Network printer uninstalls regularly

[morfanaion]

On an OpenSuse 10.3 64-bit system I have installed an HP P2055dn printer. However, quite regularly the printer seems to have *vanished* from the system. It is still accessible through the network, but all settings have been lost when I turn on the system.

The printer has been set up using YaST with Direct TCP printing, using the Laserjet Series PCL6 driver. I've had the same setup on 3 different systems and each of them has had this problem occasionally, but this particular system has now had this same problem 3 or 4 times in two weeks.

Setting the printer up again is OC not much work, it's more a nuisance that I have to reconfigure it again and again and again.

Anyone has any idea why my printer settings are thrown out at random and what I can do to prevent it?

[deano_ferrari]

Not sure why printer config might disappear, but thinking about network connectivity. Has the printer been setup with a static IP address, (within suitable subnet range)? Check your router settings if applicable, making sure this IP adress is outside any dhcp range, and/or reserved as a static IP for printer.

See if anything in this thread helps.

[morfanaion]

Yeah, the printer is setup with a static IP address, within the suitable subnet range and well outside the dhcp range (printer has 192.168.14.4, where DHCP starts at 192.168.14.50.

Although I can't be sure (the printer is about 1500km away from me and the system I am maintaining is too, have to do everything through ssh), it is possible that the printer is not turned on before Linux has booted. Could that possibly affect this? If so, what can I do to make Suse hold on to the printer setting even when "the printer isn't there"

[deano_ferrari]

I would have a look through /var/log/cups for any errors regarding connectivity issues. In the instances when the printer is not available, can you ping it ok?

[morfanaion]

Yeah, pinging is no problem, as long as the printer is switched on.

When my connection to the server holds well, the printer is set up and working again in under 2 minutes. Problem is, I need to go through a sattelite connection which, unfortunately, isn't always very stable. That's why I'm looking for ways to get Suse to remember the printer even when it's not there. It should just switch to "not ready" when it's inaccessible.

[deano_ferrari]

Maybe browsing is turned off. Have a look at /etc/cups/cupsd.conf for this entry

Browsing Off

and change to

Browsing On

if applicable.

Some useful guides:

SDB:CUPS in a Nutshell - openSUSE

CUPS Software Administrators Manual

[deano_ferrari]

I've been giving this some more thought (with regards to the unstable connection), and looking at

cupsd.conf(5): server config file for cups - Linux man page

Specifically, there is an option

BrowseTimeout seconds

Specifies the maximum interval between printer information updates before remote printers will be removed from the list of available printers.

I wonder whether this option might help with your unstable network connection to the remote printer....?