I'm having another try at making network printing work.
I bought a Buffalo ADSL router recently with the facility to print using the inbuilt USB port. I connected up the printer and tried to make my system see the it. But it never does. If I set the host address as 192.168.1.1, the system picks the port number as 9100. I've looked on the router and all I can see is a WebAccess External Port set to 9000 so I'm guessing that 9100 isn't likely to be about right.
The router can also be used as a media server with a USB disc plugged in instead of the printer. If I do that, the disc is seen as smb://ap0024a5bdb4dc/disk1_pt1/ and I can see and read the files (the buffalo is seen on a wifi network as Buffalo-BDB4DC so that ties in too).
But I'm still stuck as to why I can't print.
Can anybody suggest a way forward please?
On 21/05/13 17:13, Chris Walker wrote:
I'm having another try at making network printing work.
I bought a Buffalo ADSL router recently with the facility to print using the inbuilt USB port. I connected up the printer and tried to make my system see the it. But it never does. If I set the host address as 192.168.1.1, the system picks the port number as 9100. I've looked on the router and all I can see is a WebAccess External Port set to 9000 so I'm guessing that 9100 isn't likely to be about right.
The router can also be used as a media server with a USB disc plugged in instead of the printer. If I do that, the disc is seen as smb://ap0024a5bdb4dc/disk1_pt1/ and I can see and read the files (the buffalo is seen on a wifi network as Buffalo-BDB4DC so that ties in too).
But I'm still stuck as to why I can't print.
Can anybody suggest a way forward please?
Wild stabbing in the dark here:
I'm guessing if the external drive shows up as smb:/ then any attached printer would show up as a smb (samba) printer share. Try something that will browse samba shares (e.g. a Windows machine(!), or something like smbtree) and see if it shows up. If it does, it should be reasonably straight froward. If you use the printer config dialog box and point it at the right share, you should be then able to install any drivers, or configure the printer as required.
If it's not a samba share, then it'll be more complicated. I'd think the first thing you'd have to do is check the port number and IP address are right. Try something to do a port scan (nc, nmap?). Once you're sure of the IP address, perhaps try using telnet to see if you can talk to the port. Try sending it some text and a ctrl+L which should hopefully cause a page feed. That'll only work though if the router is presenting the port as if it was a local usb/printer port. If it's working as a print server running a print queue, it'll be more complicated.
On my copy of Lubuntu, the ways a network printer can be connected to include: via ip address, or via dnssd, or Internet Printing Protocol (ipp, ipps, http or ipp14), LPD/LPR or Windows print share via Samba.
Hope that helps in some way.
Steve
On Wed, 22 May 2013 11:57:26 +0100 steve-ALUG@hst.me.uk wrote:
On 21/05/13 17:13, Chris Walker wrote:
If I set the host address as 192.168.1.1, the system picks the port number as 9100. I've looked on the router and all I can see is a WebAccess External Port set to 9000 so I'm guessing that 9100 isn't likely to be about right.
Wild stabbing in the dark here:
I'm guessing if the external drive shows up as smb:/ then any attached printer would show up as a smb (samba) printer share. Try something that will browse samba shares (e.g. a Windows machine(!),
I have both Windows 7 and Windows XP running under VirtualBox but neither of them see the printer. I can also run Windows 7 natively and that too doesn't see the printer.
or something like smbtree) and see if it shows up. If it does, it should be reasonably straight froward. If you use the printer config dialog box and point it at the right share, you should be then able to install any drivers, or configure the printer as required.
If it's not a samba share, then it'll be more complicated. I'd think the first thing you'd have to do is check the port number and IP address are right. Try something to do a port scan (nc, nmap?). Once you're sure of the IP address, perhaps try using telnet to see if you can talk to the port. Try sending it some text and a ctrl+L which should hopefully cause a page feed. That'll only work though if the router is presenting the port as if it was a local usb/printer port. If it's working as a print server running a print queue, it'll be more complicated.
I ran nmap against the router IP address but that doesn't show the expect port open. It only shows 2 ports, namely 53 and 80.
On my copy of Lubuntu, the ways a network printer can be connected to include: via ip address, or via dnssd, or Internet Printing Protocol (ipp, ipps, http or ipp14), LPD/LPR or Windows print share via Samba.
I've being doing some more searching and a Brother page says I should look at http://localhost:631/printers and if I do that, it shows the printer and I can clear the queue (it had a test print shown). But I'm guessing that's a red herring.
If I delete the printer and start from scratch, I get to the config page and the first item it asks for is the Device URI. Doing a google search on that term is what got me to the Brother page. If I skip that and chose network printer I can ask it to search. I keyed in the host IP address of \192.168.1.1\ and hit 'Find'. It says 'No printer was found at that address. Next option is AppSocket/HP JetDirect and it's there that the Port number of 9100 is prefilled. Again, I can enter the Host IP address and click forward but it never connects to the printer as it shows the test page sitting at 12%. I can delete that using the web page I mentioned above of course.
Hope that helps in some way.
It indicates that I'm going in the right direction but ultimately I'm not successful sadly.
I'll keep searching for ways to do this as I'd like to make it work so that my wife can print from her wifi-connected laptop.
On 22/05/13 13:56, Chris Walker wrote:
On Wed, 22 May 2013 11:57:26 +0100 steve-ALUG@hst.me.uk wrote:
On 21/05/13 17:13, Chris Walker wrote:
If I set the host address as 192.168.1.1, the system picks the port number as 9100. I've looked on the router and all I can see is a WebAccess External Port set to 9000 so I'm guessing that 9100 isn't likely to be about right.
Wild stabbing in the dark here:
I'm guessing if the external drive shows up as smb:/ then any attached printer would show up as a smb (samba) printer share. Try something that will browse samba shares (e.g. a Windows machine(!),
I have both Windows 7 and Windows XP running under VirtualBox but neither of them see the printer. I can also run Windows 7 natively and that too doesn't see the printer.
OK, that's pretty fundamental. I would suggest running Windows 7, and following the router's setup instructions to enable printing, & ensuring that you can print in windows. I've looked at the manual for a Buffalo router on-line, and it says there's a setting for enabling or disabling wireless printing, so it could be that it's just turned off, in which case you won't ever print anything.
If/when you get it working in windows, then it should be easier to get it working under Linux. It should also give you a clue if it's set up as a windows share (with a name like buffalo_printer perhaps) or as Internet Printing Protocol which will probably have an IP address.
As an aside, you may be able to, if you want to, replace the firmware of your buffalo router with a small linux installation open-wrt or similar - that will give you more flexibility over what you do, but it will also void your warranty and might not work. Don't do it unless you know the risks and you have a reason to do this!
or something like smbtree) and see if it shows up. If it does, it should be reasonably straight froward. If you use the printer config dialog box and point it at the right share, you should be then able to install any drivers, or configure the printer as required.
If it's not a samba share, then it'll be more complicated. I'd think the first thing you'd have to do is check the port number and IP address are right. Try something to do a port scan (nc, nmap?). Once you're sure of the IP address, perhaps try using telnet to see if you can talk to the port. Try sending it some text and a ctrl+L which should hopefully cause a page feed. That'll only work though if the router is presenting the port as if it was a local usb/printer port. If it's working as a print server running a print queue, it'll be more complicated.
I ran nmap against the router IP address but that doesn't show the expect port open. It only shows 2 ports, namely 53 and 80.
53 - Dns - decodes internet names like www.bbc.co.uk into ip addresses e.g. 1.2.3.4 80 - http web interface, presumably to allow you to set up the router.
This really suggests to me that the printing function is not enabled.
On my copy of Lubuntu, the ways a network printer can be connected to include: via ip address, or via dnssd, or Internet Printing Protocol (ipp, ipps, http or ipp14), LPD/LPR or Windows print share via Samba.
I've being doing some more searching and a Brother page says I should look at http://localhost:631/printers and if I do that, it shows the printer and I can clear the queue (it had a test print shown). But I'm guessing that's a red herring.
Yes. localhost:631 is your own computer's cups (common unix print server) . When you print from an app, as a general rule, it will be sent to cups, which will then queue it if necessary, and farm it out to the printer as and when the printer is available. Your test-prints make it to cups which currently doesn't know what to do with it from there on, so keeps them in the print queue.
If I delete the printer and start from scratch, I get to the config page and the first item it asks for is the Device URI. Doing a google search on that term is what got me to the Brother page. If I skip that and chose network printer I can ask it to search. I keyed in the host IP address of \192.168.1.1\ and hit 'Find'. It says 'No printer was found at that address. Next option is AppSocket/HP JetDirect and it's there that the Port number of 9100 is prefilled. Again, I can enter the Host IP address and click forward but it never connects to the printer as it shows the test page sitting at 12%. I can delete that using the web page I mentioned above of course.
I would expect one of these would work, but sounds again like the printer usb port of the router is off.
Hope that helps in some way.
It indicates that I'm going in the right direction but ultimately I'm not successful sadly.
I'll keep searching for ways to do this as I'd like to make it work so that my wife can print from her wifi-connected laptop.
good luck! Steve
On Wed, 22 May 2013 17:32:39 +0100 steve-ALUG@hst.me.uk wrote:
On 22/05/13 13:56, Chris Walker wrote:
Wild stabbing in the dark here:
I'm guessing if the external drive shows up as smb:/ then any attached printer would show up as a smb (samba) printer share. Try something that will browse samba shares (e.g. a Windows machine(!),
I have both Windows 7 and Windows XP running under VirtualBox but neither of them see the printer. I can also run Windows 7 natively and that too doesn't see the printer.
OK, that's pretty fundamental. I would suggest running Windows 7, and following the router's setup instructions to enable printing, & ensuring that you can print in windows. I've looked at the manual for a Buffalo router on-line, and it says there's a setting for enabling or disabling wireless printing, so it could be that it's just turned off, in which case you won't ever print anything.
It isn't wireless printing, it's cabled up via a USB lead.
As an aside, you may be able to, if you want to, replace the firmware of your buffalo router with a small linux installation open-wrt or similar - that will give you more flexibility over what you do, but it will also void your warranty and might not work. Don't do it unless you know the risks and you have a reason to do this!
I can install dd-wrt without breaking the warranty as it's supported. But although I've updated the firmware in the router, I haven't been tempted to install dd-wrt yet. I did have a previous Buffalo router (I bought it by mistake thinking it included a modem) and that had dd-wrt installed alongside the normal firmware but this one doesn't. I have downloaded the v24 firmware though in readiness for when I build up enough mental strength to tackle the job. I don't fancy bricking a new router!
or something like smbtree) and see if it shows up.
It doesn't. The NAS box and the local machine are all that are shown.
Yes. localhost:631 is your own computer's cups (common unix print server).
If I delete the printer and start from scratch,
For some reason I can no longer delete the printer, even from the main 'Configure Your Computer' system page.
I would expect one of these would work, but sounds again like the printer usb port of the router is off.
I've checked and the only option that's off is one for a multi-function device. The help screen says that if I'm running a normal printer it should be set to off.
To confuse matters even more, I have a couple of BT Home Hubs here which are now on ebay. But as a test to make sure I *can* print from a router, I thought about configuring one of those. Helpfully, I found a page which tells me how to do it. The HH can also serve as a backup if I manage to brick the Buffalo when installing dd-wrt! That is until it sells on ebay.
Armed with the knowledge from the web page, I logged in to the home hub and on the front page it says 'USB - Epson USB Printer'.
I'm pointing it at the address given in the web page which is 192.168.1.253 and nmap shows port 515 is open at that address.
I have just managed to print a test page from Windows 7 but even then that was at the second attempt. I put that down to Windows though as it didn't pick the correct protocol first time round.
Armed with that knowledge I have now tried to do a printer set up on this machine. It all goes well until I try to create the printer and it says 'client-error-forbidden' which is a problem I referred to above. Life was easier with a typewriter!
So I'm off to google that one now.
-
Chris Walker -
steve-ALUG＠hst.me.uk