How to Use the P910nd Print Server

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drblock2
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Free of Windows at last!

#31 Post by drblock2 »

I took the end to support for Windows XP on April 8 as a good reason to finally retire the Windows XP LAN that I installed twelve years ago.

I did a frugal install of Lucid 5.8.2.6 on the elderly server (Thinkpad R52) and everything worked almost out of the box - except printing.

After dancing the SAMBA and looking deeply into my CUPS for several hours, I found this thread, installed the pet, followed the easy directions on the box and scored instant success.

Thanks so much for your help!

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wimpy
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#32 Post by wimpy »

@rcrsn51 I have a brother printer attached to a puppy. It will print as a local printer via cups (you kindly made me a pet for the printer some time ago). I've set up its IP as static. If I try to print through p910nd I get nothing. I also get nothing when trying to print through the network from another linux pc.
I'd be grateful for any help or advice.
LxXenial16.08, LxPupSc17.07.01,Lucid 5.2.8 and others - all frugal

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rcrsn51
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#33 Post by rcrsn51 »

Do you have a firewall running on either machine? To be absolutely sure, install Peasy Firewall Monitor.

Then describe step-by-step what you have done on each machine.

What Puppy is this?

On the server machine run the command: ps
Can you see the p910nd server running?

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wimpy
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#34 Post by wimpy »

Thanks for the reply. Downloaded and installed the firewall monitor on both machines, which reports that no firewall is installed on either. Running Lucid 5.2.8 on both PCs (haven't got round to the Windows machines yet). I just followed the steps as laid out at the beginning of this thread. After installing p910nd I ran p910nd-start to get the daemon going.
The PC with the Brother printer hangs and does nothing when I try to print a test page. The job appears in the list and can be cancelled. The 2nd PC seemed to install the printer OK as set out in this thread but the test page also just hangs and nothing goes through (nothing appears on PC1's job list although the job appears on PC2's list). I've set the access rights on PC1 to allow "anonymous" to print, which is how the owners appear in the job lists. I get the feeling that PC2 is treating it as a local printer?
I've also set the brother printer up as a separate local printer on PC1 and it prints the test page OK.
Last edited by wimpy on Tue 08 Jul 2014, 16:54, edited 2 times in total.

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rcrsn51
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#35 Post by rcrsn51 »

rcrsn51 wrote:On the server machine run the command: ps
Can you see the p910nd server running?
This is important.

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wimpy
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#36 Post by wimpy »

There seem to be 2 entries for p910nd on the server machine. Should I kill one?
LxXenial16.08, LxPupSc17.07.01,Lucid 5.2.8 and others - all frugal

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rcrsn51
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#37 Post by rcrsn51 »

Reboot and run p910nd-start again.

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wimpy
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#38 Post by wimpy »

There is one line from ps
xxxxx root 00.00 p9100d -f /dev/usb/lp0 0
I tried to print a test page - with the same result as before.
LxXenial16.08, LxPupSc17.07.01,Lucid 5.2.8 and others - all frugal

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rcrsn51
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#39 Post by rcrsn51 »

I tested it in Lupu 528 with an HP Deskjet and it worked fine. It may be that your Brother printer needs a more direct connection to the client.

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wimpy
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#40 Post by wimpy »

OK. I'll restore Windows on PC1 and and use its network printing,
Thanks for your help.
LxXenial16.08, LxPupSc17.07.01,Lucid 5.2.8 and others - all frugal

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rcrsn51
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#41 Post by rcrsn51 »

Have you tried CUPS shared printing?

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wimpy
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#42 Post by wimpy »

Yes. That didn't work either. I'm sure it's just down to my inexperience. I will get this to work - eventually. :)
UPDATE Hooray. I managed to print a test page through Lubuntu to Lubuntu; I chose a "Windows printer with samba", so at least the link and the samba bit works. I'll keep reading and experimenting.
LxXenial16.08, LxPupSc17.07.01,Lucid 5.2.8 and others - all frugal

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rcrsn51
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#43 Post by rcrsn51 »

Here is something to test. Start the p910nd server. On the client machine, run PeasyPort and scan the server for Port 9100.

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wimpy
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#44 Post by wimpy »

PeasyPort found the server and the port, so I deleted the Cups 9100 printer and re-installed . It works fine.
I can't say how grateful I am for all your help. At last, I can get rid of Windows on these old machines.
LxXenial16.08, LxPupSc17.07.01,Lucid 5.2.8 and others - all frugal

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rcrsn51
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#45 Post by rcrsn51 »

Excellent. I was pretty sure that this would work with a Brother printer.

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ETP
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How to Use the P910nd Print Server

#46 Post by ETP »

Hi rcrsn51,

I just wish to express my thanks for the revised pets in the OP that you updated today.
IMHO this thread deserves "sticky" status as do many of your other tips & "How to" posts.

Currently I use reserved DHCP so will be making heavy use of this. So far I have tested printing from XP
and Precise 543 on the same box with the 64-bit pet installed to a Pup running on my Win 10 box.
(Printer was a Brother HL-2035 attached to the Win 10 box)

Thanks once again.
Regards ETP
[url=http://tinyurl.com/pxzq8o9][img]https://s17.postimg.cc/tl19y14y7/You_Tube_signature80px.png[/img][/url]
[url=http://tinyurl.com/kennels2/]Kennels[/url]

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rcrsn51
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#47 Post by rcrsn51 »

Excellent. What Puppy was running on the server box - the one with the attached printer?

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ETP
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How to Use the P910nd Print Server

#48 Post by ETP »

rcrsn51 wrote:Excellent. What Puppy was running on the server box - the one with the attached printer?
Hi rcrsn51,

DLNA Quirky Werewolf64 V3 which is based on BarryK’s Quirky Werewolf64-7.4. The kernel is 4.2.6.
Regards ETP
[url=http://tinyurl.com/pxzq8o9][img]https://s17.postimg.cc/tl19y14y7/You_Tube_signature80px.png[/img][/url]
[url=http://tinyurl.com/kennels2/]Kennels[/url]

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rcrsn51
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#49 Post by rcrsn51 »

New PETs are posted above. Note the changes:

1. Initially, the startup script is disabled. To start the print server, run the P910nd Control Panel from the System menu.

2. The Control Panel now has two sections. Use the Server section on the computer that has the attached printer and is running the P910nd server (of course). You can optionally install the P910nd package on other computers. Use the Client section to manage a computer's own CUPS printers, either attached or remote.

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Mike Walsh
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#50 Post by Mike Walsh »

Having been helping to refine the new version over the last 2 or 3 days, I just want to add that this goes a long way towards eliminating many of CUPS little 'foibles' where network printing problems are concerned.

There are normally 2 CUPS interfaces (one at either end) interacting with each other, and like as not both having their own ideas about what takes priority.....often to the user's frustration. ( I know all about this, trust me; 'been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, etc.')

With this there is only one (at the client end), and a 'socket' at the far end which merely listens, receives, and sends what it receives direct to the printer. Exactly as if the remote printer were plugged in directly, like a 'local' printer usually is.

For all practical purposes this turns the remote printer into the 'local' printer, much more effectively than usual. It's essentially 'fool-proof', and is a marvellous addition to Puppy's infrastructure. Follow the steps in the first post to the letter, and you won't go wrong. Works just as well with Windows as it does with Puppy, too! :)

Like many of the 'best' ideas, it's so simple, making use of existing protocols already built-in to Puppy......and just as easy to set-up as your local printer. Many thanks to Bill for his work on this one. I can't recommend it highly enough. :D

'Job's a good 'un!'


Mike. :wink:
Last edited by Mike Walsh on Wed 11 May 2016, 23:21, edited 1 time in total.

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