14.8.2 No Suitable PPD File Available for a PostScript Printer
If the manufacturer-PPDs package does not contain a suitable PPD le for a PostScript
printer, it should be possible to use the PPD le from the driver CD of the printer
manufacturer or download a suitable PPD le from the Web page of the printer
manufacturer.
The PPD le is provided as a zip archive (.zip) or a self-extracting zip archive (.exe).
Unpack the zip archive with unzip. First, review the license terms of the PPD le.
Then use the cupstestppd utility to check if the PPD le complies with “Adobe
PostScript Printer Description File Format Specication, version 4.3.” If the utility
returns “FAIL,” the errors in the PPD les are serious and are likely to cause major
problems. The problem spots reported by cupstestppd should be eliminated. If nec-
essary, ask the printer manufacturer for a suitable PPD le.
14.8.3 Network Printer Connections
Identifying Network Problems
Connect the printer directly to the computer. For test purposes, congure the
printer as a local printer. If this works, the problems are related to the network.
Checking the TCP/IP Network
The TCP/IP network and name resolution must be functional.
Checking a Remote lpd
Use the following command to test if a TCP connection can be established to lpd
(port 515) on
host
:
netcat -z
host
515 && echo ok || echo failed
If the connection to lpd cannot be established, lpd may not be active or there
may be basic network problems.
As the user root, use the following command to query a (possibly very long) status
report for
queue
on remote
host
, provided the respective lpd is active and the
host accepts queries:
echo -e "\004queue" | netcat -w 2 -p 722
host
515
If lpd does not respond, it may not be active or there may be basic network
problems. If lpd responds, the response should show why printing is not possible
on the queue on host. If you receive a response like that shown in Example 14.1,
“Error Message from lpd” (page 175), the problem is caused by the remote lpd.
Example 14.1: Error Message from lpd
lpd: your host does not have line printer access
lpd: queue does not exist
printer: spooling disabled
printer: printing disabled
Printer Operation 175
