AirLink 101 APSUSB2 print server: printing from Linux

[Thomas Hedden]

Has anyone been able to set up network
printing to a printer connected to the
AirLink 101 APSUSB2 print server from
a computer running Linux? Their company
does not provide support for Linux.

I have gotten it working from computers
running Windows XP, Windows 2000 and
Windows 98se (for some reason the
Windows 98se computer cannot always
see the network neighborhood; but when
it can, it can print to this print
server.)

I can also access the print server on
the local network from my Linux computer
using a web browser by typing in
http://(IP address), and having done that
I can print a test page using the command
Tools | Print Test.

I am running KDE desktop on SuSE Linux 9.1
with numerous upgrades, and I have an
HP LaserJet 1200 printer that is connected
to the AirLink 101 APSUSB2 via the parallel
port.

I am trying to configure printing using YaST
(selecting Hardware, then Printers). The
options it offers are as follows:
Parallel printer
USB printer
Serial printer
IrDA printer
Print via CUPS Network Server
Print via LPD-Style Network Server
Print via SMB Network Server
Print via IPX Network Server
Print Directly to a Network Printer
Other Kind of Setup

I have excluded some obvious ones like
serial printer, SMB, and IPX, but I
have fooled around with many of them,
and I cannot get it to work.

I vaguely recall hearing that there
might be some incompatibility between
a couple of the printing systems, that
is some of the commands have the same
names, so the commands of the different
printing systems might be interfering
with one another.

(One interesting point to note is that
in Windows the printer is added as a
LOCAL printer rather than a network
printer. I don't know if that indicates
that the same has to be done in Linux.)

Can anyone offer any insights?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

[Thomas Hedden]

Eureka! I figured it out!

The problem I was having was that YaST will let
you try to configure a printer using LPD even
if the LPD package isn't installed.

In case anyone else who reads this message is
having the same problem, I'll explain how to do it.

First, make sure the lpd SW package is installed.
To do this in SuSE using YaST:

1. On the left, click on "Software"
2. Select "Install and Remove Software"
3. For "Filter", select "Package Groups"
4. In the section "Hardware", click on "Printing"
Make sure that the package "lpdfilter" is
installed. If not, select it.
5. Click on the "Check Dependencies" button.
Resolve any dependency issues (this might
involve uninstalling some CUPS packages).
6. Click on the "Accept" button.

Now that LPD is installed, do the following
(still using YaST):
1. On the left, click on "Hardware".
2. Select "Printer".
3. Click on "Configure" for a new print queue,
or "Change" to change an existing setup.
4. Select "Print via LPD-Style Network Server".
5. For "Host name" enter the IP address that
you have selected for the AirLink print server
6. For "Name of remote queue", enter the "Port Name".
(Find this by accessing the AirLink through the
web interface and clicking on the "Configuration"
tab.)
7. Click on the "Do local filtering" check box.
8. On the following screens, enter all the information
for your printer.
9. Print a test page. If you've done everything
correctly, it'll print out.

Also remember to set up your Kprinter, etc., if that
is important to you.

Happy printing!

Tom
--
Thomas Hedden wrote:
[snip]