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Linux - Setup and Configuration Instructions

To configure Linux to successfully print to RPM, you need to create a remote printer in the /etc/printcap file. For these instructions, we will assume that the IP address of the RPM PC is 192.168.1.35. Contact your system administrator for information on your computer.

1. Open the RPM user interface and choose New Queue from the Queues menu.
2. Enter the name of the queue you wish to create and press the OK button. The Edit Queues dialog will be displayed.

   

3. From the list of Queue Types, choose Pass data directly to the printer (raw). *

   

4. Press the Printer Setup button. In the Print Setup dialog, choose a printer from the list of available printers. Press the OK button.

   

5. In the Edit Queues dialog, press the Queue Setup button. Select Translate LF to CR/LF and press the OK button.

   

6. Press the OK button to accept the changes and dismiss the Edit Queues dialog.

Note: Choose a queue type consistant with your requirements. You can try both the Text and Filter queue types. All three types perform specific actions. To learn more about the different types of queues, click here.

Configuring a Remote Printer on Linux

1. First you need to perform a telnet test to see if RPM is working properly and if your network settings are correct. Telnet to your Linux operating system. From a shell prompt, issue the following command. Be sure to use the IP address of your RPM PC.

   

2. Next, check the RPM log and verify you have received the same message. It should be toward the end of the RPM log. If this message appears, the Linux system can print to RPM. Although this message states "Warning", no action should be taken now. RPM is working properly.

   

3. Now, start Xwindows by issuing the ‘startx’ command. If Xwindows does not start, consult your documentation. Many Linux systems also have a 'printtool' command line utility. Or, you may also add a printer by editing the /etc/printcap file manually.
4. Start the ‘PrintTool’ by typing ‘printtool’ from the command line. You will be taken to the print tool configuration manager.

   

5. Press the ‘Add’ button. The next box will ask you what type of printer to add. Select ‘Remote Unix (lpd) Queue’ and press ‘OK’.

   

6. Finally, type your IP address and RPM queue name here. That will be 192.168.1.35 and ‘hp4’ in my case. You can change the directory for where you want the files to be spooled and you can also add other names for the remote printer. Press ‘OK’ when you’ve finished modifying your entry.

   

7. If you would like to test this printer, the standard command would be: lpr -PRPM-Queue path/to/file. You can also use the print tool from the ‘Tests’ menu selection. This printer would have been entered in your /etc/printcap file automatically. The following text is a sample from my /etc/printcap file. If you do not wish to use the print tool, you can type this text in manually. You do not need to type the lines that have a "#" sign as the first character because they are only comments.

Notes: This file is very syntax specific. In other words, if you do not have this file exact, it will not work properly! These setup instructions are based on RedHat Linux. Most Linux releases supply a 'printtool' application that can be run from a command line rather than with XWindows.

Congratulations: You have now successfully configured Linux to print to your RPM PC. If you have different users logging in, you may need to modify their profile to make this the default printer.