Mailing List Archive

On 2022-09-08 12:52-0400 Alan Grimes <alonzotg@verizon.net> wrote:

> […]
>
> Right now linux is so broken that the CUPS web interface will deny
> all attempts to administer the printer and reject any password. The
> config file is written in moonspeak, I just need the motherfucking
> thing to say yes when I tell it to do a thing. I expect it to take
> 2-3 days just to get over this hurdle.

I solved this problem by replacing the contents of every <Location>
block with:

Order allow,deny
Allow localhost
Allow from fd69:0:0:0:*
Allow from 192.168.69.*

> How can people actually go around installing linux on people's
> computers as if they were doing them a favor when it really is this
> bad?

It's not bad at all if you use a distribution with a better default
configuration, pre-installed drivers and a pre-installed GUI for setting
up the automatically detected printer in less than 5 clicks.
Unless you have a printer from a shitty company, of course.

On Thursday, 8 September 2022 19:04:42 BST tastytea wrote:
> On 2022-09-08 12:52-0400 Alan Grimes <alonzotg@verizon.net> wrote:
> > […]
> >
> > Right now linux is so broken that the CUPS web interface will deny
> > all attempts to administer the printer and reject any password. The
> > config file is written in moonspeak, I just need the motherfucking
> > thing to say yes when I tell it to do a thing. I expect it to take
> > 2-3 days just to get over this hurdle.
>
> I solved this problem by replacing the contents of every <Location>
> block with:
>
> Order allow,deny
> Allow localhost
> Allow from fd69:0:0:0:*
> Allow from 192.168.69.*
>
> > How can people actually go around installing linux on people's
> > computers as if they were doing them a favor when it really is this
> > bad?
>
> It's not bad at all if you use a distribution with a better default
> configuration, pre-installed drivers and a pre-installed GUI for setting
> up the automatically detected printer in less than 5 clicks.
> Unless you have a printer from a shitty company, of course.

You'll need the right drivers for the printer you have. This page is a good
start for CUPS and usually it doesn't take long to connect to the printer and
start printing.

https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Printing

Modern printers invariably offer their own http(s) web GUI for administration,
which may also need configuring, but just printing alone should be achievable
by using the guidance in the wiki above.

Who needs to go to the hassle maintaining a printer of their own, buying
cartridges, paper etc? I set up an online account at my neighborhood
Kinkos, and I just upload whatever docs I need and they print out in HD
whatever I need for pennies a page. Ymmv.

Lee ????

On Thu, Sep 8, 2022, 11:05 AM tastytea <gentoo@tastytea.de> wrote:

> On 2022-09-08 12:52-0400 Alan Grimes <alonzotg@verizon.net> wrote:
>
> > […]
> >
> > Right now linux is so broken that the CUPS web interface will deny
> > all attempts to administer the printer and reject any password. The
> > config file is written in moonspeak, I just need the motherfucking
> > thing to say yes when I tell it to do a thing. I expect it to take
> > 2-3 days just to get over this hurdle.
>
> I solved this problem by replacing the contents of every <Location>
> block with:
>
> Order allow,deny
> Allow localhost
> Allow from fd69:0:0:0:*
> Allow from 192.168.69.*
>
> > How can people actually go around installing linux on people's
> > computers as if they were doing them a favor when it really is this
> > bad?
>
> It's not bad at all if you use a distribution with a better default
> configuration, pre-installed drivers and a pre-installed GUI for setting
> up the automatically detected printer in less than 5 clicks.
> Unless you have a printer from a shitty company, of course.
>
>

On 08/09/2022 21:24, Lee wrote:
> Who needs to go to the hassle maintaining a printer of their own, buying
> cartridges, paper etc? I set up an online account at my neighborhood
> Kinkos, and I just upload whatever docs I need and they print out in HD
> whatever I need for pennies a page. Ymmv.

YMMV. But if your neighbouhood Kinkos is fifty miles away your mileage
most definitely does vary :-)

Cheers,
Wol

Hello Alan,

>> (meanwhile, Windows can print to the thing effortlessly....)
I guess, that you are going to configure a network printer.

I will try to explain you my setup; maybe you or others can derive
something from this.

Make sure, that the user, which you configure the printer with, is a
member of the group "lpadmin":

$ gpasswd --add <some_user> lpadmin
$ getent group lpadmin
lpadmin:x:<some_group_id>:<some_user>

On the server-site, the configuration file "/etc/cups/cupsd.conf" should
be configured like so. See comments for explanations:

# Only listen for connections from the local machine.
Listen localhost:631
# custom - 20210706 - rfischer: set custom listen address to
"192.168.1.80" to make it available via the network
Listen 192.168.1.80:631
Listen /run/cups/cups.sock

# custom - 20210706 - rfischer: make cups available via "hostname"
or "domain"
ServerAlias *

# Restrict access to the server...
#<Location />
#  Order allow,deny
#</Location>
# custom - 20210706 - rfischer: allow access from "localhost" and
via the network
<Location />
  Order allow,deny
  Allow localhost
  Allow from 192.168.1.*
</Location>

# Restrict access to the admin pages...
#<Location /admin>
#  Order allow,deny
#</Location>
# custom - 20210706 - rfischer: make administration page available
via the network
<Location /admin>
  Encryption Required
  Order allow,deny
  Allow localhost
  Allow from 192.168.1.*
</Location>

Restart the daemon on the server-site:

$ systemctl restart cups

This will also restart the Systemd socket unit "cups.socket" and
"cups.path".

Make sure, that CUPS is running on "192.168.1.80:631":

$ ss -tulpan | grep "631"
tcp    LISTEN   0        5          192.168.1.80:631 0.0.0.0:*      
users:(("cupsd",pid=2190,fd=8))
tcp    LISTEN   0        5              127.0.0.1:631
0.0.0.0:*       users:(("cupsd",pid=2190,fd=7))
tcp    LISTEN   0        5 [::1]:631               [::]:*
users:(("cupsd",pid=2190,fd=6))


If printing via hostname is desired, you can add the following entry for
your local DNS server:

192.168.1.80 cups.intern

This Forward DNS lookup entry can also be entered on the client-site in
the configuration file "/etc/hosts".

Your CUPS isntance should be now available via "cups.intern:631". There
you should be able to configure your printer.

I configured the server-site via USB:

usb:/<some_printer_name>?serial=<some_serial_number>

In the best case, CUPS already has a pre-installed printer driver or you
have a PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file, which you can upload,
when adding the printer.

Once configured, the directory tree of "/etc/cups/" on the server-site
should look like this:

$ tree -ugp --noreport --charset iwantprintableasciiplease /etc/cups
/etc/cups
|-- [-rw------- root     lp      ]  classes.conf
|-- [-rw-r--r-- root     root    ]  cups-browsed.conf
|-- [-rw-r--r-- root     root    ]  cupsd.conf
|-- [-rw-r--r-- root     root    ]  cups-files.conf
|-- [drwxr-xr-x root     root    ]  interfaces
|-- [drwxr-xr-x root     lp      ]  ppd
|   |-- [-rw-r----- root     lp      ] <some_printer_name>.ppd
|-- [-rw------- root     lp      ]  printers.conf
|-- [-rw-r--r-- root     root    ]  raw.convs
|-- [-rw-r--r-- root     root    ]  raw.types
|-- [-rw-r--r-- root     root    ]  snmp.conf
|-- [drwx------ root     lp      ]  ssl
|   |-- [-rw-r--r-- root     root    ]
<some_hostname_from_/etc/hostname>.crt
|   |-- [-rw-r--r-- root     root    ]
<some_hostname_from_/etc/hostname>.key
`-- [-rw-r----- root     lp      ]  subscriptions.conf

Since I do not want to install the printer driver on every client and
let the clients render the pages, I want to let the server handle these
things.

On the client-site (localhost:631) therefore, I can just add the printer
via "http/s" or "ipp/s" and transfer everything either via "IPP
everywhere" or "raw":

ipps://cups.intern:631/printers/<some_printer_name>

Be aware, that "raw" is deprecated and newer versions of CUPS will
remove it. So "IPP everywhere" would be the choice, but I stick to
"raw", since the former shuffles print jobs for some reason, when I want
to print multiple files via "lpr <some_file1> <some_file2>" on either
the client- or server-site.

You should now be able to print a test page on the client- and server-site.

Much success and a pinch of luck! :)

-Ramon

On 08/09/2022 18:52, Alan Grimes wrote:
> Ok. I'm going to have to do it. I'm going to have to get my blessed
> printer working.
>
> It is the finest laser printer money can buy. God himself uses it to
> process the paperwork involved in assigning souls to either heaven or
> hell... What I'm saying is that the printer is such an immaculate
> example of printing perfection that linux is going to give me absolute
> hell getting it working.
>
> I will be sthocked if I can get it working in less than two weeks
> working full time and without influcting a migraine and/or an ulcer on
> myself.
>
> (meanwhile, Windows can print to the thing effortlessly....)
>
> Right now linux is so broken that the CUPS web interface will deny all
> attempts to administer the printer and reject any password. The config
> file is written in moonspeak, I just need the motherfucking thing to
> say yes when I tell it to do a thing. I expect it to take 2-3 days
> just to get over this hurdle.
>
> How can people actually go around installing linux on people's
> computers as if they were doing them a favor when it really is this bad?
>

--
GPG public key: 5983 98DA 5F4D A464 38FD CF87 155B E264 13E6 99BF

On Thursday, 8 September 2022 21:40:25 BST Wols Lists wrote:
> On 08/09/2022 21:24, Lee wrote:
> > Who needs to go to the hassle maintaining a printer of their own, buying
> > cartridges, paper etc? I set up an online account at my neighborhood
> > Kinkos, and I just upload whatever docs I need and they print out in HD
> > whatever I need for pennies a page. Ymmv.
>
> YMMV. But if your neighbouhood Kinkos is fifty miles away your mileage
> most definitely does vary :-)

What is a Kinkos?

--
Regards,
Peter.

>On Thursday, 8 September 2022 21:40:25 BST Wols Lists wrote:
>> On 08/09/2022 21:24, Lee wrote:
>> > Who needs to go to the hassle maintaining a printer of their own, buying
>> > cartridges, paper etc? I set up an online account at my neighborhood
>> > Kinkos, and I just upload whatever docs I need and they print out in HD
>> > whatever I need for pennies a page. Ymmv.
>>
>> YMMV. But if your neighbouhood Kinkos is fifty miles away your mileage
>> most definitely does vary :-)
>
>What is a Kinkos?

Was a copy shop chain. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FedEx_Office
DaveF
>
>--
>Regards,
>Peter.
>
>
>
>

On Friday, September 9, 2022 2:52:01 A.M. AEST Alan Grimes wrote:
> Ok. I'm going to have to do it. I'm going to have to get my blessed
> printer working.
>
> It is the finest laser printer money can buy. God himself uses it to
> process the paperwork involved in assigning souls to either heaven or
> hell... What I'm saying is that the printer is such an immaculate
> example of printing perfection that linux is going to give me absolute
> hell getting it working.
>
> I will be sthocked if I can get it working in less than two weeks
> working full time and without influcting a migraine and/or an ulcer on
> myself.
>
> (meanwhile, Windows can print to the thing effortlessly....)
>
> Right now linux is so broken that the CUPS web interface will deny all
> attempts to administer the printer and reject any password. The config
> file is written in moonspeak, I just need the motherfucking thing to say
> yes when I tell it to do a thing. I expect it to take 2-3 days just to
> get over this hurdle.
>
> How can people actually go around installing linux on people's computers
> as if they were doing them a favor when it really is this bad?


Two points.

1) Did you bother to research the Linux support situation before you purchased the
printer? World's finest printer or not, if they keep parts of the interface as proprietry
secrets then there is not much the Linux maintainers can do.

2) Remind us again why you still try to run Gentoo when you obviously dislike it.


--
Reverend Paul Colquhoun, ULC. http://andor.dropbear.id.au/
Asking for technical help in newsgroups? Read this first:
http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#intro

On 10/09/2022 01:18, Paul Colquhoun wrote:
> 2) Remind us again why you still try to run Gentoo when you obviously
> dislike it.

snark :-)

A couple of things to remember:

Gentoo IS a pita to install and run compared to most other distros -
I've had a brand new laptop lying around for 6 months which has been an
absolute pain and is still not working ...

RTFM is NOT an acceptable answer - half the time the documentation is
worse than the program, the other half of the time you can't find it and
the stuff on the web is out-or-date, irrelevant, or some other rabbit
hole ...

IBM used to have a "black team", apparently. Anybody who was just plain
useless at their job, or could never get things to work, or just took
pleasure in breaking things, was put on this team. Telling developers
their work was being handed over to this lot for testing was considered
pure torture. I guess Alan belongs on that team - at least if the devs
are reading it helps gentoo get more robust :-)

Cheers,
Wol

Wol:
...
> A couple of things to remember:
>
> Gentoo IS a pita to install and run compared to most other distros -
...

That really depends. Other distros might not have what you want or
they force upon you desicions you don't like. Just beeing easy to
install and running something irrelevant doesn't mean much if they
don't deliver what you want.

Regards,
/Karl Hammar

On 2022-09-10, Wols Lists <antlists@youngman.org.uk> wrote:
> On 10/09/2022 01:18, Paul Colquhoun wrote:
>> 2) Remind us again why you still try to run Gentoo when you obviously
>> dislike it.
>
> snark :-)
>
> A couple of things to remember:
>
> Gentoo IS a pita to install and run compared to most other distros -

Until you want to do something even vaguely unique or out-of-the
ordinary. Then most other distros are a PITA compared to Gentoo.

If all you want to do is run a web browser, then Gentoo is almost
definitely the wrong choice.

--
Grant