How to Add Printer on Other Linux Computer on LAN?

[LaneLester]

My wonderful Samsung ML-2151N network printer has died (resetting repeatedly), and I can't afford to replace it right now. My wife's Xubuntu laptop is on our home LAN, and it has an Epson Stylus Photo RX500 attached to it. I'd like to be able to use this printer on my Kubuntu machine.

There are so many different ways to connect a printer on the network, and my attempts so far have been futile.
Wife's Xubuntu laptop hostname and IP: GL1 192.168.1.102
Printer URI as displayed on Xubuntu laptop: usb://EPSON/Stylus%20Photo%20RX500?serial=L69040407201005590&i nterface=1

How can I connect her printer to my computer?

Lane

[oshunluvr]

NOTE: I'm doing this from memory, so it may not be exactly correct:

If you're using CUPS on both computers;

On the computer with the printer, open a browser and type "localhost:631" then tick the box under Administration that says "Share printers on this system"

On the other computer, open a browser to the same "localhost:631" and look for "Show Printers on other systems" or something similar.

You might be able to do this using the System Settings > Printers too but I always just use cups.

[LaneLester]

Thank you, that seemed to go as you expected. After setting the remote cups server to share printers and my cups server to search, it found the printer on the other machine. I installed it, and this is the connection it set up:
Connection: dnssd://EPSON%20Stylus%20Photo%20RX500%20%40%20GL1._ipp._t cp.local/cups

Regretfully, a test page job generated this error: "The printer is not responding." and KDE says the printer may not be connected.

Just for the record, the printer is turned on and has recently been used to print from the computer to which it is connected directly.

Lane

[dmeyer]

You can share printers with samba. Its not ideal and its not as simple as the CUPS sharing but it does work.

I wonder if CUPS sharing isn't working because its behind a firewall. Try opening the port up.

[oshunluvr]

Look in your cups logs on both computers. I have no experience with epson printers so I cant help you there.

[oshunluvr]

Also, your cups.conf file on the server might need editing. I'll have to look at mine when I get home, but post yours here.

[LaneLester]

Here's the cupsd.conf on my computer:

LogLevel warn
MaxLogSize 0
SystemGroup lpadmin
Listen localhost:631
Listen /var/run/cups/cups.sock
# Show shared printers on the local network.
Browsing On
BrowseOrder allow,deny
BrowseAllow all
BrowseRemoteProtocols CUPS dnssd
BrowseLocalProtocols
DefaultAuthType Basic
WebInterface Yes
<Location />
  Order allow,deny
</Location>
<Location /admin>
  Order allow,deny
</Location>
<Location /admin/conf>
  AuthType Default
  Require user @SYSTEM
  Order allow,deny
</Location>
<Policy default>
  JobPrivateAccess default
  JobPrivateValues default
  SubscriptionPrivateAccess default
  SubscriptionPrivateValues default
  <Limit Create-Job Print-Job Print-URI Validate-Job>
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Send-Document Send-URI Hold-Job Release-Job Restart-Job Purge-Jobs Set-Job-Attributes Create-Job-Subscription Renew-Subscription Cancel-Subscription Get-Notifications Reprocess-Job Cancel-Current-Job Suspend-Current-Job Resume-Job Cancel-My-Jobs Close-Job CUPS-Move-Job CUPS-Get-Document>
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer CUPS-Delete-Printer CUPS-Add-Modify-Class CUPS-Delete-Class CUPS-Set-Default CUPS-Get-Devices>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Pause-Printer Resume-Printer Enable-Printer Disable-Printer Pause-Printer-After-Current-Job Hold-New-Jobs Release-Held-New-Jobs Deactivate-Printer Activate-Printer Restart-Printer Shutdown-Printer Startup-Printer Promote-Job Schedule-Job-After Cancel-Jobs CUPS-Accept-Jobs CUPS-Reject-Jobs>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Cancel-Job CUPS-Authenticate-Job>
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit All>
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
</Policy>
<Policy authenticated>
  JobPrivateAccess default
  JobPrivateValues default
  SubscriptionPrivateAccess default
  SubscriptionPrivateValues default
  <Limit Create-Job Print-Job Print-URI Validate-Job>
    AuthType Default
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Send-Document Send-URI Hold-Job Release-Job Restart-Job Purge-Jobs Set-Job-Attributes Create-Job-Subscription Renew-Subscription Cancel-Subscription Get-Notifications Reprocess-Job Cancel-Current-Job Suspend-Current-Job Resume-Job Cancel-My-Jobs Close-Job CUPS-Move-Job CUPS-Get-Document>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer CUPS-Delete-Printer CUPS-Add-Modify-Class CUPS-Delete-Class CUPS-Set-Default>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Pause-Printer Resume-Printer Enable-Printer Disable-Printer Pause-Printer-After-Current-Job Hold-New-Jobs Release-Held-New-Jobs Deactivate-Printer Activate-Printer Restart-Printer Shutdown-Printer Startup-Printer Promote-Job Schedule-Job-After Cancel-Jobs CUPS-Accept-Jobs CUPS-Reject-Jobs>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Cancel-Job CUPS-Authenticate-Job>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit All>
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
</Policy>

Here's the last line of /var/log/cups/error.log on my machine in response to an attempt to print a test page:

E [07/Feb/2013:08:36:01 -0500] [Job 84] The printer is not responding.

Lane

[dmeyer]

Have you even checked that the port was open? Its impossible to share a printer if the host pc is blocking requests. Open the port, see if it works then we can look at your other configurations. Generally speaking, the sharing mechanism is fairly simple therefore its least likely to be the issue.

If you don't know how to work with ports then try disabling the firewall!

[LaneLester]

Have you even checked that the port was open? Its impossible to share a printer if the host pc is blocking requests. Open the port, see if it works then we can look at your other configurations. Generally speaking, the sharing mechanism is fairly simple therefore its least likely to be the issue.

If you don't know how to work with ports then try disabling the firewall!

Pardon me for ignoring your "open port" suggestion earlier. I confess I don't know how to open a port.

I don't have any firewalls enabled.

Lane

[dmeyer]

Open UFW and disable the firewall. Its enabled out of the box. If you don't have UFW then just give it a quick install.

[oshunluvr]

Here's my cups.conf. Right away you'll see some differences:

LogLevel warnMaxLogSize 0
# SystemGroup lpadmin
Port 631
Listen /var/run/cups/cups.sock
# Share local printers on the local network.
Browsing On
BrowseOrder allow,deny
BrowseRemoteProtocols
BrowseAddress @LOCAL
BrowseLocalProtocols CUPS dnssd
DefaultAuthType Basic
WebInterface Yes
<Location />
  Order allow,deny
  Allow @LOCAL
</Location>
<Location /admin>
  Order allow,deny
  Allow @LOCAL
</Location>
<Location /admin/conf>
  AuthType Default
  Require user @SYSTEM
  Order allow,deny
  Allow @LOCAL
</Location>
<Policy default>
  JobPrivateAccess default
  JobPrivateValues default
  SubscriptionPrivateAccess default
  SubscriptionPrivateValues default
  <Limit Create-Job Print-Job Print-URI Validate-Job>
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Send-Document Send-URI Hold-Job Release-Job Restart-Job Purge-Jobs Set-Job-Attributes Create-Job-Subscription Renew-Subscription Cancel-Subscription Get-Notifications Reprocess-Job Cancel-Current-Job Suspend-Current-Job Resume-Job Cancel-My-Jobs Close-Job CUPS-Move-Job CUPS-Get-Document>
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer CUPS-Delete-Printer CUPS-Add-Modify-Class CUPS-Delete-Class CUPS-Set-Default CUPS-Get-Devices>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Pause-Printer Resume-Printer Enable-Printer Disable-Printer Pause-Printer-After-Current-Job Hold-New-Jobs Release-Held-New-Jobs Deactivate-Printer Activate-Printer Restart-Printer Shutdown-Printer Startup-Printer Promote-Job Schedule-Job-After Cancel-Jobs CUPS-Accept-Jobs CUPS-Reject-Jobs>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit CUPS-Authenticate-Job>
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit All>
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
</Policy>
<Policy authenticated>
  JobPrivateAccess default
  JobPrivateValues default
  SubscriptionPrivateAccess default
  SubscriptionPrivateValues default
  <Limit Create-Job Print-Job Print-URI Validate-Job>
    AuthType Default
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Send-Document Send-URI Hold-Job Release-Job Restart-Job Purge-Jobs Set-Job-Attributes Create-Job-Subscription Renew-Subscription Cancel-Subscription Get-Notifications Reprocess-Job Cancel-Current-Job Suspend-Current-Job Resume-Job Cancel-My-Jobs Close-Job CUPS-Move-Job CUPS-Get-Document>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer CUPS-Delete-Printer CUPS-Add-Modify-Class CUPS-Delete-Class CUPS-Set-Default>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Pause-Printer Resume-Printer Enable-Printer Disable-Printer Pause-Printer-After-Current-Job Hold-New-Jobs Release-Held-New-Jobs Deactivate-Printer Activate-Printer Restart-Printer Shutdown-Printer Startup-Printer Promote-Job Schedule-Job-After Cancel-Jobs CUPS-Accept-Jobs CUPS-Reject-Jobs>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit Cancel-Job CUPS-Authenticate-Job>
    AuthType Default
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
  <Limit All>
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
</Policy>

[oshunluvr]

I've never had to install a firewall and then disable it to get cups to work.

[dmeyer]

I've never had to install a firewall and then disable it to get cups to work.

Not to get cups working but to get sharing working. Cups works just fine regardless of firewall but external access is dependent on it. You don't install a firewall. You just need to install a GUI tool to enable/disable it or open ports.

[oshunluvr]

I respectfully disagree. I have multiple printers on my server, configured cups immediately after install, no firewall or port configuration necessary outside of configuring cups itself. Nor have I ever had to do any firewall configuration of any kind on my server or any of my clients to share files within my network using samba, nfs, dlna, or ftp. Nor is any firewall active by default on a normal Kubuntu install that I have ever done - at least not in a way that I've ever had to configure it in any way. I've only installed Kubuntu, Ubuntu server, Bodhi, MythBuntu and a few others a couple of dozen times over the last 5 years so my experience is limited to that. In my experience, the ports necessary for these services open as needed when you configure the server. AFAIK, The firewall is inactive by default.

Note the OP did state "on our home lan." If he enabled a firewall on his own network, I think he would be aware of that.

Of course, if you are over-security-conscience enough to believe you need to firewall your own computers on your own network, then have at it. I think that's an unnecessary complication with no benefit, but we are all free to configure our systems any way we like.

[dmeyer]

I respectfully disagree. I have multiple printers on my server, configured cups immediately after install, no firewall or port configuration necessary outside of configuring cups itself. Nor have I ever had to do any firewall configuration of any kind on my server or any of my clients to share files within my network using samba, nfs, dlna, or ftp. Nor is any firewall active by default on a normal Kubuntu install that I have ever done - at least not in a way that I've ever had to configure it in any way. I've only installed Kubuntu, Ubuntu server, Bodhi, MythBuntu and a few others a couple of dozen times over the last 5 years so my experience is limited to that. In my experience, the ports necessary for these services open as needed when you configure the server. AFAIK, The firewall is inactive by default.

Note the OP did state "on our home lan." If he enabled a firewall on his own network, I think he would be aware of that.

Of course, if you are over-security-conscience enough to believe you need to firewall your own computers on your own network, then have at it. I think that's an unnecessary complication with no benefit, but we are all free to configure our systems any way we like.

Ok so technically the firewall isn't enabled but ports are blocked. Read this: http://askubuntu.com/a/22739 I'm not saying you are wrong, heck more likely than not that has always been the case for you but if its a new install there is a good chance ports aren't open. No open ports mean no traffic no matter how you look at it. When I set up a home server in ealy January I remember distinctly having to open up ports to get Samba and printer sharing working.