Printer Installation & Printing on redhat
Rick Stevens
rstevens at vitalstream.com
Thu Sep 23 20:08:27 UTC 2004
Larrys Account wrote:
> Thanks very much for this comprehensive reply Rick.
>
> I guess I'll start by upgrading to a newer version of redhat. Do you
> know if it's possible to upgrade to Fedora Core directly, or do I have
> to take a complete backup and do a complete re-install ?
Please ignore my last post...something fell on the mouse while the
pointer was over "Send". Doh!
You should always do a full backup before you do any upgrades. That's
a given. You should be able to upgrade to FC1 or FC2 fairly easily, but
the backup is your best friend. Just boot the first CD and select
"Upgrade existing installation".
Keep in mind that FC2 utilizes a different kernel structure than any
previous Red Hat or Fedora release. FC2 uses a 2.6 kernel, all previous
releases used a 2.2 (prior to RH7.1) or a 2.4 (7.2, 7.3, 8.0, 9, FC1,
AS/ES 2.1, AS/ES/WS3) kernel.
> At 22:46 21/09/2004, you wrote:
>
>> Larrys Account wrote:
>>
>>> Does anyone know anything about this ? Have I got the wrong mailing
>>> list ? Could someone tell me where I might be able to get hold of
>>> this information ?
>>
>>
>> We'll try.
>>
>>> Hi
>>
>>
>> Hi, yourself! :-)
>>
>>> I've just got an Epson stylus C66 printer and I'm trying to set it up
>>> as a local printer.
>>> I'm using red-hat 8, kernel version 2.4.18-14.
>>
>>
>> First, RH8.0 is TOTALLY discontinued (not even Fedora Legacy will
>> provide updates any longer). Fedora Core 1 has been moved to legacy
>> now, since FC3 test 2 has been released. So, Fedora Legacy is providing
>> updates for RH7.3, RH9 and FC1. The Fedora Project is supporting FC2.
>> As a result, I have to recommend you upgrade to Red Hat 9 or one of the
>> Fedora Core releases ASAP. Believe me, FC2 is worth it. And the
>> fedora-list is a _very_ active support group.
>>
>>> I would like to use CUPS as my printing system and the printer uses a
>>> USB port.
>>> I have the usb-uhci usb driver installed.
>>> /sbin/lsmod | grep usb gives:
>>> usb-uhci 26188 0 (unused)
>>> usbcore 77024 1 [printer hid usb-uhci]
>>> I've tried to add the printer using the Printer configuration too
>>> (System Settings->Printing) using the following entries:
>>> Queue name: epsonC66
>>> printer device: /dev/usb/lp0
>>> driver: Epson->Stylus C60->gimp-print(*)
>>> But when I do a Test print I get a dialog with the message:
>>> There was an error trying to print the test page.
>>> Could someone help me with how to go about troubleshooting this.
>>> I don't really know anything about the printing process, so I'm not
>>> sure exactly what components are involved and therefore what
>>> components I need.
>>> From what I've read I need to have some sort of spooling software
>>> daemon (I'm wanting to use cups - I'm currently using one that came
>>> with redhat), a filter that can translate the print job data into
>>> printer commands (apparently a filter, foomatic, is used with CUPS)
>>> and a driver that is compatible with the printer (gimp-print, I think
>>> should work).
>>> I have a few questions (listed below) that have come up while I've
>>> been trying to get printing to work. Does anyone has any answers, or
>>> can tell me where I can start looking to get the information ... ?
>>> 1) It seems the epson stylus C66 is not explicitly listed in
>>> linuxprinting.org. This was an oversight on my part, having looked
>>> and thought that all the C6* series were listed. My searches over the
>>> internet, however, have suggested that the C66 works using
>>> gimp-print. Am I correct in that assumption or is it not possible to
>>> use C66 with linux ?
>>
>>
>> I think it works, but I can't be certain since it's not explicitly
>> stated.
>>
>>> 2) Could anyone tell me how CUPS, foomatic and the gimp-print driver
>>> fit together. Am I likely to need to install new versions of them ?
>>> And if so:
>>> Where are they located on redhat ?
>>> How to I find out what versions I have ?
>>> Where can I get compatible versions from with instructions on how
>>> to install them ?
>>
>>
>> CUPS is the overall system. It's made up of a number of programs,
>> lpq-cups, lpd-cups, lpstat-cups, etc. CUPS uses foomatic to actually
>> talk to the printers, and foomatic uses PPD files to define how the
>> printers work.
I sorta misspoke there. Actually, foomatic is the package that provides
the PPD files that CUPS uses to speak to the printer. foomatic can also
create PPD files from description files in XML as well as control the
CUPS queues and such, but at a much more "geeky" level than CUPS does.
>>> 3) The CUPS documentation talks about PPD files that describe the
>>> capabilities of the printer. Where are these stored under redhat and
>>> where might I be able to get hold of one for the C66 ?
>>
>>
>> The PPD files for your installed printers will be located in
>> /etc/cups/ppd. I can tell you now that the C66 is not directly
>> supported under either FC1 or FC2, so you may have to use the next best
>> thing. There is support for the C60, C61, C62, C63 and C64, so you may
>> have to try one of those drivers instead and see how it works. My guess
>> is that the C64 driver will work, but don't quote me on that.
>>
>>> 4) Are there any log files I can look at that might give me some more
>>> error information ?
>>
>>
>> First, do an "lsusb" and make sure your printer is seen on the USB bus.
>> You can also look at /var/log/messages to see if there are any error
>> messages. The "dmesg" command may also be of some help.
>>
>> Again, I HIGHLY recommend you update your system to AT LEAST Red Hat 9,
>> Fedora Core 2 would be even better.
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> - Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer rstevens at vitalstream.com -
>> - VitalStream, Inc. http://www.vitalstream.com -
>> - -
>> - Life: That which happens while you search for the remote control. -
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
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--
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- Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer rstevens at vitalstream.com -
- VitalStream, Inc. http://www.vitalstream.com -
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- "Swap memory error: You lose your mind" -
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