Setting Up a Print Server

When you install an attached printer or a network printer to a system, the printer is made accessible to the local system. The system on which you install the printer becomes the print server.

The following procedure describes how to use Solaris Print Manager to add a new attached printer with the expanded printer support that is available in this release. For information about how to use Solaris Print Manager to add a new attached printer without specifying PPD files, see Reverting to Previous Solaris Print Manager Printer Definition Screens.

For overview information about the new or changed Solaris Print Manager features in this release, see What's New in Printing?.

How to Add a New Attached Printer by Using Solaris Print Manager

In this release, the printer definitions that you can assign with Solaris Print Manager have been modified. The printer type and file content type printer definitions are no longer available. You are now required to specify the printer make, model, and driver when adding a new attached printer or modifying an existing attached printer with Solaris Print Manager.

For overview information about new or modified Solaris Print Manager features in this release, see What's New in Printing?.

1. Select the system to be the print server.

2. Connect the printer to the print server. Turn on the power to the printer.

   Consult the printer vendor's installation documentation for information about the hardware switches and cabling requirements.

3. Start Solaris Print Manager on the print server where you connected the printer.

   For instructions, see How to Start Solaris Print Manager.

4. Select New Attached Printer from the Printer menu.

   The New Attached Printer window is displayed.

5. Fill in the required fields with the appropriate information.

   If you need information to complete a field, click the Help button.

   For example, to add a new attached printer with PPD files, complete the following fields:

   Printer Name: Description: Printer Port: Printer Make: Printer Model: Printer Driver: Fault Notification: Options: Default Printer Always Print Banner User Access List:

   The Printer Server field is filled in by Solaris Print Manager.

   To add a new attached printer without PPD files, complete the following fields:

   Printer Name: Description: Printer Port: Printer Type: File Contents: Fault Notification: Options: Default Printer Always Print Banner User Access List:

   The Printer Server field is filled in by Solaris Print Manager.

   To add a new attached printer without PPD files, see Reverting to Previous Solaris Print Manager Printer Definition Screens.

6. Click OK.

7. Verify that the printer has been installed. Check for the new printer entry in the Solaris Print Manager main window.

8. Verify that the printer can print requests.

   $ lp -d printer-name filename

9. Exit Solaris Print Manager.

   Choose Exit from the Print Manager Menu.

Verifying That the New Solaris Print Manager Feature Is Working

In this release, the printer definitions that you can assign with Solaris Print Manager have been changed. The printer type and file content type options have been replaced with the printer make, printer model, and printer driver screen options.

When you are using Solaris Print Manager to create or modify a print queue, choose the files option as the name service. Select the Printer -> New Attached Printer option from the menu. If the drop-down menu displays printer make and printer model, the new feature is working.

Verifying That the RIP Feature Is Working

The RIP enables you to print to printers that do not have resident PostScript processing capabilities.

To ensure that the RIP feature is working you need to create a new print queue by selecting one of the make/model combinations that is available in the New Attached Printer and New Network Printer screens used by Solaris Print Manager. Then, try printing to the new printer. If the output of the print job is recognizable, the RIP feature is working. If the output of the print job is unrecognizable, then the RIP feature is not working.

How to Add a New Attached Printer by Using LP Print Service Commands

The following procedure describes how to add a new attached printer with the expanded printer support that is available in this release. The -n option to the lpadmin command enables you to specify a PPD file when adding a new attached printer or modifying an existing attached printer. Two examples follow this procedure. The first example shows you how to add a new attached printer with PPD files. The second example shows you how to add a new attached printer without PPD files.

1. Connect the printer to the system, and turn on the power to the printer.

   Consult the printer vendor's installation documentation for information about the hardware switches and cabling requirements.

2. Collect the information that is required to configure an attached printer with PPD files.

   • Printer name and port device

   • File content type

   • PPD file

     To determine the PPD file that the printer will use, first define the printer make, model, and driver.

     For overview information about using PPD files when adding a printer or modifying an existing printer by using LP print service commands, see What's New in Printing?.

3. Define the printer name, port device, file content type, and PPD file that the printer will use.

   When using PPD files, the file content type is usually PostScript.

   1. Specify the printer name and the port device that the printer will use.

      # lpadmin -p printer-name -v /dev/printers/0

      The device to use is /dev/printers/0.

   2. Specify the interface script that the printer will use.

      # lpadmin -p printer-name -m standard_foomatic

   3. Specify the file content type and the PPD file that the printer will use.

      # lpadmin -p printer-name -I content-type -n /usr/lib/lp/model/ppd/manufacturer/ppdfile

      The PPD file that you supply is located in the /usr/lib/lp/model/ppd/manufacturer directory.

   4. Specify the printer description.

      # lpadmin -p printer-name -D "printer-description"

   For more information, see the lpadmin(1M) man page.

4. (Optional) Add filters to the print server.

   # cd /etc/lp/fd # for filter in *.fd;do > name=`basename $filter .fd` > lpfilter -f $name -F $filter > done

5. Enable the printer to accept print requests and to print those requests.

   # accept printer-name # enable printer-name

6. Verify that the printer is correctly configured.

   # lpstat -p printer-name

   The output of the lpstat command will list the PPD file that you used.

Example—Adding a New Attached Printer With PPD Files by Using LP Print Service Commands

This example shows how to add a new attached printer with PPD files. The -n option to the lpadmin command enables you to add a new print queue by specifying PPD files. The following information is used as an example. The information that you provide will vary:

• Printer name: paper

• Port device: /dev/printers/0

• File content type: postscript

• PPD file: /usr/lib/lp/model/ppd/Lexmark/Lexmark-Optra_E312-Postscript.ppd.gz

# lpadmin -p paper -v /dev/printers/0 1
# lpadmin -p paper -I postscript 2
# lpadmin -p paper -m standard_footmatic 3
# lpadmin -p paper -n /usr/lib/lp/model/ppd/Lexmark/ \
Lexmark-Optra_E312-Postscript.ppd.gzmake4
# lpadmin -p paper -D "Color printer on third floor, rm 3003" 5
# cd /etc/lp/fd
# for filter in *.fd;do 
   > name=`basename $filter .fd`
   > lpfilter -f $name -F $filter 
   > done 6
# accept paper
	destination “paper” now accepting requests 
# enable paper	7 
printer “paper” now enabled 
# lpstat -p paper 8
printer paper is idle. enabled since Feb 28 11:21 2004. available. 

1. Defines the printer name and the port device that the printer will use

2. Sets the file content types to which the printer can print to directly

3. Specifies the interface script for utilizing PPD files

4. Specifies the PPD file

5. Adds a description for the printer

6. Adds print filters to the print server

7. Accepts print requests for the printer and enables the printer

8. Verifies that the printer is ready for printing

Example—Adding a New Attached Printer Without PPD Files by Using LP Print Service Commands

This example shows how to add a new attached printer without PPD files. The commands in this example must be executed on the print server where the printer is connected. The following information is used as an example. The information that you provide will vary:

• Printer name: luna

• Port device: /dev/term/b

• Printer type: PS

• File content type: postscript

  # chown lp /dev/term/b # chmod 600 /dev/term/b 1 # lpadmin -p luna -v /dev/term/b 2 # lpadmin -p luna -T PS 3 # lpadmin -p luna -I postscript 4 # lpadmin -p luna -D "Room 1954 ps" 5 # cd /etc/lp/fd # for filter in *.fd;do > name=`basename $filter .fd` > lpfilter -f $name -F $filter > done 56 # accept luna destination “luna” now accepting requests # enable luna 7 printer “luna” now enabled # lpstat -p luna 8 printer luna is idle. enabled since Feb 28 11:21 2003. available.

1. Gives lp ownership and sole access to a port device

2. Defines the printer name and the port device that the printer will use

3. Sets the printer type of the printer

4. Specifies the file content types to which the printer can print directly

5. Adds a description for the printer

6. Adds print filters to the print server

7. Accepts print requests for the printer and enables the printer

8. Verifies that the printer is ready

Where to Go From Here

Use the following table to determine which tasks to complete next.