Error on printing : "No %%Pages: comment in header!"

[Mathieu Marquer]

Binary package hint: cupsys

Using Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex up-to-date as of Oct 21st 2008, with :
cupsys 1.3.9-2
cupsys-pdf 2.4.8-1ubuntu1

Summary of my problem :

I had installed Ubuntu Intrepid when alpha 5 was released. I then installed hplip manually from hplip website, and then installed my HP printer both via network and directly connected to USB. I also installed cups-pdf.

When I was printing on my printer via USB or on the PDF printer, everything was fine. But when I wanted to print via my network (JetDirect server on my router), nothing was coming from the printer and its status in the printing menu on GNOME was "no %%Pages: comment in header!". I thought that I broke something with hplip, so I reinstalled all Ubuntu intrepid (with a new /home directory) 3 days ago.

This time, I didn't install hplip manually, I just used the hplip package in the ubuntu repo. Both networking printing and USB printing are working fine. But tonight, I wanted to use the PDF printer from cups-pdf and... the "no %%Pages: comment in header!" is back, but this time only with the PDF printer (remember : it used to work fine with my previous installation).

Here is what /var/log/cups/error_log says :
E [21/Oct/2008:21:34:32 +0200] PID 7324 (/usr/lib/cups/backend/cups-pdf) stopped with status 5!
E [21/Oct/2008:21:34:32 +0200] [Job 5] No %%BoundingBox: comment in header!
E [21/Oct/2008:21:34:32 +0200] [Job 5] No %%Pages: comment in header!

In dmesg :
[ 965.478718] type=1503 audit(1224617672.714:20): operation="capable" name="dac_override" pid=7324 profile="/usr/lib/cups/backend/cups-pdf"

Also in /var/log/cups/cups-pdf_log (mathieu is my login) :
Tue Oct 21 21:34:32 2008 [ERROR] failed to create directory (/home/mathieu/PDF)
Tue Oct 21 21:34:32 2008 [ERROR] failed to create user output directory (/home/mathieu/PDF)

Of course I didn't touch anything in the default installation and in the default configuration of Ubuntu.

Please let me know if you need additionnal informations.

[Mathieu Marquer (slasher-fun)]

Problem is back with printing over network...

[11660.213771] type=1503 audit(1224795437.229:19): operation="inode_permission" requested_mask="::rw" denied_mask="::rw" fsuid=7 name="/dev/tty" pid=20997 profile="/usr/sbin/cupsd"

[Aleksander Morgado (aleksander-m)]

I have also the "No %%Pages: comment in header!" message when trying to print with remote HP printers (configured with CUPS using JetDirect).

Last messages in error_log from CUPS:

aleksander@wzt-dev002:~$ sudo tail -1000 /var/log/cups/error_log
E [06/Nov/2008:11:28:22 +0100] [Job 3] No %%BoundingBox: comment in header!
E [06/Nov/2008:11:28:22 +0100] [Job 3] No %%Pages: comment in header!
E [06/Nov/2008:12:11:35 +0100] [Job 4] No %%BoundingBox: comment in header!
E [06/Nov/2008:12:11:35 +0100] [Job 4] No %%Pages: comment in header!
E [06/Nov/2008:12:12:25 +0100] [Job 5] No %%BoundingBox: comment in header!
E [06/Nov/2008:12:12:25 +0100] [Job 5] No %%Pages: comment in header!
E [06/Nov/2008:12:21:18 +0100] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [06/Nov/2008:12:21:28 +0100] CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer: Unauthorized
E [06/Nov/2008:12:21:28 +0100] PID 16359 (/usr/lib/cups/filter/cpdftocps) crashed on signal 9!
E [06/Nov/2008:12:21:28 +0100] PID 16369 (/usr/lib/cups/backend/socket) crashed on signal 9!
E [06/Nov/2008:12:21:28 +0100] [Job 5] No %%BoundingBox: comment in header!
E [06/Nov/2008:12:21:28 +0100] [Job 5] No %%Pages: comment in header!

[Steve (x-launchpad-net-runway-ch)]

Also affects me. No printing with remote HP printers. Scanning works perfect. Communication seems to be ok.

[Mitchell Surface (msurface)]

This is effecting me as well. Printing worked under Hardy so I don't believe it's a hardware issue. I've attached the troubleshooting output from CUPS.

[Alain EMPAIN (alain-empain-br)]

Hello,

I confirm, my network printing to HP K5400 was working before the Ibex upgrade.
Now I got the 'No %%BoundingBox: comment in header!' message, and the debugging help does not help much.

Seing the previous remark : 'failed to create directory (/home/mathieu/PDF)', I took a look at my /home/alain/PDF directory :
        drwx------ 2 alain alain 4096 2008-08-04 12:05 PDF
So, it was created by the Hardy Heron install.

I changed it to 777, and now the debugging aid said that the <B>hpijs package was missing</B>

After 'apt-get install hpijs', my printing is now working (but the 'No %%BoundingBox' warning is yet diplayed).

Hoping to have helped,

Alain

[Alain EMPAIN (alain-empain-br)]

Hello,

today, after a cusp upgrade asking for resetting my apparmor config, the printing is dead again.

The 2008-11-10, I forget to note that I did
    sudo aa-complain cupsd
    -> Setting /usr/sbin/cupsd to complain mode.

Today, I executed again this command against apparmor config, and the printing is now functional again

Regards,

Alain

[Aleksander Morgado (aleksander-m)]

After last Cups update some days ago, I didn't have this "No %%Pages: comment in header!" error again.

[Kees Cook (kees)]

Okay, thanks for the report; marking this as solved.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Alain EMPAIN, you are hitting a problem of CUPS' AppArmor configuration. Please open a new bug on the "cups" package and post your /var/log/syslog (at least the lines containing "audit") there. For getting the "audit" lines you do not need to return to enforce mode, they appear also in complain mode.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Stephan Wüthrich, there is also a problem of permissions of the CUPS backends. This will be addressed soon in another update of CUPS. For immediate help try

sudo chmod 700 /usr/lib/cups/filter/ipp
sudo chmod 700 /usr/lib/cups/filter/http
sudo chmod 700 /usr/lib/cups/filter/lpd

Does it work with this workaround?