[Pkg-cups-devel] Bug#599660: cups: Confusing error message when backend programs are disabled

[Reid Priedhorsky]

Package: cups
Version: 1.3.8-1+lenny8
Severity: normal


Summary: If the backend for a particular printer is turned off, adding
printers of that interface type fail with a confusing error message and
documentation suggesting fixes is apparently not available.


Steps to reproduce:

   (Note that these steps are reconstructed from memory.)

1. Add a networked printer to one's network (in my case, a Brother HL-5370DW)
   and obtain the proper PPD file.
2. Ensure the "socket" communication backend is turned off in dpkg-reconfigure.
3. Use "lpinfo" to check for the printer and note that it appears; in my case:

      # lpinfo -v 
      [...] 
      network socket://10.0.0.3
      [...]

4. Use "lpadmin" to add the printer; in my case: 

     # lpadmin -p foo -v socket://10.0.0.3 -m foo.ppd -E


Actual behavior:

* lpadmin fails with a confusing error message; in my case:

     lpadmin: Bad device-uri "socket://10.0.0.3"!

* /usr/share/doc/cups/README.txt.gz contains nothing about printer backends
not being active and I didn't see anything in the documentation in the web
interface either.

* "Bad device-uri" is a very generic error message and none of Google hits
that I could find were relevant.


Expected behavior:

* Error message reflects the fact that the "socket" backend is not installed
  and points to the documentation.

* Documentation explains how to install the backend (dpkg-reconfigure cups).


Comments:

* Thanks for your hard work on Debian!


-- System Information:
Debian Release: 5.0.6
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (500, 'stable')
Architecture: i386 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.26-2-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=ANSI_X3.4-1968)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages cups depends on:
ii  adduser         3.110                    add and remove users and groups
ii  cups-common     1.3.8-1+lenny8           Common UNIX Printing System(tm) - 
ii  debconf [debcon 1.5.24                   Debian configuration management sy
ii  ghostscript     8.62.dfsg.1-3.2lenny5    The GPL Ghostscript PostScript/PDF
ii  libavahi-compat 0.6.23-3lenny2           Avahi Apple Bonjour compatibility 
ii  libc6           2.7-18lenny4             GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii  libcups2        1.3.8-1+lenny8           Common UNIX Printing System(tm) - 
ii  libcupsimage2   1.3.8-1+lenny8           Common UNIX Printing System(tm) - 
ii  libdbus-1-3     1.2.1-5+lenny1           simple interprocess messaging syst
ii  libgnutls26     2.4.2-6+lenny2           the GNU TLS library - runtime libr
ii  libkrb53        1.6.dfsg.4~beta1-5lenny4 MIT Kerberos runtime libraries
ii  libldap-2.4-2   2.4.11-1+lenny2          OpenLDAP libraries
ii  libpam0g        1.0.1-5+lenny1           Pluggable Authentication Modules l
ii  libpaper1       1.1.23+nmu1              library for handling paper charact
ii  libslp1         1.2.1-7.5                OpenSLP libraries
ii  lsb-base        3.2-20                   Linux Standard Base 3.2 init scrip
ii  perl-modules    5.10.0-19lenny2          Core Perl modules
ii  procps          1:3.2.7-11               /proc file system utilities
ii  ssl-cert        1.0.23                   simple debconf wrapper for OpenSSL
ii  xpdf-utils [pop 3.02-1.4+lenny2          Portable Document Format (PDF) sui

Versions of packages cups recommends:
pn  avahi-utils           <none>             (no description available)
ii  cups-client           1.3.8-1+lenny8     Common UNIX Printing System(tm) - 
ii  foomatic-filters      3.0.2-20080211-3.2 OpenPrinting printer support - fil
ii  smbclient             2:3.2.5-4lenny13   a LanManager-like simple client fo

Versions of packages cups suggests:
ii  cups-bsd                1.3.8-1+lenny8   Common UNIX Printing System(tm) - 
pn  cups-driver-gutenprint  <none>           (no description available)
pn  cups-pdf                <none>           (no description available)
ii  foomatic-db             20080211-2+nmu1  OpenPrinting printer support - dat
ii  foomatic-db-engine      3.0.2-20080211-1 OpenPrinting printer support - pro
ii  hplip                   2.8.6.b-4        HP Linux Printing and Imaging Syst
pn  xpdf-korean | xpdf-japa <none>           (no description available)

-- debconf information:
* cupsys/raw-print: true
* cupsys/backend: ipp, lpd, parallel, serial, socket, usb, snmp, dnssd