[Samba] Re: samba digest, Vol 1 #1731 - 8 msgs

[Kurt Pfeifle]

Michael E. Johnson wrote on samba-digest:

> Message: 6
> From: "Michael E Johnson" <johnsme at musc.edu>
> To: <samba at lists.samba.org>
> Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 11:51:09 -0400
> Subject: [Samba] Windows Drivers and SAMBA
> 
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> Greetings,
> 
> I am a bit new to the SAMBA world and being such I hope that everyone
> will forgive me for what may be stupid questions.

Hi, Michael,

No problem in asking anything, as long as you give the information about
your versions and what you know already (as you do)...

> I am currently using 2.2.5 and also using the ESP Print Pro 4.2.2 (this
> is built on the CUPS principle) I have every thing (it would seem) 
> 
> Working ok, one of the items that I was required to setup was the PRINT$
> category. Under this I was told to put a directory called drivers in the
> path /etc/samba/

"print$" is the special (and hard coded) name of the share where Windows
clients will be looking for a driver to download, when you connect them
to a print server for the first time.

> I assume that this is where I am to place the drivers for the defined
> printers that my windows clients will hit via SAMBA connection in order
> to print. My question is is this in fact where the drivers go? 

Yes. You "define" the share by having a [print$] entry in the smb.conf,
and a related "path = ..." directive. The "path = /etc/samba/drivers" is
just a suggestion, but the path must exist, of course, on the UNIX/Linux/Samba
side....

> And how
> should the drivers (for the windows side) be set into this.

You may want to read the printing chapters in the "Samba HOWTO Collection".

There are to basically different concepts:

--> use the native vendor drivers for the target printers and upload them
     to the [print$] share with one of the suggested methods in the
     documentation. Uploading is done f.e. from the client with the "Add
     Printer Wizard". This is what I'd call the "classical" method, which
     is possible with CUPS too.

--> use the CUPS "drivers" for the target printers. This means, you need to
     send PostScript from the Win client (regardless of the fact wether the
     target printer is in fact a PostScript model -- CUPS will convert the
     data as needed...). This means you need to use a PostScript driver on
     the Win clients. "man cupsaddsmb" tells you all about it. From the
     ESP PrintPro  "Print Manager" interface, you can then use the "Export
     Driver..." menu item to make it work.

Note, that the second method requires the preparation of the ADOBE*.DLL|HLP
files for the PostScript driver in "/usr/share/cups/drivers/". ESP PrintPro
has a package called "printpro-samba.tar.gz" which includes and installs
these. If you haven't got it, you may download it from the Easy Software
Products website (http://www.easysw.com/printpro/).  The "cupsaddsmb"
command (or the "Export Drivers...") will then write the files into the
[print$] share for the Samba clients as needed.

As of CUPS 1.1.16 (released) and the next ESP PrintPro update you can also
download the free (as in free beer) CUPS PostScript Driver for Windows
NT/2K/XP. (NOTE: this doesn't work for Win 94/98/ME !). This driver has
some advantages over the Adobe one, like supporting the CUPS banner-pages,
the CUPS page-labels and some other goodies to come. Especially important:
it will be 100% compliant with CUPS requirements for correct accounting
(the PostScript from this driver will pass thru the CUPS "pstops" filter
and not bypass it like the Adobe-driver generated ones...)

This new CUPS Driver for Windows Clients (NT/2K/XP) will be one core
component for the upcoming CUPS IPP Client for Windows (NT/2K/XP), where
you can get Windows clients to behave as comfortable as native CUPS clients
do: they will be able to pick up and update information about available
printers automatically, using the CUPS browsing or the SLP method for it.
Such a client will be able to print in any CUPS server environment without
configuration (other than passwords, should they be used). Very handy and
cool for notebooks or other roaming users...

Should you not have the "Samba HOWTO Collection" on your hard disk, you
may also find it at

   http://de.samba.org/samba/docs/Samba-HOWTO-Collection.html
   http://de.samba.org/samba/docs/Samba-HOWTO-Collection.pdf


> When the
> client connects to the SAMBA server via the printer it looks to see if
> the driver exists in the share, if not it goes to the clients machine,

Yes. If it doesn't find the driver on the server, it wants to install
one locally and from a locally available medium.

> can any one help me set this up the correct way?
> 
> Any help is greatly appreciated!


Hi, Michael,