Can't get Optra S printer recognized or working (Resolved)

[Kim Lux]

After posting this I searched the list for keyword "printer" and found a
couple other individuals having problems with printers with the
2.6.10-1.741 kernel. 

So... I rebooted with the 2.6.9-1.681 kernel.  Kudzu then detected the
printer ! (There was nothing wrong with the printer cable at all.) 

I then ran printer-gui.  When I added a new queue, printer gui found the
Optra S printer connected on lp0.  However, it also gave me the
following:

<paste begins>
No match for parallel port device:
  mfr "Lexmark International"
  model "Lexmark Optra S 1855"
  desc "Lexmark Optra S 1855"
  cmdset "PCL 6 Emulation, PostScript Level 2 Emulation, NPAP, PJL"
Please report this message in Bugzilla:
  https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla
Choose 'foomatic' as the component.
<paste ends>

I continued on with the printer setup.  I tried several different
printer drivers (Lexmark Optra S 1855, 1250, PCL 6 and Postscript) and
none of them would output anything to the printer. 

My synopsis is this:

a) kernel 2.6.10-1.741 has broken printer detection

b) something in the print utilities is broken such that printer-gui does
not select a print driver on its own

c) something in the print utilities is broken such that one cannot
manually select a print driver and install it using print-gui

Furthermore, if one has previously installed a printer (ie while running
a 2.6.9 kernel) printing will work OK with the 2.6.10 kernels.  It seems
to be the detection of the printer by the 2.6.10 that messes things up. 

I'm very disappointed and frustrated that this wasn't better tested
before being released to general users.  I wasted several hours of my
day fighting with this problem. 

I'll be submitting this as a bug to bugzilla.  
















On Sun, 2005-01-16 at 17:32 -0700, Kim Lux wrote:
> I'm trying to connect a Lexmark Optra S printer to a server.  The Optra
> S is a parallel port laser printer.  It uses an IEEE1284 cable and is
> accessible in nibble/byte/ECP mode.   
> 
> I've purchased a new IEEE1284 printer cable.  On the server I've set the
> port to ECP/EPP.  I can't get kudzu to recognize the printer.  I can't
> get printer-gui to find it either.  
> 
> I've gotten it to work on my laptop, but I think that is because the
> printer was configured to work with it a few months back. 
> 
> Any ideas on how to get the printer recognized by the server ?  Is there
> a way to get the parallel port to scan for devices in ECP mode ?
> 
> The server is running FC3 with all the updates.
> 
> -- 
> Kim Lux,  Diesel Research Inc.
> 
> 
-- 
Kim Lux,  Diesel Research Inc.