cups-browsed does not pick up default printer

[Rüdiger Kupper]

If the printer server defines one of its printer queues as default (<DefaultPrinter ...> tag in printers.conf), cups-browsed ignores this. The printers.conf entries generated by cups-bowsed all have <Printer ...> tags.

This is a problem when the server defines a lot of queues and standard users do not know how to set the default printer themselves. Admins need a way to set the default for them.

Related bug (but slightly different issue): #1146407

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.10
Package: cups-browsed 1.0.40-0ubuntu1.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.11.0-19.33-generic 3.11.10.5
Uname: Linux 3.11.0-19-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.12.5-0ubuntu2.2
Architecture: amd64
CupsErrorLog: Error: [Errno 13] Keine Berechtigung: '/var/log/cups/error_log'
CurrentDmesg: Error: command ['sh', '-c', 'dmesg | comm -13 --nocheck-order /var/log/dmesg -'] failed with exit code 1: comm: /var/log/dmesg: Permission denied
Date: Mon Apr 28 16:02:36 2014
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-03-15 (44 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Edubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131016.1)
Lsusb:
 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0627:0001 Adomax Technology Co., Ltd
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
MachineType: Bochs Bochs
MarkForUpload: True
Papersize: a4
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.11.0-19-generic root=UUID=7df78838-bfc3-415a-9bc6-95e79f412d38 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: cups-filters
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 01/01/2011
dmi.bios.vendor: Bochs
dmi.bios.version: Bochs
dmi.chassis.type: 1
dmi.chassis.vendor: Bochs
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnBochs:bvrBochs:bd01/01/2011:svnBochs:pnBochs:pvr:cvnBochs:ct1:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Bochs
dmi.sys.vendor: Bochs

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

The broadcasting of remote printers is done via Bonjour since CUPS 1.6.x, and, unfortunately, the Bonjour broadcasts of CUPS do not contain any info about whether a printer is default printer on the server. Therefore I have reported a bug in CUPS upstream:

https://www.cups.org/str.php?L4412

This needs to get fixed first before I can add support for auto-setting the default printer in cups-browsed.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

See also bug 1146407.

[Rüdiger Kupper (ruediger.kupper)]

Thanks for passing this on! Your request on https://www.cups.org/str.php?L4412 makes the issue clear. Let's hope they'll fix it soon.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

The default printer bit was not included in the Bonjour broadcasts intentionally as it can get confusing if there is more than one server advertising printers.

See https://www.cups.org/str.php?L4412.

What you can do is marking any printer, the ones discovered by cups-browsed included, as default printer. As cups-browsed does not remove the local default printer when it shuts down (or when the printer disappears), the default setting once done stays conserved until changed.

Closing as "Won't fix"...