Shell script for adding multiple printers

[Jane McVey]

I am trying to write a shell script, (of which I have very little knowledge - the course is booked !)to add printer queues to multiple unix servers. The reason behind it is so anyone with limited knowledge of unix can add a queue. My manager has asked for it to be menu driven, if possible, ie a couple of questions to be asked from the command line, with minimal interaction (IP address, queue name etc).

Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards

Wayne Kiernan
wayne.kiernan@hse.gsi.gov.uk

[Steven Sim Kok Leong]

Hi,

Have you given SAM a try?

# /usr/sbin/sam

Hope this helps. Regards.

Steven Sim Kok Leong

[Steve Steel]

Hi


sam will certainlt work and you can give users limited sam access.

Since you mention IP address I assume you have network printers.

Then Jetadmin or a similar program

This is menu driven.

Please indicate type of and connection of printers.


Steve Steel

[perez Ilan]

Hi,

I'm using this one for adding remote printers.

regards,
Ilan.

[Bill Hassell · Accepted solution]

If these printers are HP JetDirect printers (ie, they use an HP JetDirect card to connect to the network, not through some PC server, etc), then it is trivial:

addqueue -h HOST-or-IPaddr -q queue-name

This assumes you have the latest HP Printer Installer software installed and /etc/PATH has been updated to include /usr/hpnpl/bin. If you have the directory: /opt/hpnp then you have the older JetAdmin software which will work the same way. Uou can download the latest JetDirect Printer Installer software from:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Product.jsp%3Flocale%3Den_US%26prodTypeId%3D13037%26prodSubCatId%3D28674

Note that using remote printers (printers connected to some server) can be a big management problem, especially when the printers are PC-based. Try to switch all your printers to JetDirect connections.