My Apple LaserWriter IIG CUPS printing:
Jan/Feb 2006:
I spent a week or so off and on trying one thing after another before I finally
this it all together.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/AppleTalk
is the place to start but is not enough for the LaserWriter IIg.
Ubuntu CUPS is great if you have a printer with a 'simple' name which is
attached to a host with an ip address or to which you can assign an ip address.
The Apple LaserWriter is on my ip network using the AppleTalk to cat5 dongle.
You cannot give the LW an ip address.
SETUP:
Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger default installation:
Install netatalk and cups
Edit /etc/apt/sources.list to allow Breezy universe
sudo apt-get update (this will make netatalk and associated files
available to the package manager)
then sudo apt-get install netatalk
Start atalkd
Start cups (sudo /etc/init.d/cupsys start (start | stop | restart)
PRINTER NAME:
(Use nbplkup to get printer name)
My
Printer Name: B/W Apple LW IIG
For the URI the URL code for a space is %20 and a forward slash (/) is %2F so
B/W Apple LW IIG becomes B%2FW%20Apple%20LW%20IIG
PAP:
Download papwrap.pl from
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=netatalk-devel&m=105723016107821&w=2
or, for convenience, here: papwrap.pl
As root install papwrap.pl as /usr/lib/cups/backend/pap; make pap executable.
Put /usr/lib/cups/backend (location of pap) in PATH
(/usr/bin (location of nbplkup) is already in PATH)
PRINTERS.CONF:
Create or modify /etc/cups/printers.conf as: (note: no host in the URI)
# Printer configuration file for CUPS v1.1.23
# Written by cupsd on Mon 06 Feb 2006 12:19:54 PM AKST
<DefaultPrinter LaserWriter-IIg>
Info LaserWriter-IIg
DeviceURI pap://B%2FW%20Apple%20LW%20IIG
State Idle
Accepting Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0
</Printer>
CUPS.CONF:
/etc/cups/cupsd.conf:
uncomment AuthType Basic and AuthClass System in order to use the web interface:
http://localhost:631/
uncomment 'debug' to get more info in the log (if necessary). The printer log is /var/log/cups/error_log
uncomment or create: Listen 127.0.0.1:631
Restart cups
Somewhere along the line I also did the following (but I'm not sure if it is
necessary):
/etc/netatalk/papd.conf has:
LaserWriter-IIg:\
:pr=lp:\
:pd=/etc/cups/ppd/LaserWriter-IIg.ppd:
PS: This did work at one time, then the printer was ignored so I just set a Windows 2000 machine (which has Apple Talk) to share the printer and as long as that machine is 'on', printing from Ubuntu works just fine. The Mac on the network (in another room) goes to sleep so it's not a good candidate for sharing a printer.