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May 21, 2006

Suse 10.1 and Linksys WPS54G Print Server

I just figured out how to get our Linux machines here at the house to print to our Linksys WPS54G wireless print server using Suse 10.1. Since it works so well, I thought that I'd write up a how-to so that I can 1) teach others and 2) remember how the heck I did it should I ever have to do it again in the future. Keep in mind that we use Gnome here at the house, so if you're using KDE, I'm afraid that your out of luck. Sorry.

First, you need to configure the wireless print server to have a static IP address using the Web based interface on the device. Once this is done, you can move on to the printer configuration of your machine.

The Suse 10.1 Gnome Applications menu navigating to Printers.

By default, Suse 10.1 (and 10.0 if I remember correctly) installs CUPS and has an easy to use printer configuration tool. To get to this tool, you click on the Applications menu, followed by Utilities. Inside of this menu, you will see another option called Printing. Click on this option and three more options will appear. Click on Printers to continue. This will open the Printers window.

The Printers window, where you can add a new printer.

To add a new printer, simply double click on the "New Printer" icon to begin the process. This will open the "Add a Printer" wizard, which allows you to select either a locally attached printer or a network printer. Since this is a network print server, we're interested in the "Network Printer" option. When selecting Network Printer, the drop down menu to the right will be selectable, allowing you to select a network printing option. In this case, we're interested in using the CUPS Printer (IPP) option that is selected by default.

The "Add a Printer" wizard allows you to install printers on your machine.

Once you have selected "CUPS Printer (IPP)" option, you will be given an additional option to enter a URL. In this field, you will need to enter the following, replacing the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx with the static IP address of your network print server:

Once this has been done, you can click on the "Forward" button to continue. At this point, all you need to do to finish up the installation is to select a printer driver that either matches with your printer or is close enough in make/model number that it won't look like garbage when you print. Luckily, my HP printer is listed in the printer list, so it's 100% supported.

Once you've selected the printer, you'll be able to finish the installation. When this is done, a properties window for that printer will then open, allowing you to do a test print and make adjustments to your printer configuration.

~out...

Posted by ed at May 21, 2006 05:35 PM

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