Adding smb printer displays random auth boxes

[John Leach]

I have a number of Windows machines with SMB services on my segment here at work.

When selecting the "Windows Printer (SMB)" Network Printer type in the "Add a printer" dialog I am immediately prompted for a login and password for a random machine on this segment. After clicking cancel, another prompt pops up for another random machine. I get about 5 to 10 of these before it stops pestering me.

I guess it detects some of the servers on my segment with a broadcast and attempts to enumerate their printer services. Most of these servers do not allow anonymous connections at all, so I get prompted for a login.

[John Leach (johnleach)]

This happens in both Breezy and Dapper

[Matthew East (mdke)]

I see this too, confirming bug. It is exceptionally annoying.

[Erich Pawlik (erichpawlik)]

I am running a Windows peer to peer network without any domain controllers. My Ubuntu is an up-to-date (as of April 16) Dapper. When trying to add a smb printer, I will be asked to log into my workgroup which doesn't make any sense. Might be this is related to this bug. Nethertheless, I will issue a separate bug report (bug #39749).

[Sander Marechal (s-marechal)]

I can confirm this. I'm using Ubuntu 6.06 in a really large coprorate network with over 100 separate domains and hundreds of thousands machines. It takes me nearly 15 minutes to cancel a constant stream of auth popups. Switching from SMB to another network printer protocol in between two popups doesn't do anything. They just keep coming.

[Mirsal Ennaime (mirsal-ennaime)]

I'm confirming this in Edgy Eft too.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

I have made some suggestions for a new SMB printer auto-detection method in bug #58403, therefore I mark this as duplicate of that bug. Please try the shown methods. Do they ask for passwords? Or do they skip servers which need already authentication for listing their resources? How fast is the scan for SMB printers with that method?