The problem may be that what you're doing may be more difficult under
Slackware than with other Linux distributions that provide GUI tools for
this stuff.  Haven't used Slackware.  However, I've set up print servers
using Red Hat Linux and several varieties of Unix.  We can reduce the
problem to the following steps:

(1) Configuring your hardware

(2) Configuring a print service so you can print.

(3) Configuring Samba so your clients can print.

Step One: Hardware.  Hook up the parallel cable.  Make sure your kernel has
parallel port support either built-in or compiled as a module.

Step Two: Configure your print service.  You have two clients printing to
one printer.  Let's stick with something simple: lpr.  Per the slackware
site, you should have this already installed as it's in the base client.  If
not, get lpr.tgz and install it.

You need to create an /etc/printcap entry for your printer.  Below is an
example of what mine looks like.  Important bits are that "lp" is the name
of the printer, and "/dev/lp0" is the name of the parallel port device.
You may want to change these for your system, and delete the last line
starting with "if:" since your clients don't need a filter tool to be able
to print.

---<snip>---
lp:\
        :sd=/var/spool/lpd/lp:\
        :mx#0:\
        :sh:\
        :lp=/dev/lp0:\
        :if=/var/spool/lpd/lp/filter:
---<snip>---

Step Three: Configure Samba. You need to do two things: specify what print
spooler you're using, and set up your printer.

In your smb.conf file, find the line that starts "printing = ".  Default
value should be fine.

Your smb.conf file, unless you edited it, already has an entry for the
printers.  Here's mine again:

 # NOTE: If you have a BSD-style print system there is no need to
# specifically define each individual printer
[printers]
   comment = All Printers
   path = /var/spool/samba
   browseable = no
# Set public = yes to allow user 'guest account' to print
   guest ok = yes
   printable = yes

Stop and start the lpd and smbd processes to make sure your configuration
has taken, and try to browse to the printer share from your clients.  It
should show up as "lp" or whatever you chose to call it.

Hope this helps.

--
Carl Patten

----- Original Message -----
From: "Douglas Mosman" <dwmosman at mn.mediaone.net>
To: <tclug-list at mn-linux.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 10:12 PM
Subject: [TCLUG] Print Server Setup - Help!


> Please point a bewildered & befuddled newbie in the right direction
>
<snip>
> If a person who's 'been there' could just say "You will want CUPS,
> ghostscript, lpr and Samba" or "You will need GTX and HP imprint and
> lppdd but NOT lpr or foomatic", it would be a tremendous help.
>
> It would be even more wonderful if someone could then say "Rather than
> searching through the 1200 articles, commentaries and man pages relating
> to XXX, here is a single good HowTo which, while being neither so deep
> and comprehensive as to be bewildering, nor so simplistic as to be
> useless, will get you quickly to a basic functioning system which you
> can than study, tweak and add to at your leisure, without the acrimony
> and hostile stares of your family members as they wait to print."
> Although I'm probably asking too much here (especially if someone were
> going to try to say it in a single breath)
>
> Alternately, if the problem is not me but that what I'm trying to do is
> actually rather difficult, please tell me and I will go out and buy a
> $100 print server and end my misery.  I already have far too many Linux
> things to learn without taking weeks to wade through a can of worms
> (plus, lets not forget those hostile stares! <:^0 )
>
>
> Here's my setup.
>
> Home Network
> - Cable Router
> - TCP/IP and (I think) Netbios
> - WorkGroup (vs. domain)
> - Linux file server and (hopefully) print server
> - HP Laserjet 1200SE
> - Clients are Win98 & Win2000
>
> O/S
> - Slackware 8.1 (kernel 2.4.5)
> - Samba 2.2.0a (for file access)
> - No NFS (turned off)
>
> Hardware
> - AMD K5-PR166
> - 256MB
> - 18GB SCSI
> - /Home - 15GB IDE (on Maxtor IDE card)
>
> HP Laserjet 1200SE (same as HP-1200 according to HP)
> - HP PCL 6, HP PCL 5e, PostScript® Level 2 emulation
> - 72mb memory
> - I have a PPD from HP.SourceForge (if that helps)
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Twin Cities Linux Users Group Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul,
Minnesota
> http://www.mn-linux.org
> tclug-list at mn-linux.org
> https://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list
>