What:

This is a tutorial on how to setup CUPS (C Unix Printing System), with a Windows host.

Why:

• To be able to print documents from your beloved Linux machine.
• Printing to a printer over wireless / wired (remote) network.
• Setup a shared printer from a windows computer located on your network.

What You Need:

• All of the CUPS drivers, devs, documents, firmware, attachments, what ever installed. I install them using YaST2, you can self compile if you feel like it, although I don’t recommend because it is most often to return an error.

How:

1. Open up Terminal. I like to use X Terminal, Gnome Terminal is plain for my taste. Use what ever you want!
2. Issue the command “smbclient -L name -N”. Replace name with the NetBIOS name of the PC that is sharing the printer.
   • In my case, I type “smbclient -L family-computer -N”
3. Once issued, you will hope to return information with Share names, Type, and Comments. Often you will recieve the DOMAIN name, OS, and Server too.
   

   Sharename Type Comment
   ——— —- ——-
   IPC$ IPC Remote IPC
   SharedDocs Disk
   print$ Disk Printer Drivers
   hp photosmart 1115 series Printer hp photosmart 1115 series

   Domain=[FAMILY] OS=[Windows 5.1] Server=[Windows 2000 LAN Manager]

4. I hope you spotted correctly, were looking at the share with the type of “Printer”. It is not DISK! Those are drivers!
5. In FireFox or Konquerer or what ever your browser is, navigate to: http://localhost:631/
   • If you have to login, login with your root user account name and password.
6. At the welcome screen click “Add Printer”.
7. Type a name, location, and description. These do not have to be specific, they are only for pleasure purposes.
8. Next comes the device type. For our case connecting to a printer on a windows share, select “Windows Printer via SAMBA”. Then click Continue.
9. Now, if you did not have to provide a password to that remote computer when following step #2, your Device URL will look like this:
   • smb://name/printer
     • Example: smb://family-computer/hp photosmart 1115 series
10. Once you do that your printer should be added. It will most likely ask if you want to try a test print, its always good to.

Now that your printers setup, you can print in Open Office and all of your other applications. The printer name selection will appear as CUPS/PrinterName when you are going to print.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 28th, 2006 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Technology.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.