How to Share a Tiny Core Printer (Without Using Samba)

[perthie]

The CUPS print server can be easily modified to share its printers across a network. The following method sets up both Windows and Linux clients.

Step 1:

You need to make a permanent change in the CUPS server's configuration.
Open the file /opt/.filetool.lst and add the line: etc/cups/cupsd.conf

If you have installed CUPS by mounting, there is an additional step:

Code: [Select]

sudo rm /etc/cups/cupsd.conf.NOtherwise, you can't change the cupsd.conf file.

You will also need a root password to make the change.
Run: sudo passwd
Make the new password "cups" and ignore the warning message.

Start the CUPS web interface and open the Printers page.
Note that each printer has a Publish/Unpublish button.
By default, all printers are published, but are not yet visible to your network.

Write down the name of the printer you want to share.
For example: Canon_i560_USB_1

Open the Administration page and look at the Server section.
Select the option "Share published printers connected to this system".
Click on Change Settings.  You will be asked to authenticate using root and its new password.
Exit out of CUPS.

For the next step, you will need the IP address of your TC machine.
Run: ifconfig

Step 2: Setting up a Windows Client

Boot up the Windows machine and start the Add Printer wizard.
Select Network Printer and URL.
Enter: http://tiny.core.ip.address:631/printers/printername

For example: http://192.168.2.10:631/printers/Canon_i560_USB_1

For the printer make and model, choose HP Color Laserjet PS

Check Properties > Printing Preferences > Paper/Quality and verify that it is set on Color (if you need it).

Print a test page.

But how can this work unless you own an actual HP laser printer? The clue is the PS, which indicates that this printer is Postscript-capable. So Windows formats its print job using the Postscript printer language and sends it across the network to your TC machine. This is exactly what the CUPS server expects to receive from a client, Postscript being the standard printer language for Linux. CUPS then formats the job using its own Canon driver and queues it to the printer.

The next time you reboot your TC computer, it will automatically start CUPS in sharing mode. But wait a few seconds before booting a client machine or it may not immediately detect CUPS' presence on your network.

If the TC computer has changed its IP address, you will need to update the Windows printer. With XP Home, you must reinstall it. If you have XP Pro or NT, try the following procedure:

Locate your Windows hosts file in c:/windows/system32/drivers/etc
Add the line: tiny.core.ip.address  tinycore
Install the printer using the URL: http://tinycore:631/printers/printername

Then if the TC server gets a new IP address, you need only update the Windows hosts file.

Step 3: Setting up a Linux Client

This is easy! If the client machine is also running CUPS, it should automatically detect your shared printer and list it. No other installation is required.  You may find that a Linux client takes a little longer than Windows to detect the printer.

[alu]

i have a problem and a question with this: when i try to share the printer following your steps, the cups frontend give me an error (nothing more, nothing less, just error). can you reproduce it? thanks

[alu]

i figured it out: create a fresh new cupsd.conf and place it into /etc, and it works