[SOLVED] Password Problem adding printer with CUPS Web Interface

Any suggestions?

If you try to use the HPLIP Toolbox, it tells you that only printers installed via the CUPS web interface can be used.

Well, you can't install a printer via the CUPS web interface. At the last step (add or modify a printer, it prompts you for a username and password, and using root and the correct password does not work (it just prompts you again). Even if you're logged in as root, it doesn't work.

I can add the printer via the KDE Control Center. But, HPLIP Toolbox won't recognise it that way.

I do see a note in the CUPS interface about needing to add printers via the Gnome Interface instead, pointing to a doc file that isn't even in this distro (and we aren't using Gnome either), saying that it was changed for "Security Reasons"

Bottom line:

The CUPS Web interface is broken. I can't add a printer via it (won't take any username or password combo, including Root), and the HPLIP toolbox won't recognize a printer unless you add it via the CUPS web interface. Without the HPLIP Toolbox, I can't check ink levels, align heads, etc.

Jim C.

If this helps, the CUPS interface says this:

"Administrative commands are disabled in the web interface for security reasons. Please use the GNOME CUPS manager (System > Administration > Printing). /usr/share/doc/cupsys/README.Debian.gz describes the details and how to reenable it again."

Of course, this read me file doesn't exist (since SimplyMEPIS uses KDE instead of Gnome). lol

I'll go back to an earlier version of SimplyMEPIS until this is resolved (or someone has a solution). I'm not Linux literate enough to figure it out, and don't want to be. It either works or it doesn't (it doesn't).

All I know is that the CUPS web interface will not let you add or modify a printer, and the HPLIP toolbox won't work unless you add a printer via the CUPS web interface.

Catch 22.

Jim C.

all my cups are broken - i tried to update and apt-notify told me it was not likely to work, so I backed out and after that cups 1.2.1-0ubuntu1 didn't work.
I upgraded anyway to 1.2.1-0ubuntu2 and it still doesn't work.
so now i'm testing all possible downgrades until I get a working solution

I find it rather interesting that only two are having trouble with printing . Im wondering if drlizau and Jim C. could fill us in a little about your respective printers. Maybe someone will have been partway round the issue without having all the problems and chime in about it.

jim

cups won't actually start.

I had the same problem in Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (I overwrote SimplyMEPIS 6.0 to see if Ubuntu had this issue).

Sure enough, same problem. You can't use the CUPS WEb interface to add a printer (you'll just get prompted for a username and password and it won't let you do anything).

But, the HPLIP Toolbox will recognize a printer added via Gnome Printer Admin. You just need to make sure to select the second choice from the detected printers list for it to work.

My printer is the HP PSC-1400. It shows up in Gnome detected printers twice.

One is the HP PSC 1400 Series, and the other is HP PSC_1400_Series.

You've got to select the printer name with underscores before HPLIP will let you use it (and forget the CUPS Web Interface). lol

I'll try KDE Control Center in SimplyMEPIS 6.0 and see if selecting the second printer found will work there, too.

If so, I'll update this thread.

Jim C.

Before HPLIP will recongize a printer added via KDE Contrl Center, you've got to select the second appearance of the printer when you add one (the one with the underscore characters).

The first choice will work with everything *except* for HPLIP Toolbox. That's where the problem comes in (and you can't use the CUPS WEb Interface to add it either).

The solution is to use KDE Control Center (Peripherals, Printers) to add a printer, and make sure to select the *second* occurance of the detected printers (the one with the underscore characters in it).

Otherwise, HPLIP won't work with it.

Jim C.

Fellow Chipheads,
I also noted that the CUPS interface will not accept any username/password combination that I tried. I have a router based parallel port printer (router DI-704P and printer EpsonC86) and they worked fine with SimplyMepis 3.4.3 final. I also tried the latest version of Ubuntu and found same problem. I note that the configuration file /etc/cups/cupsd.conf are different in SM 6 and SM 3.4.3.
What happened to the permissions for CUPS???
Thanks,
Vince

Vince LaPorte
Marshall, MN 56258

Just had a thought...

This newest release is derived from Ubuntu, which has the root account disabled, for which tasks one must use sudo...correct?

Has anyone attempted to make the necessary printer additions by invoking the appropriate configuration tool, from the command line, using sudo?

Like I said...just a thought.

Home of the Point-N-Click Help Files
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

as root, use these commands to allow cups to access the shadow password file and a user to administer printers

but i still couldn't get the root password to allow me to use the cups web interface

adduser cupsys shadow
adduser lpadmin

I tried all that (the adduser stuff), in both Ubuntu and SimplyMEPIS.

I even went through the read me files in Gnome that CUPS was pointing to and tried a few other things. I even sent an e-mail to the CUPS team and got a response from Jeff Licquia about it (basically implying that it was something with Debian I'd need to figure out by using Ubuntu or Mepis forums).

I finally gave up on it. lol

KDE Control Center works fine for adding a printer, if you do it the way I mentioned in my previous posts in this thread. Then, you can also use the HPLIP toolbox (and you can see the printers in the CUPS Web Interface then, too).

I'll repeat what worked for me (and HPLIP works after adding one this way, too)

Jim C.

P.S.

[start rant]
I don't know a lot about Linux, and I'm not sure that I want to.

But, what's very frustrating to me, is when I can get things working in one release of distro, the same things no longer work in the next release of the same distro.

I'm not talking about just SimplyMEPIS. It's all of them. Heck, I was trying a release of PCLinuxOS just today. My wireless card won't work with it. It worked with 0.92. But, they changed it in 0.93. I spent some time on their forums today, with them explaining that they changed the drivers for 0.93.

Why can't stuff that worked in one release, continue to work in the next release?

Changes in the kernel, cups, kde, hotlug to udev.... Something always seem to be changing enough between different versions that it breaks stuff that was working fine before. Most distros get worse and worse as time goes on (versus better like they should).

To make matters worse, you *have* to upgrade to get some newer hardware working. So, if you upgrade for one purpose, it breaks stuff that was working to begin with.

There was a phrase I once used for this type of development:

"Ready, Fire, Aim"

I don't know what the solution is. But, the current process could sure use some improvement. lol

[end rant]

Jim C.

Same annoying problem here with using the CUPS Web Interface and Mepis 6. Mepis 3.4.3 is ok.
Antone found a solution to this?
I have removed KDE so I can't use kprinter and I really want to do so through the web.

anticapitalista

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

I've solved one problem with this in order to encounter another.
To "solve" the root/password access on localhost:631
Edit the /etc/group file.
Add cupsys to the shadow line.

Restart cups /etc/init.d/cupsys restart

Now this got me through installing, but I get an error when test printing though.

anticapitalista

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

Yep, same deal here. A little command help for those not in the know:

$ adduser cupsys shadow
- one of adduser's nice little features is that it will add a user to a group.

$ /etc/init.d/cupsys restart

The "print test page" command totally blows up but I can print from Firefox with no problem. Go figure.

;->

Jim, the OS's you are using are all made of beta, testing, unstable software. Debian Sarge is Stable, MEPISLite is based on Debian Sarge and is built from Debian Sarge, to get support for new hardware all you need to do is upgrade the kernel. No matter how good they tell you the new OS is, you are still a Beta Tester when you install it. Personaly I enjoy installing the new stuff and trying to fix the things that don't work. So if you want Stable, install MEPISLite, as long as Sarge is Stable MEPISLite will not be to old or out of date. By the first of the coming new year Etch, now Testing will be Stable and Sarge will then be outdated. Jim I made this post in hopes to help ease some of your frustations and I hope I have. By the way I am now using Debian Testing Beta-3 and it had a printer problem and I fixed it and I don't know how I fixed it, but it went from no printer found to a working printer in only 3 days.

regards,
Jimmy

INTEL P-IV/HT 3.0GHz - 2X256 DDR3200 - Debian, Etch Beta-3
KDE 3.5.4 - kernel 2.6.16-2-686-smp - My iMAC runs Debian, Sarge

Lee Ley
Mepis is great

The Cups interface is not broken, you have to configure the printer in Printing in Ubuntu, and Kprint in Mepis and then you will be able to use hplip toolbox, BUT you must use the printer has the unscore in it's name eg: hp_1410_or what ever Printer you have. I know I just did it in Ubuntu

No kidding.

See the previous posts in this thread where I mentioned that the problem was solved (at least twice so far).

P.S.

I marked the main subject line as solved to eliminate any confusion (although it really should be usable from the locahost interface and i haven't found a solution for that yet).

Jim C.

Thanks Jim, followed the thread, and fixed my problem. Thanks for sticking with the post and fixing it yourself.

Shane