ubuntu print server

I'm setting up a print server for a friend. I want something that is easy to use, has some security and has the potential to also be a media or file server. He uses Windows. Here is how I set things up.

He had a PC that could not boot XP because it was missing some important files and he did not have a restore CD. It is not the latest PC but it has plenty of horsepower to run Linux. I installed Ubuntu 8.04 workstation. I decided to go with the workstation version rather than a server version so it would have a user interface that is somewhat like the Windows XP that he was used to using. I intend to show him the desktop and then unplug the monitor/keyboard and mouse and use it headless. If running headless turns out to be less than a good idea we can always go back to using the workstation.

One benefit of installing the workstation version is I can do some of the initial configuration using the nice gui tools. That may make it a bit easier to understand what I set up. I did add ssh so it can be managed from a terminal from his Windows laptop.

I had ubuntu do most of the hard work, installing the printer took the following:

1. plug the printer into the PCs usb port.

:-) 

I was lucky, my test printer was one of the many printers ubuntu/CUPS knows about.

I did turn on most of the server settings. 

Go to System->Administration->Printers to set the server settings. Here is what I set up to get going, I'll tweak later...

I printed a test page locally to make sure that was working and then set up a Vista computer to test printing from another computer.

I floundered a bit before finding a web page that got me pointed down a path that worked for me. Vista has an option that takes a url for the printer AND! CUPS provides a web interface to the print server that makes it very easy to get the URL. This is the Howto that showed me howto :-)  HOWTO: Setup A Headless Ubunutu CUPS Print-Server - Page 3 - Ubuntu Forums and here is the home for CUPS CUPS - Print Server and some ubuntu specific info Printing and SettingUpSamba - Community Ubuntu Documentation.

I entered http://192.168.0.5:631/ (use the ip/host name of your server and got this CUPS page

I clicked on manage printers and selected the printer I wanted to use from Vista

click on the name of the printer, psc_1300_series in this example, and you will be on a page that has the exact url you use to tell Vista where to get the printer.

On your Vista machine, click Start-> Network and then click Add a printer. I ended up here

No printer found - no problems I clicked 'The printer that I want is not listed' and then got this

I clicked Add a network...

and entered the url from the CUPS web page

I was then able to use the printer on the ubuntu print server as easily as a local printer.

iGoogle gadget

This is from the gadget.

A way to get a new entry in easily.

Example event

This is an example event.

Here is the event from the long list Central Texas Homeschool College Fair.

 

A pointer to that calender event. calender entry

and something to seating

and whatever else makes sense.

  perhaps the poll for this event and evently the result

working with dojo

I'm using the Javascript toolkit dojo on the UWA AWC project. The wiki is currently not public. Let me know if you think you should read it and can not.

A beginning is a delicate time

and...

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
-- George Santayana

I tried using documents or a wiki page to journal. I'll try a blog.

Gary

Dune trailer http://blogs.tvland.com/movie_database/?id=457