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Date:      Thu, 09 Aug 2001 11:04:14 -0700
From:      "Aaron" <click46@webpimps.net>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   apsfilter, samba, and the scheme of things
Message-ID:  <20010809180627.E1B7437B401@hub.freebsd.org>

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I've toiled and searched too long. Too many times have I typed "shutdown -
r now" with the vain hope that this time...maybe this time, it would 
work. A little story to ease the frustration AND communicate the problem.

You see it started with a simple FreeBSD box lost in a sea of Windows 
workstations, servers, and services. A little FreeBSD box that just 
wanted to print. Print from him, to the Windows printserver, and to the 
nice HP 4000N right next door.

Simple! Exclaims the intern who snuck a expired WinXP machine and 
devilishly installed FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE on. Just edit /etc/printcap and 
install Samba. Easy as pie!

And so the intern installed Samba. Successfully no doubt. "Nothing can 
stop me! I am the MASTAR!!!" The hubris began to build.

Then the first hurdle. Windows expects its postscript done on the cilent? 
Hm, how's that going to work. A simple read of /etc/printcap says 
apsfilter will help you! Just install that. And so he did.

Whilst ghostscript6 gave error after error, the intern realized "hey! I 
dont need no stinkin ghostscript - after, this is just a proof on 
concept. I want the damn thing to print...NOW!"

And so with a press of T in the apsfilter setup, out came a beautiful 
test page - on company letterhead no doubt. Whoops.

But it had WORKED! And thats all that mattered. Apsfilter saw samba, it 
saw the printer....and out came the page! Now to test from the command 
line!

And nothing worked.

</story>

So now, after trying and reading whatever I can - it still wont print! 
Granted the printcap file is a tad confusing, I'm really lost in where 
the hell apsfilter puts its damn "samba" config file it always talks 
about. And how the heck does smbprint work? Its just a huge commented 
file with nothing relevent really. Shouldnt the FIRST filter be 
apsfilter, THEN samba?

I've delayed asking the mailing list because I'd hope that once I bore 
through all this irritating and confusing stuff, I'd write a clear, 
concise article. After all, I can only imagine how many poor FreeBSD 
boxes are stuck in a world of windows that would like to print to that 
damned NT print server. And yet no ones written a thing.

So if you, the surely more advanced FreeBSD user (more than 8 months of 
FreeBSD use has gotten me no where on this problem), could point me in 
just the right direction - or even just small hint. Anything that could 
help my troubled mind see what I'm missing, I'd probably be the happiest 
guy in the world - for at least a few minutes.

Thanks again for reading this long, tedious, theraputic post. And if it 
wouldnt be too much trouble - CC it to this address as well. -questions 
is too unwiedly for my web base email account.

- click46



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