Setting Up a Print Server
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Setting Up a Print Server

When you add 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 the default in this release.

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

The printer definitions that you can assign with Solaris Print Manager include the use of PPD files. The Use PPD files option is available in the Print Manager drop-down menu in Solaris Print Manager. This default option enables you to select the printer make, model, and driver when adding new printer.

This procedure shows you how to add a new attached printer by using Solaris Print Manager with the Use PPD files default option selected. To add a new attached printer without PPD files, you must first deselect this option in the Print Manager drop-down menu. 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, provide the appropriate information in 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, provide the appropriate information in 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.

  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.

<title>Verifying That the New Solaris Print Manager Feature Is Working</title>

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.

<title>Verifying That the RIP Feature Is Working</title>

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

This procedure describes how to add a new attached printer with expanded printer support. 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 typically 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 /path/ppdfile

      The PPD file that you supply is located in the /path 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 -l

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

Example 3.1. 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: /path/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 /path/Lexmark-Optra_E312-Postscript.ppd.gzmake
(4)
# 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...

  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 path to the PPD file and the PPD file name

  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 3.2. 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 (6)
# 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 for printing

  • How to Add Printer Access by Using Solaris Print Manager to add printer access on a print client.

  • How to Set Up a .printers File to allow users to customize printer aliases.

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Starting Solaris Print Manager Home Setting Up a Print Client