samba - Mar 1998 - SAMBA printer share and NT

All,


I did some testing on one of our Samba servers running version 1.9.18p2 of
Samba. I wanted to create a printer share on the samba server that can be
accessed by
standard users of Windows NT 4.0. and to store the printer drivers for 
the printer share on the Samba server. 

I created the following share in smb.conf:

[testprinter]
   comment = testprinter
   path = /usr/spool/testprinter
   printer = testprinter
   printer driver = HP LaserJet 4/4M PS
   printer driver file = /var/adm/samba/Hp4m3_v1.ppd
   public = yes
   writable = no
   printable = yes


I created a dummy HP LaserJet 4M printer called testprinter. Found the NT driver
PPD file on one of our NT servers and copied it to the samba server. Restarted
the samba server. I tried to connect to the printer share thru NT using Network
neighbourhood. NT comes back and says the printer share has to be set up on the
local machine. If you click YES, NT tries to install the driver for the printer
share on the local PC but fails saying that the user does not have sufficient
privileges to do this. I tried the same thing again but this time logged in as
local administrator on my machine. It worked - NT added the printer share to my
desktop. 

So it looks like you need to be administrator for the local PC to add the
printer share to the desktop because it is trying to add the printer driver to
the PC. 

Two hitches here - first we want the driver to stay on the samba
server, not be loaded onto the local PC, and secondly, users will not have the
required privileges to add the printer to their desktop when they login. 

I would like to know if anyone out there has found a way round this. I know the
notes for Samba say the above scenario can be implemented for Win95 clients but
can it be also applied to NT 4.0 clients and can the Samba server be used to
hold the printer drivers, not just for serving the drivers down to PC clients.

Regards,

	Anthony Farrow

---------------------------------------
  Anthony Farrow BSc.(Hon.)
  Systems Programmer
  Cranfield University, England

  Tel   : (01234) 754200 ext. 2833
  Email : a.n.farrow@cranfield.ac.uk

Home Page under construction (slow!) at :
	http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/~ccanf

"Peace Through Superior Firepower"
----------------------------------------

Anthony Farrow wrote:
> 
> So it looks like you need to be administrator for the local PC to add the
> printer share to the desktop because it is trying to add the printer driver
to
> the PC.
You are right. Unless you have automatic printer driver downloading,
you must be administrator to install a printer. Currently we only
support downloading drivers to Win95 machines. If I ever find the
time I want to add support for NT as well.
> 
> Two hitches here - first we want the driver to stay on the samba
> server, not be loaded onto the local PC, and secondly, users will not have
the
> required privileges to add the printer to their desktop when they login.
> 
> I would like to know if anyone out there has found a way round this. I know
the
> notes for Samba say the above scenario can be implemented for Win95 clients
but
> can it be also applied to NT 4.0 clients and can the Samba server be used
to
> hold the printer drivers, not just for serving the drivers down to PC
clients.
> 
Typically all printer drivers are added to the windows\system directory
on the local PC. I haven't tried it but it may be possible to change the
registry entries for the printer and point to another location for the
drivers. You would still have to install locally though and then move
it (if it would even work).
> Regards,
> 
>         Anthony Farrow
> 
-- 
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Silicon Graphics
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