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.