> running all operating systems (including Windows) so I think this > implies running Samba + CUPS on print servers so nmbd can publish > printers to Windows clients without installing any additional software
That can be done, but I wouldn't do it unless you find you actually need it. In my experience it actually complicates matters, another interdependency, etc. That said it may help for some cases (e.g. autoinstall local windows printer driver). So long as the CUPS print-server has a fixed IP address (and optionally a DNS-name pointing to that), you can then find easily the printers' URL like:- http://198.51.100.162:631/printers/hplaserjet1100/ (Note in debian 6.0 cups there seems to be some weird bug with printing that came in via a DNS-pointer, the cups server then is unhappy about the request's HOST: header.). In windows-XP and later (I.e. all currently supported!) you can setup printing to a printer with URL as above. (In windows-XP you say 'local printer' and then say 'connect to a printer on the internet '... On windows 2000, I believe it would be silly about printing to a http://[ip address] URL. You could workaround this with a local hosts file etc. On windows 98se it was possible to get a microsoft IPP addon, that used to at least work ;-). On modern Linux (which uses CUPS, like MAC OS X), you can print to remote http / CUPS-ipp servers with no issues.... So I doubt you need samba. Windows XP (and likely earlier versions) used to choke if setup with an IPP/http printer as the default printer and it was not avaliable. E.g. m$-office tools would try to 'query the settings of the default printer' and grind to a halt until you set PDFcreator or something else as the 'default printer'. I'm not 100% sure, but I got the impression this was improved in windows-7. On most windows (it likely works equally in windows-7) you can use the "Adobe generic postscript printer driver" to send printer jobs to CUPS, and CUPS processes them. You can use the .PPD file copied from a linux system in order the driver has all the exact margins/trays/duplex etc. options available, but this is not required for functional printing. (note the adobe installer will only read the .PPD from a drive-letter'ed C: D: etc location and not \\servername\ etc.). > I think running CUPS implies rendering the jobs? Well, when all the right bits-and-pieces (drivers) are installed (as they tend to be on ubuntu/derivaties and easily can be on debian etc...), CUPS itself supports the printer. Then, CUPS, will accept both:- * 'Raw' print jobs (e.g. from windows client using the printer installed locally, just dumping the raw output through CUPS). * Postscript/PCL and PDF files and the like, I think. In which case CUPS itself 'renders' the job. (e.g. adobe generic PS driver, see above). --Simon _______________________________________________ openwrt-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.openwrt.org/mailman/listinfo/openwrt-users
