What is a Device URI?

A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is an addressing technology for identifying resources on the Internet or a private intranet. The terms URI and URL are used synonymously. URIs can be used with application-level protocols, called URI schemes. The Solaris printer software includes support for configuring network-attached printers. When creating print queues for network-attached printers by using LP print commands or by using Solaris Print Manager, you can specify the device as a device-uri.

To specify the device as a device-uri from the command line, use the lpadmin command with the -v and -m options:

# lpadmin -p printer -v device-uri -m uri

Note that the -v option is still a valid option for specifying devices other than those that utilize the device-uri. addressing technology.

For example, to add the printer, Lucille, by using the device-uri, smb://server/queue, and the interface script that is included in the Solaris printer software, type:

# lpadmin -p lucille -v smb://server/print-queue -m uri -n /usr/lib/lp/model/ppd
/system/foomatic/Epson/Epson-Stylus_Color_777-Stc777p.upp.ppd.gz

You must use the -m option in the command-line syntax to specify an interface script, or the back-end process ignores the print request. The script can be the interface script that is included in the Solaris printing software or another interface script that is device-uri protocol aware.

The following device-uri schemes are supported:

• ipp://host/printers/name

• lpd://host/printers/name

• socket://host:port

• smb://server/printer

• smb://workgroup/server/printer

• smb://username:password@server/printer

• smb://username:password@workgroup/server/printer

To specify a device that uses a device-uri when using Solaris Print Manager to add a network-attached printer, select the URI option in the Protocol drop-down menu of the New Network Printer window. Type a supported printer URI in the destination field.

Other modifications that support setup of remote print queues by specifying the device as a device-uri include the following:

• The Solaris print spooler can pass device information in the form of a device-uri to the back-end interface script as the environment variable, DEVICE_URI. Because the information is passed to the back-end as an environment variable, the existing interface scripts cannot take advantage of this information. However, these scripts are not adversely impacted.

• The /etc/lp/model/uri file now communicates with the printer through the use of helper applications and the device-uri. The interface script also has the ability to process PPD files and uses a Foomatic script to convert print data to a printer-ready format.