# issues with hplip

## SxN

Hi All,

In order to use two HP printers I decided to use hplip. But, I'm having problems:

```

# hp-setup

error: HPMUDEXT could not be loaded. Please check HPLIP installation.

```

Check what?

Thanks for your advise,

SxN

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## geki

I have net-print/hplip USE="dbus minimal ppds"

and then simply use cups to manage my printer.  :Smile: 

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## Wormo

I think "check HPLIP installation" refers to running hp-check utility. 

Also, try checking hplip contents to try to tell whether this library is missing or just is unable to be loaded.

Assuming you have app-portage/portage-utils installed,

```
qlist hplip | grep -i hpmudext
```

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## SxN

At first I tried emerging hplip with USE="ppds", but an attempt to run hp-setup gave a similar error, complaining of the impossibility to load another *EXT (I don't remember which one). Browsing the internet for a suggestion, I found on a Ubuntu forum that someone has solved his problem by "brute force": downloading and installing hplip from HP, and not with apt-get. So I unmerged my hplip and tried the same, ending up with the aforementioned error.

When I checked (eyeballed) the first missing extension (the one that I don't recall), I found in site-packages the binary library.

When I check now for hpmudext, in the same location, I find hpmudext.so and hpmudext.la.

When I try hp-check, I end up with the same error (HPMUDEXT could not be loaded...). If I run qlist, as indicated, I get nothing.

The installation package provided by HP comes with an install.py which is asking me close to the begining what kind of distro am I using, but Gentoo is not among the options.

What else should I check or try?

Thanks,

SxN

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## Wormo

qlist will not work at all with external software, so it's no wonder there were no results.

I recommend you uninstall the generic hplip and emerge hplip again, then try qlist again. Then, assuming you find hpmudext.so, use 'ldd' on it to see if there it refers to any missing libraries. I suspect there will be at least one, which would be a sign that it is time to run revdep-rebuild.

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## SxN

I uninstalled the generic hplip, performed a revdep-rebuild, ran USE="ppds" emerge hplip, and tried

```
# hp-setup

error: CUPSEXT could not be loaded. Please check HPLIP installation.
```

This is the original error that I wasn't remembering in my previous post. Then I continued with:

```
# hp-check

Checking PyQt version...

error: NOT FOUND OR FAILED TO LOAD!

Checking SIP version...

error: SIP not installed or version not found.

Checking for dependency: libnetsnmp-devel - SNMP networking library development files...

error: NOT FOUND! This is a REQUIRED dependency. Please make sure that this dependency is installed before installing or running HPLIP.

Checking for dependency: ppdev - Parallel port support kernel module....

error: NOT FOUND! This is a REQUIRED dependency. Please make sure that this dependency is installed before installing or running HPLIP.

Checking for dependency: PyQt - Qt interface for Python...

error: NOT FOUND! This is a REQUIRED dependency. Please make sure that this dependency is installed before installing or running HPLIP.

----------------------

| INSTALLED PRINTERS |

----------------------

warning: No queues found.

---------------------

| PYTHON EXTENSIONS |

---------------------

Checking 'cupsext' CUPS extension...

error: NOT FOUND OR FAILED TO LOAD! Please reinstall HPLIP and check for the proper installation of cupsext.

Checking 'pcardext' Photocard extension...

error: NOT FOUND OR FAILED TO LOAD! Please reinstall HPLIP and check for the proper installation of pcardext.

Checking 'hpmudext' I/O extension...

error: NOT FOUND OR FAILED TO LOAD! Please reinstall HPLIP and check for the proper installation of hpmudext.

-----------

| SUMMARY |

-----------

error: 8 errors and/or warnings.
```

Obviously there is more, but looks OK, so I skipped it.

SNMP is there, but I don't know if I really need it. I don't intend to share the printer over network. SIP is there as well. This two errors shouldn't be. ppdev, I don't need this one, as I don't plan to use any parallel printer. PyQt I don't think I need as I don't plan to manage the printer/printing through any other interface but the web server provided by CUPS.

One last piece:

```
# qlist hplip | grep cupsext

/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/cupsext.la

/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/cupsext.so

# qlist hplip | grep pcardext

/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/pcardext.la

/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/pcardext.so

# qlist hplip | grep hpmudext

/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/hpmudext.la

/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/hpmudext.so
```

Any ideas?

Thanks,

SxN

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## geki

if you want to manage your printer via cups you do not need to run hp-setup and USE="minimal" is ok, too.

it works here just fine.  :Surprised: 

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## SxN

geki,

I am a bit confused. I thought that hp-setup will help me with giving to CUPS the needed information on how to manage the printer(s), instead of me providing a driver and setting it up in CUPS.

I have two HPs: a DeskJet 970 Cse, and a DeskJet F4180, the second one has scanning capabilities as well. In my mind hplip should squeeze the most of them, but I intend to control printing via CUPS.

Am I on the right track?

SxN

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## geki

hplip provides ppd files that you use for cups.

behind the scene the hplip driver is used, afais.

at least my hp officejet pro L7600 has all its useful features, incl. duplex.

that is all.

well, for the scanning cups cannot help.

though, there is no problem to setup printing for now.  :Wink: 

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## SxN

Yes, I don't expect CUPS to help me with scanning. That's why I installed sane and xsane, hopefully they'll work well with hplip.

But hplip needs to be there, both for printing and for scanning (and, I guess, for faxing as well).

And here is where is my dilemma... hplip

SxN

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## SxN

Well, I'm one step ahead now, as CUPS found drivers (ppds?) for both printers. Both were showed as a generic USB #1  printer, and one with a cryptic serial number, both failed to work with the serial number, but started with USB #1.

hp-setup keeps refusing to work, with the same error (CUPSEXT cannot be loaded). hp-check knows about the two printers being available to CUPS, and complains (on top of what I already showed previously) the followings:

```
----------------------

| INSTALLED PRINTERS |

----------------------

HP_DeskJet_970Cse

-----------------

Type: Unknown

Installed in HPLIP?: No, not using the hp: or hpfax: CUPS backend.

Device URI: usb://HP/DESKJET%20970C?serial=MY01T160HZJQ

PPD: /etc/cups/ppd/HP_DeskJet_970Cse.ppd

PPD Description: HP DeskJet 970C Foomatic/hpijs (recommended)

Printer status: printer HP_DeskJet_970Cse is idle.  enabled since Thu Dec 11 14:10:57 2008

warning: Printer is not HPLIP installed. Printers must use the hp: or hpfax: CUPS backend to function in HPLIP.

HP_DeskJet_F4180

----------------

Type: Unknown

Installed in HPLIP?: No, not using the hp: or hpfax: CUPS backend.

Device URI: usb://HP/Deskjet%20F4100%20series?serial=CN74O2S0JR04TJ

PPD: /etc/cups/ppd/HP_DeskJet_F4180.ppd

PPD Description: HP DeskJet F4100 Foomatic/hpijs (recommended)

Printer status: printer HP_DeskJet_F4180 is idle.  enabled since Thu Dec 11 14:29:45 2008

warning: Printer is not HPLIP installed. Printers must use the hp: or hpfax: CUPS backend to function in HPLIP.

```

If I ignore this and keep printing the way I'm setup, do I miss anything essential?

F4180 is an all-in-one, and is supposed to work as a scanner too. But not so luck on me:

```
# sane-find-scanner

  # sane-find-scanner will now attempt to detect your scanner. If the

  # result is different from what you expected, first make sure your

  # scanner is powered up and properly connected to your computer.

  # No SCSI scanners found. If you expected something different, make sure that

  # you have loaded a kernel SCSI driver for your SCSI adapter.

  # Also you need support for SCSI Generic (sg) in your operating system.

  # If using Linux, try "modprobe sg".

  # No USB scanners found. If you expected something different, make sure that

  # you have loaded a kernel driver for your USB host controller and have setup

  # the USB system correctly. See man sane-usb for details.

  # SANE has been built without libusb support. This may be a reason

  # for not detecting USB scanners. Read README for more details.

  # Not checking for parallel port scanners.

  # Most Scanners connected to the parallel port or other proprietary ports

  # can't be detected by this program.

# sane-config --libs

-lsane -lpthread -lm  -ljpeg -ltiff -lieee1284 -ldl

```

Looks like libusb is indeed missing. I simply emerged sane, should have I used a certain flag?

Thanks for your help,

SxN

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