How to configure a printer on Guix System

How to configure a printer on Guix System

[Christophe Pisteur]

Hello,

I don't understand how to configure a printer on Guix System. 

I should configure the print service, as explain in the manual section
8.8.6, but I don't understand the procedure. I would probably need a
"how to".

Since now, I installed the following packages: cups, cups-filters,
fomatics-filters.

When I launch http: // localhost: 631 / in my browser, I receive this
information:
IceCat can’t establish a connection to the server at localhost: 631.


I want to install a Ricoh MPC 3003 printer with a ppd included in
openprinting.org:
https://www.openprinting.org/printer/Ricoh/Ricoh-MP_C3003
(MIT license)
It works on debian.

Thank you for your help.

Christophe

Re: How to configure a printer on Guix System

[Tobias Geerinckx-Rice]

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Christophe,

Christophe Pisteur 写道：
> Since now, I installed the following packages: cups, 
> cups-filters,
> fomatics-filters.
>
> When I launch http: // localhost: 631 / in my browser

So the important thing to (un)learn here is that installing Guix 
packages will never start random software in the background.  This 
is by design.

(Guix) System software is started by services that are part of 
your OPERATING-SYSTEM.  Here's part of my laptop's CUPS 
configuration:

  (use-service-modules ···
                       cups
                       ···)
  (operating-system
    (services
     (cons* ···
       (service cups-service-type
        (cups-configuration
         (extensions
          (list hplip-minimal
                ;; Required to display printer options,
                ;; even with IPP Everywhere everywhere.
                cups-filters
                ;; Other possible legacy drivers:
                ;; escpr foo2zjs foomatic-filters
                ;; hplip-minimal splix
                ))
         (server-name host-name)
         (host-name-lookups #t)
         (web-interface? #t)
         (default-paper-size "A4")
         ;; You get the idea.
         ···))
       ···
       %base-services-or-whatever)))

Adapt & add this to your system, run ‘sudo guix system 
reconfigure’, and you should be able to ‘herd start cups’ if it 
isn't automatically.  It will certainly be started at boot.

You should probably uninstall cups and the filter packages since 
they don't do what you thought they did, unless you want to keep 
them available in $PATH.

Kind regards,

T G-R

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Re: How to configure a printer on Guix System

[Christophe Pisteur]

Le vendredi 15 mai 2020 à 17:33 +0200, Tobias Geerinckx-Rice a écrit :
> Christophe,
> 
> Christophe Pisteur 写道：
> > Since now, I installed the following packages: cups, 
> > cups-filters,
> > fomatics-filters.
> > When I launch http: // localhost: 631 / in my browser
> 
> So the important thing to (un)learn here is that installing Guix 
> packages will never start random software in the background.  This 
> is by design.
> 
> (Guix) System software is started by services that are part of 
> your OPERATING-SYSTEM.  Here's part of my laptop's CUPS 
> configuration:
> 
>   (use-service-modules ···
>                        cups
>                        ···)
>   (operating-system
>     (services
>      (cons* ···
>        (service cups-service-type
>         (cups-configuration
>          (extensions
>           (list hplip-minimal
>                 ;; Required to display printer options,
>                 ;; even with IPP Everywhere everywhere.
>                 cups-filters
>                 ;; Other possible legacy drivers:
>                 ;; escpr foo2zjs foomatic-filters
>                 ;; hplip-minimal splix
>                 ))
>          (server-name host-name)
>          (host-name-lookups #t)
>          (web-interface? #t)
>          (default-paper-size "A4")
>          ;; You get the idea.
>          ···))
>        ···
>        %base-services-or-whatever)))

Thank you for the explanation and for sharing this configuration. My
problem is that I still don't understand guix well enough: I don't know
in which file to write this configuration of cups (name and path), nor
with what tool to define it (nano, terminal, etc.).

Perhaps I do not have enough computer background to use guix to date.
It does not matter, I will eventually learn over time, not to mention
that some functions will be automated with the evolution of the
project, as is the case for the graphic installation.

Christophe

> Adapt & add this to your system, run ‘sudo guix system 
> reconfigure’, and you should be able to ‘herd start cups’ if it 
> isn't automatically.  It will certainly be started at boot.
> 
> You should probably uninstall cups and the filter packages since 
> they don't do what you thought they did, unless you want to keep 
> them available in $PATH.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> T G-R

Re: How to configure a printer on Guix System

[Marius Bakke]

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Christophe Pisteur <christophe.pisteur@fsfe.org> writes:

> Le vendredi 15 mai 2020 à 17:33 +0200, Tobias Geerinckx-Rice a écrit :
>> Christophe,
>> 
>> Christophe Pisteur 写道：
>> > Since now, I installed the following packages: cups, 
>> > cups-filters,
>> > fomatics-filters.
>> > When I launch http: // localhost: 631 / in my browser
>> 
>> So the important thing to (un)learn here is that installing Guix 
>> packages will never start random software in the background.  This 
>> is by design.
>> 
>> (Guix) System software is started by services that are part of 
>> your OPERATING-SYSTEM.  Here's part of my laptop's CUPS 
>> configuration:
>> 
>>   (use-service-modules ···
>>                        cups
>>                        ···)
>>   (operating-system
>>     (services
>>      (cons* ···
>>        (service cups-service-type
>>         (cups-configuration
>>          (extensions
>>           (list hplip-minimal
>>                 ;; Required to display printer options,
>>                 ;; even with IPP Everywhere everywhere.
>>                 cups-filters
>>                 ;; Other possible legacy drivers:
>>                 ;; escpr foo2zjs foomatic-filters
>>                 ;; hplip-minimal splix
>>                 ))
>>          (server-name host-name)
>>          (host-name-lookups #t)
>>          (web-interface? #t)
>>          (default-paper-size "A4")
>>          ;; You get the idea.
>>          ···))
>>        ···
>>        %base-services-or-whatever)))
>
> Thank you for the explanation and for sharing this configuration. My
> problem is that I still don't understand guix well enough: I don't know
> in which file to write this configuration of cups (name and path), nor
> with what tool to define it (nano, terminal, etc.).

Guix is deceptively simple.  This goes in your /etc/config.scm, like any
other system-level change.  You probably already have a (services ...)
in there: the challenge is to sew in the stanza provided by Tobias with
your existing configuration.

Afterwards you need to run 'guix system reconfigure /etc/config.scm'.

> Perhaps I do not have enough computer background to use guix to date.
> It does not matter, I will eventually learn over time, not to mention
> that some functions will be automated with the evolution of the
> project, as is the case for the graphic installation.

You should not need a computer background to use Guix.  In fact _no_
background may be better, as Guix is radically different from any other
operating system you may have used (unless you come from NixOS).

The only thing required is patience to read the manual, and the courage
to ask on IRC or mailing lists if you get stuck.  :-)

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Re: How to configure a printer on Guix System

[Christophe Pisteur]

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Le samedi 16 mai 2020 à 15:27 +0200, Marius Bakke a écrit :
> Christophe Pisteur <christophe.pisteur@fsfe.org> writes:
> 
> > Le vendredi 15 mai 2020 à 17:33 +0200, Tobias Geerinckx-Rice a
> > écrit :
> > > Christophe,
> > > 
> > > (...)
> > > (Guix) System software is started by services that are part of 
> > > your OPERATING-SYSTEM.  Here's part of my laptop's CUPS 
> > > configuration:
> > > 
> > >   (use-service-modules ···
> > >                        cups
> > >                        ···)
> > >   (operating-system
> > >     (services
> > >      (cons* ···
> > >        (service cups-service-type
> > >         (cups-configuration
> > >          (extensions
> > >           (list hplip-minimal
> > >                 ;; Required to display printer options,
> > >                 ;; even with IPP Everywhere everywhere.
> > >                 cups-filters
> > >                 ;; Other possible legacy drivers:
> > >                 ;; escpr foo2zjs foomatic-filters
> > >                 ;; hplip-minimal splix
> > >                 ))
> > >          (server-name host-name)
> > >          (host-name-lookups #t)
> > >          (web-interface? #t)
> > >          (default-paper-size "A4")
> > >          ;; You get the idea.
> > >          ···))
> > >        ···
> > >        %base-services-or-whatever)))
> > 
> > Thank you for the explanation and for sharing this configuration.
> > My
> > problem is that I still don't understand guix well enough: I don't
> > know
> > in which file to write this configuration of cups (name and path),
> > nor
> > with what tool to define it (nano, terminal, etc.).
> 
> Guix is deceptively simple.  This goes in your /etc/config.scm, like
> any other system-level change.  You probably already have a (services
> ...) in there: the challenge is to sew in the stanza provided by
> Tobias with your existing configuration.
> 
> Afterwards you need to run 'guix system reconfigure /etc/config.scm'.
> 
> > Perhaps I do not have enough computer background to use guix to
> > date. It does not matter, I will eventually learn over time, not to
> > mention that some functions will be automated with the evolution of
> > the project, as is the case for the graphic installation.
> 
> You should not need a computer background to use Guix.  In fact _no_
> background may be better, as Guix is radically different from any
> other operating system you may have used (unless you come from
> NixOS).
> 
> The only thing required is patience to read the manual, and the
> courage to ask on IRC or mailing lists if you get stuck.  :-)

Hello, 

Thank you for the detailed explanations. I'm almost there:
- I modified the file /etc/config.scm according to the indications of 
Tobias G-R, added (gnu packages cups) in "use-modules", then performed
"guix reconfigure /etc/config.scm" and after restarting, I was able to
access the web interface of cups (http://localhost:631/).
- I added my network printer, used the ppd file from openprinting.org, 
and the printer is recognized.
- when I print the test page, the cups web interface says that the 
connection with the printer is established, but the printing fails due 
to the error: "Filter failed".

In attached document, my config.scm file to know if it contains an
error and which filters are installed. 

Any idea?

Christophe

[-- Attachment #2: config.scm --]
[-- Type: text/x-scheme, Size: 1779 bytes --]

;; This is an operating system configuration generated
;; by the graphical installer.

(use-modules (gnu) (gnu packages cups))
(use-service-modules desktop networking ssh xorg cups)

(operating-system
  (locale "fr_CH.utf8")
  (timezone "Europe/Zurich")
  (keyboard-layout (keyboard-layout "ch" "fr"))
  (host-name "t400")
  (users (cons* (user-account
                  (name "christophe")
                  (comment "Christophe Pisteur")
                  (group "users")
                  (home-directory "/home/christophe")
                  (supplementary-groups
                    '("wheel" "netdev" "audio" "video")))
                %base-user-accounts))
  (packages
    (append
      (list (specification->package "nss-certs"))
      %base-packages))
  (services
    (append
      (list (service gnome-desktop-service-type)
            (service openssh-service-type)
            (set-xorg-configuration
              (xorg-configuration
                (keyboard-layout keyboard-layout)))
            (service cups-service-type
              (cups-configuration
                (extensions
                  (list cups-filters hplip-minimal))
                (server-name host-name)
                (host-name-lookups #t)
                (web-interface? #t)
                (default-paper-size "A4"))))               
      %desktop-services))
  (bootloader
    (bootloader-configuration
      (bootloader grub-bootloader)
      (target "/dev/sda")
      (keyboard-layout keyboard-layout)))
  (swap-devices (list "/dev/sda1"))
  (file-systems
    (cons* (file-system
             (mount-point "/")
             (device
               (uuid "bfbee58e-496c-4f01-8b8a-2959c505c936"
                     'ext4))
             (type "ext4"))
           %base-file-systems)))

Re: How to configure a printer on Guix System

[Christophe Pisteur]

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After several random tests, I found what prevents printing and displays
the error message "filter failed" in the web interface of cups: 

The ppd file I used uses the postscript language, but if I use the ppd
file in PDF language, printing works:

Ricoh-MP_C3003-PDF-Ricoh.ppd: "ok"
Ricoh-MP_C3003-Postscript-Ricoh.ppd: "filter failed"

Since openprinting offers both ppd files, that's okay, but I would find
it useful to know if there is anything to specify in the guix
configuration file for postscript ppd to work.

Attachment: config.scm

[-- Attachment #2: config.scm --]
[-- Type: text/x-scheme, Size: 1779 bytes --]

;; This is an operating system configuration generated
;; by the graphical installer.

(use-modules (gnu) (gnu packages cups))
(use-service-modules desktop networking ssh xorg cups)

(operating-system
  (locale "fr_CH.utf8")
  (timezone "Europe/Zurich")
  (keyboard-layout (keyboard-layout "ch" "fr"))
  (host-name "t400")
  (users (cons* (user-account
                  (name "christophe")
                  (comment "Christophe Pisteur")
                  (group "users")
                  (home-directory "/home/christophe")
                  (supplementary-groups
                    '("wheel" "netdev" "audio" "video")))
                %base-user-accounts))
  (packages
    (append
      (list (specification->package "nss-certs"))
      %base-packages))
  (services
    (append
      (list (service gnome-desktop-service-type)
            (service openssh-service-type)
            (set-xorg-configuration
              (xorg-configuration
                (keyboard-layout keyboard-layout)))
            (service cups-service-type
              (cups-configuration
                (extensions
                  (list cups-filters hplip-minimal))
                (server-name host-name)
                (host-name-lookups #t)
                (web-interface? #t)
                (default-paper-size "A4"))))               
      %desktop-services))
  (bootloader
    (bootloader-configuration
      (bootloader grub-bootloader)
      (target "/dev/sda")
      (keyboard-layout keyboard-layout)))
  (swap-devices (list "/dev/sda1"))
  (file-systems
    (cons* (file-system
             (mount-point "/")
             (device
               (uuid "bfbee58e-496c-4f01-8b8a-2959c505c936"
                     'ext4))
             (type "ext4"))
           %base-file-systems)))