of the old localhost:631 printer management html page. But they too pointed to http://localhost:631 and again turned up empty.

I didn't see any cups entries in the KLV-menu, but then I noticed a 'manage printing' entry, and that too tried to open the non-existent http://localhost:631. So I'm left with nothing but command line at the moment, and that looks far too involved to spend time with when I'm sure there's a more user-friendly interface available.

I also installed hplip, the HP print drivers, and now I'm considering installing the hplip-gui in hopes that maybe it gives me access to 'add printer' in cups, but I'm doubtful. I will do some internet searches and see what I find, but I thought maybe the answer is easy and obvious to those who know the ins and outs of cups.

Am I missing the obvious location of the user-friendly CUPS manager?

I will have to also install CUPS to follow along. I did notice there is a CUPS-PDF printer package that needs to be installed. I think there are several additional CUPS components that need to be installed as well.

rockedge wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 5:02 am

I did notice there is a CUPS-PDF printer package that needs to be installed. I think there are several additional CUPS components that need to be installed as well.

Follow-up report: Except for two proprietary drivers, I installed everything named cups in OctoXBPS, including the 'helper' and 'python-helper' packages, and also the two cups development packages.

Still not getting an entry for cups-pdf, and still in the dark about adding printers via a gui manager.

geo_c wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 2:59 am

I didn't see any cups entries in the KLV-menu, but then I noticed a 'manage printing' entry, and that too tried to open the non-existent http://localhost:631.

I presume CUPS must start up server at that localhost address. Are you sure any daemon associated with CUPS is running (set up in runit)?

'Cups in Puppyland" = @rcrsn51

wiak wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 2:38 pm

geo_c wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 2:59 am

I didn't see any cups entries in the KLV-menu, but then I noticed a 'manage printing' entry, and that too tried to open the non-existent http://localhost:631.

I presume CUPS must start up server at that localhost address. Are you sure any daemon associated with CUPS is running (set up in runit)?

I'm not sure about setup runit, I'll have to do a file search and check it out. However the cups documentation seems to indicate that the localhost html link at least has been deprecated, and has a limited lifespan. I don't know much about server protocol, and how localhost:631 may function apart from the https://localhost:631 printer manager.

I believe it has do with CUPS transitioning to all IPP Everywhere. https://wiki.debian.org/CUPSDriverlessPrinting

@rcrsn51? Any thoughts, you come highly recommended as the CUPS expert.

@geo_c I haven't focused on the CUPS printer yet...BUT I did get the http://localhost:631 console to work.

Example in the screenshot is KLV-Boxer-alpha2
After installing CUPS I opened a terminal and typed:

cupsd

then opened a browser and was able to reach the CUPS console.

While your system is running, to set up the service (runit) open a terminal and type

ln -s /etc/sv/cupsd /var/service

That's it, CUPS will be started as a service at system start.

to manage a service:

# sv up <services>
# sv down <services>
# sv restart <services>
# sv status <services>

CUPS may ask for authorization so use -> user = root, password = root

@geo_c I installed cups-pdf and I just printed via CUPS several pages to PDF. I'll see if I can connect to a printer on a different machine running Tahr-6.0.5 set up for network printing.

rockedge wrote: ↑Tue Jun 07, 2022 2:29 pm

@geo_c I installed cups-pdf and I just printed via CUPS several pages to PDF. I'll see if I can connect to a printer on a different machine running Tahr-6.0.5 set up for network printing.

Finally made it back to setting up cups, and everything looks good, except adding new printer using username = root, and password = root, results in the login screen flashing back up. So for some reason that doesn't seem to be working for me.