Re: pesky and persistent "driverless" Brother MFC-9340CDW
On Fri 04 Aug 2017 at 14:09:25 -0400, Jape Person wrote:
> On 08/04/2017 06:37 AM, Brian wrote:
> >On Thu 03 Aug 2017 at 21:39:43 -0400, Jape Person wrote:
> >
> >>A few weeks ago a CUPS upgrade to our Debian testing systems
> >>started showing a new driver for our Brother MFC-9340CDW in print
> >>dialogs and in the CUPS printer list and in the
> >>system-config-printer utility.
> >>
> >>You'd think that was good news, but we've been unable to find any
> >>way to make the queue for this "driverless" instance of the printer
> >>function properly.
> >
> >It *is* good news. The printer was set up automatically, something people
> >have been asking for for years. No non-free drives, either. A
> >pity about the printout. That shouldn't happen, The cause would need
> >to be looked at. Maybe the printer is non-conforming to IPP Everywhere.
>
> Well, it *would* be good news if it actually produced usable output. As
> things stand right now, it's merely a way to waste time, paper, and toner.
I thought you would say that, and it is very reasonable to express such
sentiments. But where is your ire aimed at? Not at Brother, as far as I
can see. What do they say? Somebody there must have some knowledge about
IPP specifications. Maybe they are not aware that one of their printers
sets resolution to 600x2 dpi. Have you told them?
(I am assumimg you are seeing fallout from #868360 and this is the cause
of your frustration).
> I'll admit I was tickled when I saw that there was a driver specifically for
> this printer, and then not tickled when it didn't work but wouldn't go away.
cups-browsed detects printers or print queues. Its job is to keep them
visible; why else should it exist? You control visibility from its conf
file. If you try to delete a printer or print queue cups-browsed gets
upset and reinstates it. Perfectly normal if you think about it.
> >>The only way we can print with this printer is to do what we were
> >>doing before the new "driverless" instance of the printer showed
> >>up. We add a printer to the system via system-config-printer or the
> >>CUPS Web browser dialog and deliberately select the Brother
> >>MFC-9320CW Foomatic or Brother Script-3 driver. (That's not a typo.
> >>I'm deliberately choosing a different model.) Both of those PPDs
> >>work. I have to provide a deliberately altered name for this
> >>instance so users can tell it from the one that doesn't work.
> >
> >Brother provides software for this printer.
> >
> >http://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=gb&lang=en \
> >&prod=mfc9340cdw_all \
> >&_ga=2.149781630.955111390.1501838613-23812213.1497304959&os=128
> >
> >(URL line broken for readability).
> >
>
> When I first got the printer I updated its firmware. This isn't as easy as
> you might think. You have to have a Windows or Mac computer to perform the
> update, and I didn't own one. I purchased a little Windows 10 gizmo from
> SimplyNUC so that I could do this update, and so that I could perform
> firmware updates on a couple of GPS devices.
I have never thought updating printer firmware was easy or even possible
from Linux. No Windows or Mac here either. I'll look at SimplyNUC.
Thanks.
> I also tried the proprietary software, just for grins. I never intended to
> use anything other than what's in the official repos on my Debian systems.
> The helter-skelter way the driver installation directions were written and
> the absolutely hilarious hodge-podge of license notices and balky scripts
> was kind of horrifying. But I'll admit that everything worked, once I weeded
> out the inappropriate directions and fixed the installation. And I
> appreciated that all was installed in a manner that made it easy to remove.
>
> The functionality of the proprietary printer driver was no better than that
> of the MFC-9320CW driver from CUPS, other than it included the ability to
> monitor toner levels. But all of that sort of stuff is readily available via
> the Web interface of the printer.
>
> Since I have workaround, I can't bring myself to re-install the proprietary
> driver. I do have to use the Web interface to see the maintenance
> information, and I have to get scans via my wife's Android tablet. But I
> just found the proprietary drivers to be icky.
I mentioned the Brother software merely to inform that it exists, not to
recommend it. Driverless printing is the way to go and the future (give
or take printer bugs).
> >>The particularly annoying thing about this situation is that I
> >>cannot delete the "driverless" instance of the printer from CUPS /
> >>system-config-printer. The instant it is deleted, it is
> >>automatically re-detected and added back to the printer list. But
> >>anyone who chooses to print to it is going to get a distorted or
> >>garbled printout.
> >>
> >>I was able to set a policy in the instance so that only root can
> >>print to it, so a regular user isn't going to waste time and paper.
> >>Still, it would be nicer if I could turn off the advertisement that
> >>the printer and the operating system is providing for the
> >>"driverless" instance.
> >
> >"CreateIPPPrinterQueues No" in cups-browsed.conf. Or switch off
> >Bonjour broadcasting (AirPrint) on the printer.
> >
>
> Hmmm. I turned off AirPrint through the Web interface right from the
> beginning. I just checked it again, and the interface indicates that
> AirPrint is turned off.
>
> I'll go further down this path if other tactics don't work.
Without AirPrint enabled (and maybe IPP) cups-browsed is unable to
detect the printer. (Is this another printer bug? :) )
> Thank you so much for your time and effort. I didn't think of looking in
> cups-browsed.conf because I thought turning off AirPrint should have done
> the job.
So "CreateIPPPrinterQueues No" makes the ptinter invisible?
--
Brian.
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