# parallel printer has gone (kernel 2.6.9-rc3 and rc4)

## piewie

After a kernel upgrade from 2.6.7 to 2.6.9-r3 my parallel printer (Brother HL 1430) has disappeared. Same thing with rc4. Starting 2.6.7 makes printer available again. The .config file is the same on all three kernels. The printer never made any problems before.  

Tom

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## NeddySeagoon

piewie,

How do you mean  *Quote:*   

> The .config file is the same on all three kernels

 You must at least run 

```
make oldconfig
```

when you move a config file from one kernel to another.

That prompts you to answer the new questions and ensures you have a valid config for the kernel you want to build.

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## piewie

After make oldconfig resulted in the printer problems, then compiling parport in the kernel, then compiling parport as modul again I used the "Load an Alternate Configuration File" - Option (which has never been a problem). But all with no success.

Tom

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## Yanaar

I also found out that my parallel printer vanished, don't know when, because I do not print very often.

I then got the idea that I might lack the /dev/lp0 and I was right.

So I wrote

lp

parport

parport_pc

in my /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6 and now it works, allthough I do not know, 

why once the modules are loaded and create the neccessary nodes in /dev without theses entries.

Maybe this helps   :Very Happy: 

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## piewie

I already have the necessarry entry for the modules. The printer worked perfectly for the last 20 compiled kernels (2.6.0-betaxy - 2.6.7-mm4).

Then I changed to 2.6.9-rc3 and the problems began.

Tom

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## matador

You need to: 'modprobe lp' if you didn't already do it.

Did you do make modules_install and the rest?

Double check: http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/printing-howto.xml . 

Does 'cat test.txt > /dev/lp0' work?

Error messages when loading module?

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## piewie

Yesterday my trials resulted in:

dmesg | grep lp0

lp: driver loaded but no devices found

cat log.txt > /dev/lp0

bash: /dev/lp0: No such device or address

But /dev/lp0 is there. I made it with  mknode 6 c 0 

TomLast edited by piewie on Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:35 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## matador

That's odd. The lp0 is the key to the problem. 

In device drivers - character devices do you have parallel printer support enabled? I missed that one once. Otherwise it's just to check:

Parallel port support

PC-style hardware

Multi-IO cards

Support for foreign hardware

IEEE 1284 transfer mode

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## piewie

<M> Parallel port support

<M> PC-style hardware

<M> Multi-IO cards - not available in 2.6.9-rc4 

        has never been necessary for my printer

[  ]  Support for foreign hardware

        has never been necessary for my printer

<*>IEEE 1284 transfer mode

Modules are autoloaded. The configuration is the same as many times before, where the printer was working.

 Tom

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## matador

It could be a bug since you're going with a beelding edge kernel. For me I usually missed something. lsmod and dmesg helps. But if the lp module can't find the device I would check the cables/power first of all. I don't know why but something tells me this should be picked up in BIOS first of all (check there too).  After that I would even copy/move the config and do a make clean and see if I that helps.

I hope you figure it out, I got to go to a theatre now. Good Luck!

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## piewie

Printer is back again with kernel 2.6.9-rc4-mm1 with same configuration file as before, but still not useable.

Tom

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## Gavrila

 *piewie wrote:*   

> Printer is back again with kernel 2.6.9-rc4-mm1 with same configuration file as before, but still not useable.
> 
> Tom

 

it seems to me I got problems too with same kernel and parallel printer; can u print cups test page?

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## piewie

 *Quote:*   

> can u print cups test page?

 

I couldn't. But now I can: it seems that there is also a bug in kde 3.3. The configuration with Printing Manager results in a printer, that cannot print test pages. 

Using foomatic-configure results in a perl error message, but the printer is useable and can print test pages.

I try to find the kernel versions, that work correctly. Perhaps You can do so to. I made a bug report in the kernel mailing list. They want to know, with which kernel version the problem began and when it ends.

TomLast edited by piewie on Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:14 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## piewie

Ok, affected kernels are 2.6.9-rc2, rc-3 and rc-4,

kernel versions with correct parallel printer implementation are 2.6.9-rc1 and 2.6.9-rc4-mm1 (self tested) 

And I heard that 2.6.9 final also can't find the parallel printer. 

Tom

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## wnelson

I had the same problem now it works with the following.

 <M> Parallel port support                                     

 <M>   PC-style hardware                                     

 <M>     Multi-IO cards (parallel and serial)                 

       [ ]     Use FIFO/DMA if available (EXPERIMENTAL)            

       [ ]     SuperIO chipset support (EXPERIMENTAL)              

       [ ] Support foreign hardware                                 

 [*] IEEE 1284 transfer modes 

-- Character devices                      

<M> Parallel printer support

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