Sharing of cups-pdf queues into the network does not work

[Thomas Wach]

While printing from a windows client in a VirtualBox to http://{ip-of-cups-host}:631/printers/PDF no PDF-document is created anymore. Printing locally to printer PDF works.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: cups-pdf 2.5.1-7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-14.23-generic 3.0.9
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-14-generic i686
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Dec 9 20:01:36 2011
Lpstat:
 device for CLX-3170: usb://Samsung/CLX-3170%20Series
 device for PDF: cups-pdf:/
Papersize: a4
PpdFiles:
 CLX-3170: Samsung CLX-3175 Foomatic/foo2qpdl (recommended)
 PDF: Generic CUPS-PDF Printer
SourcePackage: cups-pdf
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-10-16 (54 days ago)

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Are you printing to the same username as on the Windows host or to Samba guest user?

[Thomas Wach (th.wach)]

I am printing as windows user "Administrator", this is unknown to the unix host. The pdf files were saved to /var/spool/cups-pdf/ANONYMOUS/ before.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

They should still be saved there. That hasn't changed.

Can you follow the instructions of the sections "CUPS error_log" and "Capturing print job data" of <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingPrintingProblems> and attach the resulting files uncompressed and as separate attachments?

[Thomas Wach (th.wach)]

Here comes the required information.
First a file "console.txt", that's what I've done.
Second "/var/log/cups/error_log" (while in debug mode)
Third the postscript file, that was created by printing the windows testpage.

[Thomas Wach (th.wach)]

/var/log/cups/error_log

[Thomas Wach (th.wach)]

/var/spool/cups/d00362-001 saved as ~/printout

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Any form of printing from the network to a cups-pdf printer does not work as it cannot be determined into which user's ~/PDF directory the resulting PDF should get dropped.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

cups-pdf is under control of AppArmor. Have you checked whether access to /var/spool/cups-pdf/ANONYMOUS/ is perhaps blocked by AppArmor? Please look for messages containing "audit" in /var/log/syslog. Try

aa-complain cupsd

to see whether PDFs can be dropped in /var/spool/cups-pdf/ANONYMOUS/ now.

AppArmor configuration file is /etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.cupsd. Especially check the cups-pdf section at the end of the file.

[Thomas Wach (th.wach)]

As I updated to "12.04 Precise Pangolin" a very few days ago, I can't help here anymore.
With 12.04 everything is working again, as it should.

[Daniel Lupulescu (lupulescud)]

I have Xubuntu 12.04 with all updates installed.
Cups-pdf doesn't worked at all until I uninstall AppArmor
Now cups-pdf works locally. Network print isn't working.

[Daniel Lupulescu (lupulescud)]

Workaround with help from someone from my (duplicate) bug:

"Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter) wrote on 2012-05-26: #1
Any form of printing from the network to a cups-pdf printer does not work as it cannot be determined into which user's ~/PDF directory the resulting PDF should get dropped."

So, edit(as root) /etc/cups/cups-pdf.conf and uncomment line with AnonDirName and specify your user path dir name: Eg: AnonDirName /home/daniel/PDF (don't forget to make PDF folder manually if it doesn't exist)
Save and restart. It should work.

The bug stil needs fixing for an elegant default solution.

[JoseRoberto (joseroberto)]

This bug continue affecting the network printing in ubuntu 12.04, Even I tried with changing the AnonDirName directory in the /etc/cups/cups-pdf.conf, and the solving this bug it more complicated than it looks like.

With lucky was capable to do it job after I changed the AnonDirName directory, now the files are send to a diferent directory from hte cups-pdf.conf or the {HOME}/PDF

The only change that happens when it requested to print it a copy of the file at /var/spool/cups and then it deletes (I suppose that it normal), but the files doesn't show up anywhere

Any idea?

Thanks for your time :)

[dejan (dean-borstnar)]

Had same issue on 12.04 (/usr/lib/cups/backend/cups-pdf failed). Problem solved by creating folder cups-pdf inside /var/spool/ or put this line: mkdir /var/spool/cups-pdf inside /etc/rc.local. This will create folder on every boot.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Does this issue still affect cups-pdf 3.0.1 packages?

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

This concerns an old version that is not longer offered. Closing. Feel free to re-open if the issue still exists.