Ubuntu 20.04 stopped detecting HP LaserJet P2055dn after this morning's update

[ebsf]

I printed yesterday.

I updated Ubuntu 20.04.3 this morning.

The system now does not detect the HP LaserJet P2055dn to which it has been connected for years.

The output of the command "apt-cache policy cups" is:

cups:
  Installed: 2.3.1-9ubuntu1.1
  Candidate: 2.3.1-9ubuntu1.1
  Version table:
 *** 2.3.1-9ubuntu1.1 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-security/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     2.3.1-9ubuntu1 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/main amd64 Packages

What I expected to happen was to print a document. Then, for the system to recognize the printer when I tried to reinstall it.

What happened instead was that printing failed. Settings > Printers > Additional Printer Settings vomited an error message saying that the printer may not be connected. The print job hung on "Processing" for 5-10 minutes before I terminated it. I deleted the printer on the system and the system would / could not detect the device. No obvious means exists to install a printer driver for a specified printer, which is an astonishing design failure for the platform.

I have rebooted the system and the printer multiple times throughout this process. I also attempted to update the system but no updates are available. All the wiring and power is as before.

The system recognizes any number of other USB devices connected to it, including scanners, etc., that are freshly powered on. Power cycling the HP printer has no effect on lsusb output.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: cups 2.3.1-9ubuntu1.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-99.112-generic 5.4.162
Uname: Linux 5.4.0-99-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.21
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CupsErrorLog:
 E [11/Feb/2022:00:00:13 -0800] Unable to open listen socket for address [v1.::1]:631 - Address family not supported by protocol.
 E [11/Feb/2022:00:10:42 -0800] [Client 27] Returning HTTP Forbidden for CUPS-Add-Modify-Printer (ipp://localhost/printers/HP-LaserJet-P2055dn) from localhost
 E [11/Feb/2022:00:17:48 -0800] [Client 1329757] Returning IPP client-error-document-format-not-supported for Print-Job (ipp://localhost:631/printers/CUPS-BRF-Printer) from localhost.
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
CurrentDmesg: Error: command ['dmesg'] failed with exit code 1: dmesg: read kernel buffer failed: Operation not permitted
Date: Fri Feb 11 00:44:52 2022
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-08-20 (539 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 20.04.1 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Release amd64 (20200731)
KernLog:

Lpstat: device for CUPS-BRF-Printer: cups-brf:/
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
Papersize: letter
PpdFiles: Error: command ['fgrep', '-H', '*NickName', '/etc/cups/ppd/CUPS-BRF-Printer.ppd'] failed with exit code 2: grep: /etc/cups/ppd/CUPS-BRF-Printer.ppd: Permission denied
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.4.0-99-generic root=UUID=94757e46-a814-4c27-b3a5-4ff139bd211d ro ipv6.disable=1 nomodeset ipv6.disable=1
SourcePackage: cups
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 02/19/2014
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1602
dmi.board.asset.tag: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: P9X79-E WS
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
dmi.board.version: Rev 1.xx
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset-1234567890
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr1602:bd02/19/2014:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKCOMPUTERINC.:rnP9X79-EWS:rvrRev1.xx:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.family: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.sku: SKU
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Can it be that you have earlier installed HPLIP directly from the upstream source? The system update could have overwritten parts of that installation and now your HPLIP does not work any more.

A safer way to have an always up-to-date HPLIP is using its Snap version.

Go to

https://snapcraft.io/hplip-printer-app

Install the Snap, set up your printer in its web interface, and CUPS will see a network printer, as the Snap emulates a network printer. Print to this network printer.

In this Snap HPLIP is completely encapsulated and cannot be overwritten by any other installation. It gets also auto-updated by the Snap Store, so you will have an always up-to-date HPLIP.

[ebsf (eb-9)]

@till-kamppeter, I'm not certain what you mean by the "upstream source." The printer auto-installed when I installed Ubuntu 20.04 shortly after its release.

After your post, I did:

# apt purge cups cups-client cups-bsd
# apt purge hplip hpijs printer-driver-gutenprint
# apt autoremove
# reboot
# apt install cups cups-client cups-bsd
# apt install printer-driver-gutenprint printer-driver-hpcups printer-driver-hpijs printer-driver-postscript-hp
# reboot
# journalctl -b 0

and got >2000 consecutive entries reading:

AVC apparmor="DENIED" operation="create" profile="snap.hplip-printer-app.hplip-printer-app-server" pid=2211 comm="hplip-printer-a" family="inet" sock_type="stream" protocol=0 requested_mask="create" denied_mask="create"

AppArmor is not expressly configured (meaning no one here manually configured it) on this system.

I'd guess this is what's at work but don't know. Please advise.

Otherwise, regarding snap, I don't code around others' steaming piles.