# Parallel port and printing

## mycroes

Hi there, I'm relatively new to Linux and especially to Gentoo. All is working fine, except that I now want to install my printer. I recompiled my kernel with support for parallel port (using make menuconfig), but I can't find a lp0 or lp1 anywhere and I don't have the idea anything has been found by Linux either... I followed the printer howto till the step modprobe printer as that one isn't working too... Can anyone tell me what I need to do to get my printer working? I think I might need to recompile the kernel again, but I don't know what other options I should set for lpt support...

Greetings,

Michael

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## mycroes

I forgot to say it's a HP Laserjet 5P, but I think this doesn't matter at this stage of installing...

Greetings,

Michael

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## Skubidoo

Don't forget to check "Character devices" ---> "Parallel printer support" and "Parallel port support" ---> "PC-style hardware", "IEEE 1284 transfer modes" if your printer supports them, I guess it does.

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## mycroes

I recompiled my kernel with all options you mentioned, but still nothing... One thing I noticed is that at starting up Gentoo is giving ttys0 and ttys1 an irq, my m8 told me Gentoo wouldn't necessaryly have to see them as lp0 and lp1 but can also be ttyx. Could it possibly be these are my lpt ports? Another thing I tried is using cat with 

```
cat test.txt > /dev/ttys0
```

 which leads to a message from bash permission denied. When I use modprobe printer it leads into "can't locate module printer", so I must be doing something wrong  :Rolling Eyes:   :Sad:  . Again, I hope someone can help me out...

Greetings,

vdM (very desperate Michael)

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## Skubidoo

I'm sorry for you, I experienced the same annoying problem and nobody could help me out either (all the options on, but no /dev/lp0). It's probably not much of a help but I made a make "$mrproper" in "/usr/src/linux", which removed all the old kernel settings, re-setup everything and recompiled the kernel. Maybe you should make sure that Gentoo is actually using the correct kernel, look where you put bzImage and check back with your lilo.conf file (if you're using it), it has to point to the bzImage file in your /boot directory. update it "$/sbin/lilo", reboot. Maybe you should also look that you have I2C support off, I read somewhere that it might interfere with your parallel port, just don't add too much other serial port stuff etc. that you won't ever need. It might be better to use the base config and configure the kernel step by step. To check if it worked type "$lsmod" and see whether there is an "lp" entry. Well maybe someone else has a better suggestion for this but that's what I did and parallelport printing is working nicely now.

Btw "$modprobe printer" does not need to show you a module, just use cups and foomatic as a driver. Well you've got a laserprinter, maybe you won't need it, but I don't know about laser printers...

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## PowerFactor

 *mycroes wrote:*   

> When I use modprobe printer it leads into "can't locate module printer", so I must be doing something wrong 

  printer is the usb printer module. You want lp.

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## mycroes

Thnx PowerFactor, I was wondering about that but nothing is said about lpt printers in the printer howto... For Skubidoo... As I said I'm relatively new to linux, and even someone I asked who knows some more about doesn't know where I can switch I2C support off... After compiling my kernel I copied it too /boot/bzImage, it worked before so I'm definately sure it uses the compiled kernel. Can you tell me some more about what you did? I really want to have my printer working again and if I can't get it to work with Gentoo I think I'll switch back to redhat again (but I really prefer gentoo so that would be a shame...)

Greetings,

Michael

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## PowerFactor

Well it's usually pretty straightforward.  Just enable "parallel port support" and "PC style hardware" under parallel ports" and "Paralel Printer Support" under character devices.  I make them modules but that's up to you.   If you make them modules then you should be able to modprobe lp then you should have /dev/lp0.  If you compile it in then you should just have /dev/lp0 on reboot, as long as you haven't compiled in anything that conflicts. "I2C Support" is under "Character Devices" in the kernel config.  I make "I2C support", "I2C device interface" and "I2C /proc interface" all as modules because you need them for lm_sensors.

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## mycroes

I think I made a big fuss about nothing... I didn't know I had to enable "parallel printer support" under character devices. I'm gonna recompile my kernel now, it usually takes about 3 hours (only pentium 100 with 32 mb ram). I hope it's gonna work now, I'll let you all know. Thanx in advance.

Greetings,

Michael

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## mycroes

Well as I told you I was making a big fuss about nothing, after recompiling my kernel yesterday it finallt detects my two lpt ports as lp0 and lp1. Now comes the next problem:

I can't get my printer configured with the printer howto on the Gentoo forum. Under RedHat Kudzu detected my printer was attached and everything just worked fine, without any user input it just did everything that was needed. Now I'm stuck at the point where I need to install my printer. I'm currently trying to set it up with cups, but does anyone knows anything that works better, and can explain me how to install it?

Greetings,

Michael

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