System Administration Guide: Solaris Printing

Chapter 6 Administering Printers That Use Network Printing Protocols (Tasks)

This chapter explains how to administer printers and perform basic printing tasks when using the IPP, RFC-1179, and SMB protocols. For information about setting up printing services, including IPP server and client configuration, see Chapter 3, Setting Up Printing Services (Tasks).

The following is a list of information that is in this chapter:

For IPP background information, see Appendix A, Using the Internet Printing Protocol.

For overview information about printing services and printers, see Chapter 1, Introduction to Printing in the Solaris Operating System.

For information about how to set up printing services see Chapter 3, Setting Up Printing Services (Tasks).

For information about setting up printers, see Chapter 4, Setting Up Printers (Tasks)

For information about administering printers and printing services by using Solaris Print Manager or LP print commands, see Chapter 5, Administering Printers by Using Solaris Print Manager and LP Print Commands (Tasks).

Administering Printers by Using the Internet Printing Protocol (Task Map)

Table 6–1 Administering Printers by Using IPP: Task Map

Task 

Description 

For Instructions 

Check printer status and obtain information about a printer when using IPP. 

The lpset command is used to check printer status when IPP is in use.

How to Obtain Information About Printers When Using IPP

Move a remote print request when using IPP. 

The lpmove command is used to move print jobs to a new destination when IPP is in use.

How to Move Remote Print Requests Between Print Queues on a Print Server When Using IPP

Modify a remote print request when using IPP. 

The lp command is used to modify remote print requests when IPP is in use.

How to Move Remote Print Requests Between Print Queues on a Print Server When Using IPP

Share printers when using IPP. 

To share printers when IPP is in use, you need to modify the default file configuration. 

Sharing Printers When Using IPP

Turn on IPP authentication mechanisms. 

In the Solaris Express release, client authentication is required to access some uri-path and operation combinations.

Turning On IPP Authentication Mechanisms

Set authorizations that enable you to accept print queues when using IPP. 

The proper authentication information is required to enable an operation to be processed for the uri path.

How to Set Authorizations That Enable You to Accept Print Queues When Using IPP?

Add a user to the IPP AuthUser file.

Adding a user to the IPP AuthUser file requires modification of the httpd-standalone-ipp.conf file by using the htpasswd command:

How to Add a User to the IPP AuthUser File

ProcedureHow to Obtain Information About Printers When Using IPP

  1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.

    Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see Configuring RBAC (Task Map) in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

  2. To obtain information about a printer when IPP is in use, you would type:


    # lpset -a printer-uri-supported=ipp://server/printers/server queue
    
  3. To see the return output for the printer, you would type:


    # lpstat -p test -l
    

Example 6–1 Obtaining Information About Printers When IPP Is in Use


# lpset -a printer-uri-supported=ipp://server/printers/test test
# lpstat -p test -l
printer test disabled since Fri Nov 03 11:48:53 2006. available.
        new printer
        Form mounted:
        Content types: application/postscript
        Description:
        Connection:
        Interface: /usr/lib/lp/model/uri
        PPD: /usr/lib/lp/model/ppd/system/foomatic \
/HP/HP-Color_LaserJet_4600-Postscript.ppd.gz
        On fault: write root
        After fault: continue
        Users allowed:
                (all)
        Forms allowed:
                (none)
        Media supported:
                Letter
                A4
                11x17
                A3
                A5
                B5
                Env10
                EnvC5
                EnvDL
                EnvISOB5
                EnvMonarch
                Executive
                Legal
        Banner required
        Character sets:
                (none)
        Default pitch:
        Default page size:
        Default port setting:
        Options:

ProcedureHow to Move Remote Print Requests Between Print Queues on a Print Server When Using IPP

You can remotely move print jobs between print queues when IPP is in use by using the lpmove command. Print jobs can be moved to the new destination by request ID or by the destination.

  1. To move a remote print request from one print queue to another print queue when using IPP, type the following command:


    $ lpmove request-id old-destination new-destination
    

Example 6–2 Moving Remote Print Requests by Request ID

This example shows how to move a remote print request luna-185 to the new destination printer lucille by using the request ID.


$ lpmove luna-185 lucille


Example 6–3 Moving Remote Print Requests by Destination

This example shows how to move all of the print requests from the printer luna to the new destination printer lucille.


$ lpmove luna luciille

ProcedureHow to Modify Remote Print Requests When Using IPP

You can use the lp command to perform a variety of tasks when IPP is in use. For more information about using the lp command, see the lp(1) man page.

  1. Use the lp command with the appropriate command options to modify remote print jobs.


    $ lp [-d] [-H] [-i] [-n] [-o]
    
    -d

    Specifies the destination for the print request.

    -H

    Specifies special-handling. Prints the request according to the value of the special-handling.

    -i

    Specifies the request ID.

    -n

    Specifies number of copies. Specify this option as a digit. The default for number is 1.

    -o

    Specifies printer dependent options.


Example 6–4 Submitting Previously Held Print Requests

This example shows how to submit previously held print requests for the printer lucille.


$ lp -d lucille -H hold /etc/motd


Example 6–5 Changing the Number of Copies Requested

This example shows how to change the number of copies requested for the request ID lucille-233.


$ lp -i lucille-233 -n 5


Example 6–6 Turning on and Releasing the Duplex Feature

This example shows how to turn on and release the duplex feature for a specified request ID.


$ lp -i lucille-233 -o Duplex=DuplexNoTumble -H resume

Sharing Printers When Using IPP

When you install the Solaris OS, the IPP listening service is automatically enabled on a print server when you add the first print queue. the listening service is also disabled when the last print queue has been removed. The default configuration in some releases of Solaris 9 and Solaris 10 is fairly permissive. If you have security concerns, you might want to modify the default configuration to make it more restrictive. The set of unauthenticated IPP operations that is supported by the service should be limited to operations that are the least destructive.

Operations include:

IPP Authentication Mechanisms

IPP is layered on top of HTTP. As a result, the protocol uses the authentication mechanisms that are built into HTTP and the Apache software. The default configuration that is shipped in the Solaris OS doesn't make use of these authentication mechanisms in some releases of Solaris 9, Solaris 10, as well as the Solaris Express release. In the Solaris Express release, client authentication is required to access some uri-path and operation combinations.

For example, the more common form of printer-uri that is used by client systems is:


ipp://server/printers/queue

When printing on a system that is running a version Windows, specify the URI by using the following syntax:


http://server:631/printers/queue

More information about printing in a heterogeneous environment can be found at http://opensolaris.org/os/community/printing/.

Turning On IPP Authentication Mechanisms

To authenticate, use the accept command as follows:


$ accept ipp://server/admin/queue

For example, to authenticate the print queue masterly on the server noreaster type:


$ accept ipp://noreaster/admin/masterly

You are prompted for authentication.

Enter the proper authentication information to enable the operation to be processed for the uri path.

For example:


system% accept ipp://printing/printers/wspe
accept: ipp://printing/printers/wspe: operation-not-supported
system% accept ipp://printing/admin/wspe
passphrase for user-name to access ipp://printing/admin/wspe:
accept: ipp://printing/admin/wspe: not-authorized
system%

Note –

The following command will fail under the default configuration for IPP, because the operation is not enabled for that uri path


$ accept ipp://server/printers/queue

How to Set Authorizations That Enable You to Accept Print Queues When Using IPP?

To set authorizations for accepting print queues when IPP is in use, edit the /etc/apache/httpd-standalone-ipp.conf file.

Add the following entries to set up authentication:

For an example, see the /etc/apache/httpd-standalone-ipp.conf file.

In the Solaris Express release, the /printers patch turns on the following operations:

Procedure How to Add a User to the IPP AuthUser File

  1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.

    Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see Configuring RBAC (Task Map) in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

  2. Update the /etc/apache/httpd-standalone-ipp.conf file by using the htpasswd command:


    # /usr/sfw/bin/htpasswd /etc/ipp-users user-name
    
  3. Verify the user was added, check the /etc/ipp-users file.


    # grep user-name /etc/ipp-users
    

Administering Printers by Using the RFC-1179 Printing Protocol (Task Map)

Table 6–2 Administering Printers by Using the RFC–1179 Printing Protocol: Task Map

Task 

Description 

For Instructions 

Use the RFC-1179 protocol to cascade print requests. 

Use this procedure to remove the dependency on the printer scheduler service, if the print host is used to cascade print requests. 

How to Use the RFC-1179 Protocol Listener to Cascade Print Requests

Share printers when the RFC-1179 printing protocol is in use. 

Printer sharing when the RFC-1179 printing protocol is in use, is accomplished by enabling and disabling the network listening service. 

Enabling and Disabling Printing Services (Task Map)

ProcedureHow to Use the RFC-1179 Protocol Listener to Cascade Print Requests

The RFC-1179 protocol listener is represented by the FMRI, svc:/application/print/rfc1179 (in.lpd). By default, this FMRI is dependent on the print scheduler service, svc:/application/print/server, and will only run if the host is running the print scheduler service.

Normally, the RFC-1179 protocol listener is not needed when the print scheduler is not running. However, if the host is used to cascade print requests, the dependency on the print scheduler service should be removed.

  1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.

    Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see Configuring RBAC (Task Map) in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

  2. Remove the dependency on the print scheduler service.


    # cat <<EOF | svccfg
    >			select application/print/rfc1179
    >			delpg lpsched
    >			end
    >			EOF
    
  3. After you have removed the dependency, run the following command for the changes to take effect immediately:


    # svcadm refresh application/print/rfc1179
    

Administering Printers by Using the SMB Protocol

Often, a system that is running the Solaris OS provides file and print services to a variety of systems on a network, including Windows systems. In a network of where only Windows systems exist, the SMB protocol is commonly used to share printers. In the Solaris OS, server-side support for SMB is provided through Samba. and managed through the Service Management Facility (SMF). Client-side printing support is also available through Samba. To access a Windows hosted printer, setup of a local print queue is required. This requirement is due to differences in UNIX and Windows printing models.

The SMB service is controlled by the contents of the /etc/sfw/smb.conf file. An example of this file, /etc/sfw/smb.conf-example, is provided when you install the Solaris software on your system. To share printers by using the SMB protocol, you must first enable the service.

To start using this service, follow these steps:

For more information about sharing printers between the Solaris OS and the Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X operating environments, see the OpenSolaris printing FAQ at http://opensolaris.org/os/community/printing/faq/.