[H-GEN] Print services to Windows from Unix

[Russell Stuart]

On 3/08/2006 12:46 PM, Greg Black wrote:
> My home network is entirely Unix and OSX.  I provide access to
> the various printers via the LPD protocol on my LAN.  This all
> Just Works for any Unix or OSX hosts that I connect.
> 
> I have a house guest for the next 10 days who has a Windows
> laptop and I'd like him to be able to use my printers without me
> having to jump through too many hoops.
> 
> If there is a way for me to do this, I'd be grateful to be
> pointed in the direction of suitable clues.  If the answer
> involves setting up grotesque pieces of infrastructure like CUPS
> (which doesn't work with my printers anyway) or Samba (for which
> I would have no other use), then that counts as "Sorry, you
> can't do that."

You didn't say what printer spooler you are using.  There
are potentially several ways.

Windows can print to an LPD printer.  To figure out how on
Windows XP, click on the "Help and Support" button on the
"Start Menu" (ie under the "START" button at the bottom
left) [1].  Search for "LPD".  Display the "Full-Text
Search Matches" and in the list that appears choose "Add
an LPR port".  Follow the instructions.

By all accounts Windows LPD support is pretty yuk.  It
does a better job with IPP: I use it myself.  LPRng does
offer IPP support.  To find out how to attach an IPP
printer follow the same "Help and Support" path as above,
but choose "Microsoft Knowledge Base" instead of "Full-text
Search Matches".  Follow your nose.

If you want to move your printer across to his Windows
machine and print to it from 'nix, then you can do that
too.  Windows does have a LPD spooler.  As for setting it
up: pretty much the same deal as above.  Run "Help and
Support" and RTFM.


[1] Apologies if I am teaching granddad to suck eggs.  I
     don't know how familiar you are with Windows.