[Samba] Print only server

[jax at nwmt.us]

I have what you are looking to do working quite well. 

We have a server by the name of printserver such that the users can just
browse to \\printserver and use it.  It stands in front of 12 Windows2k3
printservers each has between 50 and 400 printers on it... don't ask,
hospital, lots of repeats, and around 1000 total printers.

anyway, we wanted a central location for all our users to go to to load
printers - intead of remembering each printserver - and we also wanted the
freedom to add/remove/move/migrate/whatever those printers around on the
backend printservers- the win2k3 systems.  We got all the stuff working
just fine with a CUPS based system, but then the users complained about
having to use CUPS and that it wasn't the way they wanted... so we had to
integrate Samba.  Since this is VERY similar to what you want to do - only
that we have cups forward the printjobs off to windows systems, and you
have CUPS do the printing, i think that our working smb.conf should help
you out.  

We have created a user, admincis, which is a smbuser as well.  You need to
login to the workstation as this user in order to install the printdrivers.
Basically the procedure is to browse //printserver, scroll to the "Printers
and Faxes" icon, dbl click that, and then for each printer you have,
right-click on it, and install your printer drivers - it's not the first
time it asks either.

Here, read this, it was a good article: 
http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/man/Samba-HOWTO-Collection/classicalprinting.html

anyway, here is our smb.conf:
[global]
   workgroup = primarycare
   server string = %h server
   wins server = 10.6.1.21
   dns proxy = no
   log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
   log level = 2
   ;max log size = 1000
   syslog = 0
   panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d
   security = share
   encrypt passwords = true
   passdb backend = tdbsam
   obey pam restrictions = yes
   invalid users = root
   passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
   passwd chat = *Enter\snew\sUNIX\spassword:* %n\n
*Retype\snew\sUNIX\spassword:* %n\n *password\supdated\ssuccessfully* .
   load printers = yes
   printing = cups
   cups options = raw
   printcap name = cups
   max print jobs = 0
   show add printer wizard = yes
   printer admin = admincis
   use client driver = no
   winbind enum users = yes
   winbind enum groups = yes

[printers]
   comment = Cupsys based printer
   printable = yes
   path = /var/spool/samba
   browseable = no
   guest ok = yes
   writable = no
   create mode = 0700


[print$]
   comment = Printer Drivers
   path = /var/lib/samba/KRH_drivers
   browseable = yes
   guest ok = yes
   read only = no
   writeable = yes
   write list = admincis



Hopefully that helps!
Jack


On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:20:27 -0500, Matthew Daubenspeck
<matt at oddprocess.org> wrote:
> On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 10:43:28AM +0900, Michael Heydon wrote:
>> Have you loaded the drivers onto the server or just set up the printer
> on
>> the client and loaded the drivers there?
>>
>> If you load the drivers onto the client then the client will try to talk
> to
>> the printer slightly differently than if it pulls the drivers from the
>> server, the result is something like what you describe.
>>
>> The quick solution is "use client drivers = yes", the proper solution is
> to
>> load the drivers onto the server.
> 
> I am trying to load the drivers via my WinXP workstation but all the
> options listed to add drivers is greyed out. I am assuming this is the
> case because I cannot connect as root (or any other user) due to the
> face that since I wanted a complete open system, I had to use
> security = share , correct? Whenever I have that set, windows will not
> prompt me for a password and if I try to connect via net use, it
> continues to say that the password or user is incorrect.
> 
> I would like to skip the "use client drivers = yes" for obvious reasons
> of not having to have printer disks or drivers all over the place, plus
> making it easy to add printers for my staff.
> 
> Is there no easy way to have an open ended system but still have the
> ability to upload drivers to the samba server?
> --
>   Matthew Daubenspeck
>   http://oddprocess.org
> 
> Gentoo Linux i686 Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU L5420 @ 2.50GHz
> 22:15:56 up 6 days, 5:36, 4 users, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00
> --
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