Tip Avoiding common CUPS configuration problems

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This article is part of the Tips & Tricks series.

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1 Introduction
2 Prerequisites
3 Common errors
4 See also

[edit] Introduction

After failing to set up CUPS, I've noticed that forums are flooded with people not knowing how to configure CUPS (thus not being able to print). This tip is intended primarily at coniguring a locally attached printer, but it might well be helpful for other printer connections. As a non-specialist, I may get somewhere technically wrong, so please feel free to correct the text.

[edit] Prerequisites

Of course, first things first:

  emerge -av cups

In order to be able to access http://localhost:631/ with your web-browser (Opera, in my case) and thus install your printer, you'll need to start the cupsd service:

  /etc/init.d/cupsd start.

[edit] Common errors

In order for the cupsd service to start (and here most problems arise), you need to have the net.lo service started. This will enable you to access your printer in loopback mode. If net.lo service is not started, you will probably get the "cupsd: Child exited with status 98!" error message.

For those trying to connect a Hewlett-Packard PSC Device, you'll probably need to emerge hplip, too. And follow this guide: HPOJ and CUPS.

After all these conditions are met, fire up your web-browser and access http://localhost:631/ and follow the Gentoo Printing guide.

If you still cannot configure your printer, you might get a clue by looking at /var/log/cups/error_log and then start searching the forums.