What do CUPS error messages mean?

Personally I'd ignore all those messages except this one...

> E [10/Oct/2006:22:16:15 +1000] [cups-driverd] Unable to open "/usr/share/cups/model/Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd" - No such file or directory

It says to me that it can't find the driver (the ppd) for your printer - or
rather the driver you chose when you set the printer up.

To find out what package contains that file visit
http://packages.ubuntulinux.org/ and under ths section "Search the contents
of packages"�put in "Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd" then hit the "Search"
button.

You will find that file is contained in the foomatic-filters-ppds package
which you should be able to install either with synaptic or by typing..

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install foomatic-filters-ppds

Hope that helps.

Under http://packages.ubuntulinux.org/ I get:

You have searched for Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd in dapper, architecture i386.
Found 1 matching files/directories, displaying files/directories 1 to 1.

FILE PACKAGE

usr/share/ppd/linuxprinting.org-gs-builtin/Canon/Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd text/foomatic-filters-ppds

But then I get:

martin@Ava:~$ sudo apt-get install foomatic-filters-ppds
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
foomatic-filters-ppds is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

That seems to say that it's already installed.

But then what can I do now about the CUPS error message?

Unable to open "/usr/share/cups/model/Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd

I have /home/martin/Desktop/Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd sitting on my desktop, downloaded, and supplied it to CUPS when installing the printer.

The directory /usr/share/cups/model/ does not contain that ppd file. Should I just copy it into that directory?

I've tried copying the ppd file into /usr/share/cups/model/ and get the response:

Error while copying to "/usr/share/cups/model".
You do not have permissions to write to this folder.

How do I get round this permissions problem?

I used sudo cp from a terminal session to copy the ppd file into /usr/share/cups/model. But it made no difference.

Meanwhile:

1. When I tried (unsuccessfully) to print a test page from CUPS, I noticed that CUPS had the user on the print job set as "guest". I went to the bit in CUPS where you set which users are allowed to use the printer. I added myself. Fine. I added another user on this computer. CUPS then told me it had no printers - i.e. it uninstalled the printer.

2. I tried to reinstall the printer through CUPS. I couldn't remember (sorry) how I had previously got round the problem that when you install a printer, CUPS says:

choose "Device" from the following list:

App Socket/HP Jet Direct
Backend Error Handler
Bluetooth Printer
hp no_device_found
Internet Printing Protocol (http)
Internet Printing Protocol (ipp)
LPD/LPR Host or Printer
Windows printer via Samba

I chose LPD/LPR Host or Printer (no idea what this means, sorry) and then typed canon:/dev/lp0 in the Device URI box (because that's what I had before, and it seemed to work at least to get the computer to recognise the printer: the printer light does flash, and the paper beings to feed as if preparing to print, when you try to print something).

3. That seemed to work, but on trying to print a test page now from CUPS I didn't even get the flashing light on the printer and the paper beginning to feed.

4. I tried the business of adding users, and again, when I added the second user CUPS "vanished" the printer.

5. I looked in System>Administration>Printing, and it showed two printers. On trying to print a test page from either, I got the message: Printing to [name] failed with error code: 1028
is the printer paused ?
However, if you look at "Properties" for the printer, its status is shown as "Ready".

6. I've deleted the second printer from System>Administration>Printing. But as of now I have no printer on CUPS, and I can't even get the signs of recognition from the printer I got before.

Should I delete all printers from System>Administration>Printing, and try to reinstall through CUPS?

If so:

1. How do I negotiate the request from CUPS to specify "Device" from among the options:

App Socket/HP Jet Direct
Backend Error Handler
Bluetooth Printer
hp no_device_found
Internet Printing Protocol (http)
Internet Printing Protocol (ipp)
LPD/LPR Host or Printer
Windows printer via Samba

2. What should I do about the "Allow users" bit? Just leave well alone for now?

> I have /home/martin/Desktop/Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd sitting on my desktop, downloaded, and supplied it to CUPS when installing the printer.
>
> The directory /usr/share/cups/model/ does not contain that ppd file. Should I just copy it into that directory?
>

You could certainly try it

$ sudo cp /home/martin/Desktop/Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd \
  /usr/share/cups/model/

Would do it

> I've tried copying the ppd file into /usr/share/cups/model/ and get the response:
>
> Error while copying to "/usr/share/cups/model".
> You do not have permissions to write to this folder.
>
> How do I get round this permissions problem?
>

Can you close some of these tickets, and leave just one open, it's getting
very confusing to follow them all.

OK, sorry. I was trying to break the problem up into manageable bits, hoping that someone might offer advice on one bit when they found the whole thing too complicated to bother with. Maybe not a good idea.

Summary of how things stand now.

1. I had installed my old Canon BJC 265-sp printer, apparently successfully, through CUPS, but it would not print test pages. The printer light flashed, and the paper started to feed as if preparing to print, but nothing more would happen.

2. One of the messages in the CUPS error log was E [10/Oct/2006:22:16:15 +1000] [cups-driverd] Unable to open "/usr/share/cups/model/Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd" - No such file or directory
I have copied Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd into the /usr/share/cups/model directory, but that makes no difference.

3. While I was trying to use the "allow users" feature in CUPS (in case the problem was that it didn't recognise me as an allowable user), CUPS "vanished" the printer. It came up with a message: "No printer installed". (Though, if you clicked on "Printers" in CUPS, it gave a page which should be a list of printers, blank, with the words "Showing 0 of 1 printer", as if it still had some record of a printer somewhere).

4. The printer was still shown on System>Administration>Printing, but would not even attempt to print a test page from there.

5. I deleted the printer from System>Administration>Printing.

6. I have reinstalled. I can't remember (sorry) how I previously negotiated the bit in CUPS where it asks you to choose "Device" from a list as follows:

App Socket/HP Jet Direct
Backend Error Handler
Bluetooth Printer
hp no_device_found
Internet Printing Protocol (http)
Internet Printing Protocol (ipp)
LPD/LPR Host or Printer
Windows printer via Samba

I chose LPD/LPR Host or Printer (just a stab in the dark). I then typed in the "Device URI" as canon:/dev/lp0 (because that is what it was on the previous installation).

Under "Driver", I chose Canon BJC-240, because the Canon BJC-265sp manual says: "The Canon BJC-265sp can use printer drivers designed for other printers and still be able to use most (if not all) of the BJC 265-sp's printer functions". The Canon BJC-240 is listed as no.3 of 27 alternative printer drivers.

CUPS now says:

Description: Canon BJC-265sp
Location: Parallel port
Make and Model: Canon BJC-240 Foomatic/bjc600 (recommended)
Printer State: processing, accepting jobs, published.
Device URI: canon:/dev/lp0

When I try to print a test page now, I don't even get the printer light flashing and the paper beginning to feed.

7. I would try a generic driver, only CUPS lists a wide range of generic drivers and I have no idea which one to choose.

8. Here is the latest CUPS error log:

E [14/Oct/2006:17:23:16 +1000] Creating missing directory "/var/run/cups/certs"
E [14/Oct/2006:19:13:38 +1000] Creating missing directory "/var/run/cups/certs"
E [14/Oct/2006:21:16:43 +1000] Purge-Jobs: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:21:16:47 +1000] Purge-Jobs: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:18:15 +1000] Purge-Jobs: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:18:19 +1000] Purge-Jobs: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:20:33 +1000] Creating missing directory "/var/run/cups/certs"
E [14/Oct/2006:22:23:14 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:23:17 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:23:27 +1000] PID 4961 (/usr/lib/cups/cgi-bin/printers.cgi) crashed on signal 9!
E [14/Oct/2006:22:23:43 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:29:24 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:35:01 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:36:32 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:36:51 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:42:25 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:22:46:15 +1000] cupsdAuthorize: Local authentication certificate not found!
 ... repeated lots and lots of times ...
E [14/Oct/2006:23:22:38 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:23:40:24 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [14/Oct/2006:23:48:39 +1000] Purge-Jobs: Unauthorized

9. What does all the "unauthorised" stuff mean? What can I do about it? What should I have done under the "Device" bit on CUPS? Does the "Device URI" canon:/dev/lp0 look right?

I tried the Epson LQ-850 driver, another one which the Canon manual says should work with the BJC-265sp. Same (lack of) result.

Error log entries:

E [15/Oct/2006:00:12:53 +1000] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [15/Oct/2006:00:14:42 +1000] Purge-Jobs: Unauthorized

http://www.bo.infn.it/alice/alice-doc/mll-doc/linux/advanced/node13.html

suggests that the "Device URI" should look quite different, and also suggests that I need to do commands to "restart CUPS". But I don't really understand it.

Should I reset the "Device URI"? To what?

And do I need to "restart CUPS"?

Could there be a problem in cupsd.conf? Does this cupsd.conf look ok?

#
#
# Sample configuration file for the Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS)
# scheduler. See "man cupsd.conf" for a complete description of this
# file.
#

# Log general information in error_log - change "info" to "debug" for
# troubleshooting...
LogLevel warning

# Administrator user group...
SystemGroup lpadmin

# Only listen for connections from the local machine.
# These settings are configured in /etc/cups/cups.d/ports.conf so that
# changing them does not require to change this file.
# Listen localhost:631
# Listen /var/run/cups/cups.sock

# Show shared printers on the local network.
# The 'Browsing' setting is configured in /etc/cups/cups.d/browse.conf
# so that changing it does not require to change this file.
# Browsing Off
BrowseOrder allow,deny
BrowseAllow @LOCAL
BrowseAddress @LOCAL

# Default authentication type, when authentication is required...
DefaultAuthType Basic

# Restrict access to the server...
<Location />
  Order allow,deny
  Allow localhost
  Allow @LOCAL
</Location>

# Restrict access to the admin pages...
<Location /admin>
  Order allow,deny
  Allow localhost
</Location>

# Restrict access to configuration files...
<Location /admin/conf>
  AuthType Basic
  Require user @SYSTEM
  Order allow,deny
  Allow localhost
</Location>

# Set the default printer/job policies...
<Policy default>
  # Job-related operations must be done by the owner or an adminstrator...
  <Limit Send-Document Send-URI Hold-Job Release-Job Restart-Job Purge-Jobs Set-Job-Attributes Create-Job-Subscription Renew-Subscription Cancel-Subscription Get-Notifications Reprocess-Job Cancel-Current-Job Suspend-Current-Job Resume-Job CUPS-Move-Job>
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>

  # All administration operations require an adminstrator to authenticate...
  <Limit Pause-Printer Resume-Printer Set-Printer-Attributes Enable-Printer Disable-Printer Pause-Printer-After-Current-Job Hold-New-Jobs Release-Held-New-Jobs Deactivate-Printer Activate-Printer Restart-Printer Shutdown-Printer Startup-Printer Promote-Job Schedule-Job-After CUPS-Add-Printer CUPS-Delete-Printer CUPS-Add-Class CUPS-Delete-Class CUPS-Accept-Jobs CUPS-Reject-Jobs CUPS-Set-Default>
    AuthType Basic
    Require user @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>

  # Only the owner or an administrator can cancel or authenticate a job...
  <Limit Cancel-Job CUPS-Authenticate-Job>
    Require user @OWNER @SYSTEM
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>

  <Limit All>
    Order deny,allow
  </Limit>
</Policy>

# Include files in /etc/cups/conf.d
Include /etc/cups/cups.d/ports.conf
Include /etc/cups/cups.d/browse.conf

#
#

According to http://www.linuxprinting.org/~till/printing-tutorial/tut.html#1_1_3

After clicking "Continue" you are asked for the "Device" for your queue. Choose the appropriate parallel or USB port. The entry should contain the model name of your printer.

I think that when I first (apparently) succeeded in setting up the printer, the CUPS options under "Device" did indeed include something which was recognisably my printer - and that is why I now don't know how to deal with those options, seeing only the baffling choices:

App Socket/HP Jet Direct
Backend Error Handler
Bluetooth Printer
hp no_device_found
Internet Printing Protocol (http)
Internet Printing Protocol (ipp)
LPD/LPR Host or Printer
Windows printer via Samba

In other words, CUPS has "lost" the ability to "see" the printer which it once had (though even then it could only "see" it and send messages sufficient to make the printer light flash, the paper begin to feed, etc., not messages sufficient to make it print anything).

How can I restore the ability of CUPS to "see" the printer?

By deleting the printer from CUPS and then restarting the machine, I got CUPS once again to "recognise" the printer.

It gives the options "Canon printer" and "Epson printer", and then does not ask for "Device".

I told CUPS to use the BJC-250 PPD again, and so CUPS once again shows:

Description: CANON
Location: Local Printer
Make and Model: Canon BJC-265SP Foomatic/bjc250gs (recommended)
Printer State: processing, accepting jobs, published.
Device URI: canon:/dev/lp0

And once again, when I try to print a test page, the printer light does flash, and the paper does begin to feed, showing that there is communication between the computer and printer. But it prints nothing. Back to square one.

CUPS error log this time round shows only:

E [15/Oct/2006:02:00:39 +1000] Purge-Jobs: Unauthorized

I could try running the printer with a generic driver, if someone can suggest which of the many generic drivers offered as options by CUPS might be right.

I've fixed it (for myself) by resetting the printer to emulate an Epson LQ 850, and downloading and installing the Epson LQ 850 PPD. Many thanks to Alan, Luca, Danny, and others who have helped over the last week or so.

So the problem is probably with Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd. Shouldn't this problem be flagged up somewhere? Can anyone tell me where?

It sounds like CUPS is looking in the wrong place for the ppd file when you use the Canon. If you look in the CUPS log file does it tell you where it's loading the LQ 850 driver from?

I am using Ubuntu 6.10 and note that the Canon driver is in /usr/share/ppd/linuxprinting.org-gs/Canon. I don't have 6.06 (dapper) handy so can't say where it is on that version other than pointing you at the packages.ubuntulinux.org site I did previously.

These are the references to PPD in the CUPS access log.

localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:02:04:12 +1000] "GET /ppd/Parallel_Port_1.ppd HTTP/1.1" 200 60174 - -
localhost - martin [15/Oct/2006:02:04:12 +1000] "GET /admin/?op=set-printer-options&printer_name=Parallel_Port_1 HTTP/1.1" 200 25558 - -
localhost - martin [15/Oct/2006:02:04:36 +1000] "GET /jobs/ HTTP/1.1" 200 0 - -
localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:02:04:36 +1000] "POST / HTTP/1.1" 200 438 Get-Jobs successful-ok

localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:21:27 +1000] "POST / HTTP/1.1" 200 7617 CUPS-Get-PPDs -
localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:21:27 +1000] "GET /admin?op=add-printer&PRINTER_NAME=Parallel_Port_1&PRINTER_LOCATION=Local+Printer&PRINTER_INFO=EPSON&DEVICE_URI=epson:/dev/lp0|EPSON HTTP/1.1" 200 9048 - -
localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:22:08 +1000] "POST /admin HTTP/1.1" 200 10320 - -
localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:22:10 +1000] "POST /admin/ HTTP/1.1" 401 8937 CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer successful-ok
localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:22:08 +1000] "POST /admin HTTP/1.1" 401 10320 - -
localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:22:08 +1000] "POST /admin HTTP/1.1" 200 10320 - -
localhost - martin [15/Oct/2006:14:22:12 +1000] "POST /admin HTTP/1.1" 200 10320 - -
localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:22:13 +1000] "POST /admin/ HTTP/1.1" 401 8937 CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer successful-ok
localhost - martin [15/Oct/2006:14:22:13 +1000] "POST /admin/ HTTP/1.1" 200 8937 CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer successful-ok
localhost - martin [15/Oct/2006:14:22:12 +1000] "POST /admin HTTP/1.1" 200 13821 - -
localhost - martin [15/Oct/2006:14:22:20 +1000] "GET /admin/?OP=set-printer-options&PRINTER_NAME=Parallel_Port_1 HTTP/1.1" 200 0 - -
localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:22:21 +1000] "GET /ppd/Parallel_Port_1.ppd HTTP/1.1" 200 8667 - -

localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:22:33 +1000] "GET /ppd/Parallel_Port_1.ppd HTTP/1.1" 200 8667 - -
localhost - - [15/Oct/2006:14:22:33 +1000] "POST /admin/ HTTP/1.1" 401 8885 CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer successful-ok
localhost - martin [15/Oct/2006:14:22:33 +1000] "POST /admin/ HTTP/1.1" 200 8885 CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer successful-ok
localhost - martin [15/Oct/2006:14:22:32 +1000] "POST /admin HTTP/1.1" 200 3695 - -

I find it hard to see how the problem can be CUPS looking in the wrong place for the Canon PPD.

1. I put the Epson and Canon PPDs in the same directory, /usr/share/cups/model. (In that directory because it's the place where CUPS in a previous message said it could not find the Canon PPD, and for no other reason).

2. First time round, I just had the Canon PPD on the desktop, and told CUPS to find it there in the installation. But (1) CUPS gave no indication of not being able to find it during installation; (2) On subsequent attempts - deleting the printer, and then letting CUPS find it again - I had already copied the Canon PPD into /usr/share/cups/model.

3. On those subsequent attempts, the CUPS error messages (when I tried to print) included no reference to being unable to find the PPD.

But this is just how it seems to me, and I'm very much a beginner with both Linux and CUPS, so I may well have missed something.

By the way, these are the files in /usr/cups/share/model, so it does seem to be a place where PPDs are supposed to be.

/usr/share/cups/model/cups-included
/usr/share/cups/model/custom
/usr/share/cups/model/gutenprint
/usr/share/cups/model/hpijs
/usr/share/cups/model/linuxprinting.org-gs-builtin
/usr/share/cups/model/Canon-BJC-265SP-bjc250gs.ppd
/usr/share/cups/model/Epson-LQ-850-lq850.ppd
/usr/share/cups/model/Generic-OAKT_Printer.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/Generic-ZjStream_Printer.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/HP-Color_LaserJet_1500.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/HP-Color_LaserJet_2600n.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/HP-LaserJet_1000.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/HP-LaserJet_1005.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/HP-LaserJet_1020.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/Minolta-Color_PageWorks_Pro_L.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/Minolta-magicolor_2200_DL.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/Minolta-magicolor_2300_DL.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/Minolta-magicolor_2430_DL.ppd.gz
/usr/share/cups/model/pxlcolor.ppd
/usr/share/cups/model/pxlmono.ppd

/usr/share/ppd also includes a raft of PPD files, including the Canon one (twice). I don't know what to make of this, but here's a listing.

/usr/share/ppd/cups-included
/usr/share/ppd/custom
/usr/share/ppd/gutenprint
/usr/share/ppd/hpijs
/usr/share/ppd/linuxprinting.org-gs-builtin

The Canon driver is in the /custom directory, and also in a /Canon directory within /linuxprinting.org-gs-builtin. The Epson driver is there in an /Epson directory within /linuxprinting.org-gs-builtin.

Those copies of the Canon and Epson PPDs are in addition to the copies in /usr/share/cups/model.