Feature changed by: Johannes Meixner (jsmeix) Feature #313282, revision 8 Title: Full automated setup for printers in the network openSUSE Distribution: Unconfirmed Priority Requester: Neutral Requested by: Johannes Meixner (jsmeix) Partner organization: openSUSE.org Description: I would like to have it evaluated whether or not and/or to what extent it is possible to setup printer devices which are accessible via network in a full automated way. The basic idea behind: For locally connected USB printers there is already full automated setup. I would like to have it evaluated if - and/or to what extent this could be extended reagarding printer devices + and/or to what extent this could be extended regarding printer devices which are accessible via network. FYI: For printer devices which are accessible via a CUPS server there is nothing to do because this works already via the so called "CUPS Browsing". Some use cases: Network printer) A network printer is a printer with a built-in network interface so that the printer device is directly accessible via network. The problem regarding full automated setup is how to autodetect the printer model so that the right driver for this model can be set up. Therefore the problem is how to autodetect the printer model on a printer device which is directly accessible via network. Usually this is possible via some generic SNMP query. The CUPS tool "lpinfo -l -v" results this for the "socket" device URI e.g.: # lpinfo -l -v Device: uri = socket://10.10.2.255 make-and-model = hp LaserJet 1320 series Device: uri = socket://10.10.2.92 make-and-model = HP LaserJet 4050 Series Device: uri = lpd://10.10.4.4/ make-and-model = Kyocera FS-C5100DN Interesting is that it seems this might also work for network printers which are accessible via a LPD queue on the printer device. But in this case the LPD queue name on the device is also needed but the LPD queue name cannot be autodetected (impossible with the LPD protocol). Often an arbitrary queue name or 'LPT1' works somehow, see "Line Printer Daemon (LPD) Protocol" at http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Printing_via_TCP/IP_network SMB) A printer device which is accessible via a SMB printer share: In this case the client system must submit readymade printer specific data to the SMB share (i.e. there is no so called "filtering" on a SMB print server). Therefore on the client system usually a printer driver must run. If it is a PostScript printer, the client must at least provide generic PostScript. E.g. when printing image data it must be converted into PostScript on the client system. Nowadays more and more application programs produce PDF as print job data, see "PDF: The future common printing format" at http://en.opensuse.org/Concepts_printing but many PostScript printers do not also support PDF, see bnc#732442 so that PDF should be converted into PostScript on the client system to be on the safe side for PostScript printers. The problem regarding full automated setup is how to autodetect the printer model so that the right driver for this model can be set up but the printer device is "hidden" behind the SMB share. Therefore the problem is how to autodetect the printer model via a SMB share. If the printer device which is "hidden" behind the SMB share is a network printer and if this network printer is directly accessible via network from the client system, then it can be set up as network printer as described above. -- openSUSE Feature: https://features.opensuse.org/313282