Re: [gentoo-user] CUPS problem

[Alan E. Davis]

I think this is one of those multifactorial problems, and I'm unable
to pin down the exact cause.  I did several things that might have
conspired to make printing stop working.  I have a new motherboard,
M2N-E, from ASUS, with a dual core AMD64-X2 processor (dual core),
that has given me fits booting.  I moved to the new motherboard after
having compiled a first approximation to an SMP kernel with support
for features and hardware I know about, then at last I tried a world
update, after I'd been using gentoo for a few days.  I had been
printing all this time.

My initial investigations (ie, google) revealed  a large number of
problems with the motherboard involving APIC or ACPI.  Both, I think.
Other problems mentioned were SATA, and I saw more than one reference
to USB.  USB and SATA are now sharing an interrrupt with that gentoo
boot.

When attempting to print or set up printing with CUPS: the printer
shows up in CUPS as HPLIP.  I had another printer on USB, and while I
recall always CUPS showed me USB printers, both, as choices for found
printers, no solely USB entries were seen.  The other printer now has
burned up in what I hope was a disconnected incident, a Brother
HL1440, the fan burned out.  I can install the HP multifunction as the
HPLIP printer, and it shows as ready, but when I print, no printer
action happens, and the jobs are immediately marked as stopped.  I
suspect some USB foibles, but the flash drives work fine.  I
recompiled with usblp as a module and compiled in, and several times
recompiled, but got stuck in a place where I couldn't see a way out.

When attempting to boot to that kernel, or other gentoo kernels I have
compiled around (I do not use initrd/genkernel), almost every time
since the initial boot (that went ok), the machine locks up during
boot.  It might take three or four attempts, but the machine locks up
somewhere during the process.  After cupsd has been started, somewhere
around where syslog-ng is started, or hal, the machine locks.  The
next boot it stops ate approximately the same place, or perhaps
further along.  Finally, usually three or four boots later, it boots
and no further problems are experienced.

Partly because I needed to print, and partly to rule out hardware
issues, I booted ubuntu 7.10, and installed.  No problem has been
encountered over the past few days of using ubuntu.  I can print, and
no lockups are encountered (so far, KOW).

This is distressing.  I enjoy not having to fiddle around, not
spending so much time maintaining the system, and it's almost
lightning quick to install packages!.  Perhaps I'll use Ubuntu for a
while---but I'd sure like to solve this problem.  I just tried an
incantation (kernel parameter) that had been recommended somewhere.
(noapic nolapic acpi=off pci=noacpi), but still got the same behavior.
 Sometime soon I'll try to recompile the kernel or back down to
2.6.22.  (I'd only compiled 2.6.23 for this new motherboard).

I thank several list denizens for suggestions.  I apologize for taking
so much time in explaining this again, but I'd really appreciate any
suggestions, before I become more committed to using Ubuntu.

Alan
lngndvs@×××××.com


On Jan 8, 2008 7:56 PM, Mick <michaelkintzios@×××××.com> wrote:
>
> On Monday 07 January 2008, Dale wrote:
> > Randy Barlow wrote:
> > > Dale wrote:
> > >> On my system hpijs was a blocker if I recall correctly.  I read
> > >> somewhere that hpijs was no longer being maintained and that hplip was
> > >> the "new thing" to use.  Not sure why tho.
> > >>
> > >> Also may be worth noting that hplip used to be a service that was
> > >> started as well.  /etc/init.d/hplip start used to work.  The latest
> > >> update got rid of the service and I guess it just runs when it is
> > >> needed.
> > >
> > > I should clarify my question a bit more.  I don't have the hpijs package
> > > installed.  I do have hplip.  Yet when I try to select the driver for my
> > > printer, hpijs is the only option of the two.  I know that hplip
> > > includes hpijs, but I was looking for a driver called hplip and didn't
> > > see it...
> >
> > Did you run hp-setup?  You may want to re-emerge hplip and read the
> > messages there.  I may be forgetting something it said to do.
> >
> > Also, check your error logs.  Should be in /var/log.  Depends on what
> > logger you use as to the name of it.  Mine is messages tho.
> >
> > Post back what you find out from that.  May give us a clue.
> >
> > Dale
> >
> > :-)  :-)
>
> What happens if under Device, you select: HP Printer (HPLIP) ?
>
> Also, have a look at http://localhost:631/help/network.html for defining the
> path (for network printers).  However, I don't want to send you off scent here
> because I have not set up a USB printer before, so I am not sure what steps
> ought to be followed (if udev rules are desired and what not).  I would have
> thought that guidance in this
> http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/printing-howto.xml#usb ought to help.
> --
> Regards,
> Mick
>



-- 
Alan Davis, Kagman High School, Saipan  lngndvs@×××××.com

"It's never a matter of liking or disliking ..."
       ---Santa Ynez Chumash Medicine Man
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