upgrade installer 3.12.11 contains programming errors

[Gerald Lovel]

Kubuntu, OS version Linux 3.5.0-23-generic, KDE SC Version 4.9.4

Bug 1:

     "Download in progress....180%" Acceptable only for the overachievers.

Bug 2:

     "System error: newline unexpected" So we are using Python, good; but we don't understand whitespace, bad.

Bug 3:

     "Upgrade is Completed" message is not followed by <OK>, window process does not terminate even with <Ctrl-C>.

[Sarbeswar Meher (sarbeswar-meher)]

Are you getting the same error now?

[Gerald Lovel (gerald-l)]

Downloaded and ran the current version installer (3.13...) and encountered
no errors. I had difficulty with some other issues:

   - I needed a URL to the download file to use with wget, since the
   installation was performed over ssh. Sourceforge seems to make this link
   retrieval difficult.
   - There has been a long-standing naming issue where documentation says
   the filename is hplip.run, but the actual file is hplip.bin, if I am
   remembering correctly.
   - Although I selected the installation option to remove the old version
   and install the new one, I noticed that "dpkg -l hplip" returned the same
   version number after installation. Maybe the remove step does not do
   "apt-get purge hplip"?

Gerald
<email address hidden>
901.276.1004

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 12:39 AM, Sarbeswar Meher <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Are you getting the same error now?
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1121149
>
> Title:
> upgrade installer 3.12.11 contains programming errors
>
> Status in HP Linux Imaging and Printing:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> Kubuntu, OS version Linux 3.5.0-23-generic, KDE SC Version 4.9.4
>
> Bug 1:
>
> "Download in progress....180%" Acceptable only for the
> overachievers.
>
> Bug 2:
>
> "System error: newline unexpected" So we are using Python, good;
> but we don't understand whitespace, bad.
>
> Bug 3:
>
> "Upgrade is Completed" message is not followed by <OK>, window
> process does not terminate even with <Ctrl-C>.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/hplip/+bug/1121149/+subscriptions
>

[Gerald Lovel (gerald-l)]

Following are notes about my experiences and impressions using HPLIP
updates. These notes are informational; you are not expected to respond.

One of my customers ran this on his Zentyal server. Using the (i) remove
and install option caused Zentyal to disable its Office --> Printer Sharing
management module. When the Printer Sharing module was reenabled in
Zentyal, it reinstalled the old version of HPLIP from repositories. Newer
printer definitions were retained, I think, but the new HPLIP code base was
reverted. Maybe (o) overwrite would be the better choice, but I haven't
tested all this?

I question whether the HPLIP installation procedure works correctly in an
Ubuntu repository environment. My impression is that the user installing
HPLIP is assumed to be an omniscient expert, and so very little guidance is
provided. On the other hand, I know perfectly well that no one reads
documentation anyway, so any guidance would have to be written into the
installer.

Mostly, I think I need HPLIP for missing and updated printer definitions,
and the code update itself is not that important. Could these two parts be
unbundled, providing a package for printer definitions separate from the
HPLIP management code which requires code compilation and so forth? This
might work better with the Ubuntu repository approach, as an updated set of
printer definitions might be generalized and not require compilation, and
could be applied as fixes to older versions of repositories.

Gerald
<email address hidden>
901.276.1004

On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 6:50 AM, Gerald Lovel <email address hidden> wrote:

> Downloaded and ran the current version installer (3.13...) and encountered
> no errors. I had difficulty with some other issues:
>
>
> - I needed a URL to the download file to use with wget, since the
> installation was performed over ssh. Sourceforge seems to make this link
> retrieval difficult.
> - There has been a long-standing naming issue where documentation says
> the filename is hplip.run, but the actual file is hplip.bin, if I am
> remembering correctly.
> - Although I selected the installation option to remove the old
> version and install the new one, I noticed that "dpkg -l hplip" returned
> the same version number after installation. Maybe the remove step does not
> do "apt-get purge hplip"?
>
>
> Gerald
> <email address hidden>
> 901.276.1004
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 12:39 AM, Sarbeswar Meher <
> <email address hidden>> wrote:
>
>> Are you getting the same error now?
>>
>> --
>> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
>> report.
>> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1121149
>>
>> Title:
>> upgrade installer 3.12.11 contains programming errors
>>
>> Status in HP Linux Imaging and Printing:
>> New
>>
>> Bug description:
>> Kubuntu, OS version Linux 3.5.0-23-generic, KDE SC Version 4.9.4
>>
>> Bug 1:
>>
>> "Download in progress....180%" Acceptable only for the
>> overachievers.
>>
>> Bug 2:
>>
>> "System error: newline unexpected" So we are using Python, good;
>> but we don't understand whitespace, bad.
>>
>> Bug 3:
>>
>> "Upgrade is Completed" message is not followed...

[Amarnath Chitumalla (amarnath-chitumalla)]

Hi Gerald,

Thank you for writing us.

1)Regarding HPLIP version information
-->HPLIP version information will be displayed in first line, when any of HPLIP command (hp-check, hp-toolbox, hp-setup etc) run.
e.g HP Linux Imaging and Printing System (Ver. 3.13.2 )
--> where as 'dpkg -l hplip', displays available package in repository.

2) Regarding existing Printer definitions for New HPLIP installation with "Remove and Install" option.
As per my understanding, print queue is not removed for existing printers. (Please let me know if it is different).
--> Reason for not removing the print queue is, user might have changed the settings according to requirement. If Installation removes the queue and setup new queue, user may loose his preferences.

3) Regarding updating only printer definitions.
--> Thank you for the suggestions, we will look into this.

Regards,
Amarnath

[Gerald Lovel (gerald-l)]

Hi,

I will go a little deeper into the explanation of point (2), regarding
"remove and install" on a Zentyal server.

Zentyal is a Windows server replacement based loosely on Ubuntu. The
Zentyal server is administered entirely through a web interface, even at
the console. Their administration backend app monitors packages and
configuration files on the server, and it maintains its own configuration
information in a separate redis database. When certain package changes
occur, such as removing HPLIP, Zentyal automatically "corrects" the server
configuration to match the new package status. As a result, when the
installer removes and installs HPLIP, printer sharing is disabled and
printer queue configurations are lost even though this is not the intent of
the HPLIP installer program. Ouch. One of my clients discovered this
peculiar bug, and fortunately he was sophisticated enough to understand
what happened and recover from this. When he turned Printer Sharing back on
in Zentyal, it proceeded to reinstall the HPLIP package from repositories.
Fortunately his printers worked again when he reinstated the queues.

This incident indicates the possible problems with "remove and install,"
particularly on servers as opposed to desktops. I thought you would like to
know what happened. My guess is that now, his server is running the older
HPLIP package but with updated printer definitions. This is what led me to
think that separating printer definitions from code might be a good thing.

Gerald
<email address hidden>
901.276.1004

On Thu, Mar 14, 2013 at 12:36 AM, Amarnath Chitumalla <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Hi Gerald,
>
> Thank you for writing us.
>
> 1)Regarding HPLIP version information
> -->HPLIP version information will be displayed in first line, when any of
> HPLIP command (hp-check, hp-toolbox, hp-setup etc) run.
> e.g HP Linux Imaging and Printing System (Ver. 3.13.2 )
> --> where as 'dpkg -l hplip', displays available package in repository.
>
> 2) Regarding existing Printer definitions for New HPLIP installation with
> "Remove and Install" option.
> As per my understanding, print queue is not removed for existing printers.
> (Please let me know if it is different).
> --> Reason for not removing the print queue is, user might have changed
> the settings according to requirement. If Installation removes the queue
> and setup new queue, user may loose his preferences.
>
> 3) Regarding updating only printer definitions.
> --> Thank you for the suggestions, we will look into this.
>
> Regards,
> Amarnath
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1121149
>
> Title:
> upgrade installer 3.12.11 contains programming errors
>
> Status in HP Linux Imaging and Printing:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> Kubuntu, OS version Linux 3.5.0-23-generic, KDE SC Version 4.9.4
>
> Bug 1:
>
> "Download in progress....180%" Acceptable only for the
> overachievers.
>
> Bug 2:
>
> "System error: newline unexpected" So we are using Python, good;
> but we don't understand whitespace, bad.
>
> Bug 3:
>
> "Upgrade is Completed" message is not followed...