94 Chapter 7:Printer Configuration
Figure 7–1 printconf
This chapter explains local printer configuration only, but five types of print queues can be configured
with printconf:
• Local Printer — a printer attached directly to your computer through a parallel or USB port. In
the main printer list as shown in Figure 7–1, printconf, the Queue Type for a local printer is set
to LOCAL.
• Unix Printer (lpd Spool) — a printer attached to a different UNIX system that can be accessed
over a TCP/IP network (or example, a printer attached to another Red Hat Linux system on your
network). In the main printer list as shown in Figure 7–1, printconf, the Queue Type for a remote
UNIX printer is set to LPD.
• Windows Printer (SMB) — a printer attached to a different system which is sharing a printer over
a SMB network (for example, a printer attached to a Microsoft Windows machine). In the main
printer list as shown in Figure 7–1, printconf, the Queue Type for a remote Windows printer is
set to SMB.
• Novell Printer (NCP Queue) — a printer attached to a different system which uses Novell’s Net-
Ware network technology. In the main printer list as shown in Figure 7–1, printconf, the Queue
Type for a remote Novell printer is set to NCP.
• JetDirect Printer — a printer connected directly to the network instead of to a computer. In the
main printer list as shown in Figure 7–1, printconf, the Queue Type for a JetDirect printer is set
to JETDIRECT.
See the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide or click on the printconf Help button for infor-
mation on configuring printers other than local.
Section 7.1:Adding a Local Printer 95
Important
If you add a new print queue or modify an existing one, you need to restart
the printer daemon (lpd) for the changes to take effect.
Clicking the Apply button saves any changes that you have made and restarts the printer daemon. The
changes are not written to the /etc/printcap configuration file until the printer daemon (lpd) is
restarted. Alternatively, you can choose File => Save Changes and then choose File => Restart lpd
to save your changes and then restart the printer daemon.
If a printer appears in the main printer list with the Queue Type set to INVALID, the printer configu-
ration is missing options that are required for the printer to function properly. To remove this printer
from the list, select it from the list and click the Delete button.
7.1 Adding a Local Printer
To add a local printer such as one attached to the parallel port or USB port of your computer, click the
New button in the main printconf window. The window shown in Figure 7–2, Adding a Printer will
appear. Click Next to proceed.
Figure 7–2 Adding a Printer
96 Chapter 7:Printer Configuration
You will then see the screen shown in Figure 7–3, Adding a Local Printer. Enter a unique name for
the printer in the Queue Name text field. This can be any descriptive name for your printer. The
printer name cannot contain spaces and must begin with a letter a through z or A through Z. The valid
characters are a through z, A through Z, 0 through 9, -, and _.
Select Local Printer from the Queue Type menu, and click Next.
Figure 7–3 Adding a Local Printer
printconf attempts to detect your printer device and display it as shown in Figure 7–4, Choosing a
Printer Device. If your printer device is not shown, click Custom Device. Type the name of your
printer device and click OK to add it to the printer device list. After selecting your printer device, click
Next.
Section 7.1:Adding a Local Printer 97
Figure 7–4 Choosing a Printer Device
Next, printconf will try to detect which printer is attached to the printer device you selected as shown
in Figure 7–5, Choosing a Printer Driver. If it detects the wrong printer or does not detect any printer,
you can manually select one. The printers are divided by manufacturers. Click the arrow beside the
manufacturer for your printer. Find your printer from the expanded list, and click the arrow beside the
printer name. A list of drivers for your printer will appear. Select one. If you do not know which one
to use, select the first one in the list. If you are having problems using that driver, edit the printer in
printconf and select a different driver.
98 Chapter 7:Printer Configuration
Figure 7–5 Choosing a Printer Driver
The last step is to confirm your printer. Click Finish if this is the printer that you want to add. Click
Back to modify your printer configuration.
The new printer will appear in the printer list in the main window. Click the Apply button in the
main window to save your changes to the /etc/printcap configuration file and restart the printer
daemon (lpd). After applying the changes, print a test page to ensure the configuration is correct.
Refer to Section 7.1.1, Printing a Test Page for details.
7.1.1 Printing a Test Page
After you have configured your printer, you should print a test page to make sure the printer is func-
tioning properly. To print a test page, select the printer that you want to test from the printer list, and
choose Test => Print US Letter Postscript Test Page, Print A4 Postscript Test Page, or Print ASCII
Test Page from the pulldown menu. If your printer does not support PostScript printing, choose to
print the ASCII test page.
7.2 Modifying Existing Printers
To delete an existing printer, select the printer and click the Delete button on the toolbar. The printer
will be removed from the printer list. Click Apply to save the changes and restart the printer daemon.
Section 7.2:Modifying Existing Printers 99
To set the default printer, select the printer from the printer list and click the Default button on the
toolbar. The default printer icon appears in the first column of the printer list beside the default
printer.
If you want to modify an imported printer’s settings, you cannot modify its settings directly. You
must override the printer. You can only override an imported printer that has been imported using the
alchemist libraries. Imported printers have the symbol beside them in the first column of the printer
list.
To override the printer, select the printer, and choose File => Override Queue from the pulldown
menu. After overriding a printer, the original imported printer will have the symbol beside it in the
first column of the printer list.
After adding your printer(s), you can edit settings by selecting the printer from the printer list and
clicking the Edit button. The tabbed window shown in Figure 7–6, Editing a Printer will appear.
The window contains the current values for the printer that you selected to edit. Make any changes,
and click OK. Click Apply in the main printconf window to save the changes and restart the printer
daemon.
Figure 7–6 Editing a Printer
100 Chapter 7:Printer Configuration
7.2.1 Names and Aliases
If you want to rename a printer, change the value of Queue Name in the Names and Aliases tab.
Click OK to return to the main window. The name of the printer should change in the printer list.
Click Apply to save the change and restart the printer daemon.
A printer alias is an alternate name for a printer. To add an alias for an existing printer, click the Add
button in the Name and Aliases tab, enter the name of the alias, and click OK. Click OK again to
return to the main window. Click Apply to save the aliases and restart the printer daemon. A printer
can have more than one alias.
7.2.2 Queue Type
The Queue Type tab shows the queue type that you selected when adding the printer and its settings.
You can change the queue type of the printer or just change the settings. After making modifications,
click OK to return to the main window. Click Apply to save the change and restart the printer daemon.
7.2.3 Driver
The Driver tab shows which printer driver is currently being used. This is the same list that you used
when adding the printer. If you change the printer driver, click OK to return to the main window. Click
Apply to save the change and restart the printer daemon.
7.2.4 Driver Options
The Driver Options tab displays advanced printer options according to the printer driver you selected.
Common options include Page Size, Send EOT, Rerender Postscript, and Convert Text to Post-
script. If you modify the driver options, click OK to return to the main window. Click Apply to save
the change and restart the printer daemon.
7.3 Additional Resources
To learn more about printing on Red Hat Linux, refer to the following resources.
7.3.1 Installed Documentation
• man printcap — The manual page for the /etc/printcap printer configuration file.
• Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide
7.3.2 Useful Websites
• [Link] — GNU/Linux Printing contains a large amount information about
printing in Linux.
Section 8.1:Configuring a Sound Card 101
8 Audio, Video, and General Amusement
8.1 Configuring a Sound Card
Sound capability is included Red Hat Linux. If, for some reason, you do not hear sound and know that
you do have a sound card installed, you can run the sndconfig utility.
To use sndconfig:
1. From a shell prompt, use the su - command to become root.
2. Type sndconfig at the command line.
To navigate through the Yes, No, Cancel, and option buttons, use your [Tab] and [Enter] keys.
Is Your Sound Card Supported?
Many sound cards are supported for Red Hat Linux, but there are sound cards
that are not completely compatible, or even compatible at all. If you are hav-
ing trouble configuring your sound card, check the Hardware Compatibility
List at [Link] to see if your card is supported.
The sndconfig utility probes your system for sound cards. If the utility detects a plug and play sound
card, it will automatically try to configure the correct settings by playing sound samples. If you can
hear the samples, just select Ok when instructed and your sound card configuration is complete.
If the probe does not find any cards, you will be presented with a list from which you can select your
card. Use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the list. If your card is listed, highlight it, then
press [Enter] (or [Tab] to the Ok button and press [Enter]).
Your next task will be to select the correct I/O port, IRQ, and DMA settings. These settings are deter-
mined by the jumper settings of the sound card. You can find information about these settings in your
sound card documentation. If you share your machine with Windows, you can also find your sound
card’s settings in the Device Manager tab, in the System section of your Control panel.
Once you have selected the right settings for your card, you will be presented with sound samples. If
you hear the samples, select Ok and sound configuration is complete.
After your card is configured, type exit. You will be returned to your user account.
8.1.1 If sndconfig Does Not Work
If sndconfig does not work (if the sample does not play and you still do not have audio sounds),
there are alternatives, although they are not quite as simple as running sndconfig. You can edit your
102 Chapter 8:Audio, Video, and General Amusement
[Link] file as discussed below (this strategy is not recommended for novices), or refer to
the documentation that came with your soundcard for more information.
If your soundcard is not a plug and play card, you can manually edit your /etc/[Link]
file to include the sound card module that it should use, for example:
alias sound sb
alias midi opl3
options opl3 io=0x388
options sb io=0x220 irq=7 dma=0,1 mpu_io=0x300
8.2 Speakers, Headphones, and Sound Etiquette
Most computers have a plug on the back of the CPU designated for speakers and headphones. If you
have configured your sound card, any system or website sounds should play through the speakers or
headphones.
Your CD-ROM probably has a plug near it as well, so you can listen to music CDs through the
CD-ROM drive. See Section 8.3, Playing CDs.
Regardless of how you choose to listen to music or other sounds, you should remember that there may
be other people working near you who are not interested in hearing your computer. Be courteous and
keep the volume down. Even headphones can "bleed" noise and disturb others.
Add the Mixer Applet (Main Menu => Panel => Add to Panel => Applet => Multimedia => Mixer)
to your panel so you can control system volume. Click on the speaker icon in this applet to mute or
activate sound and use the slider bar to control volume level. Note that the CD-ROM probably has its
own volume control next to the CD drawer on your computer.
8.3 Playing CDs
You should be able to put a music CD in your CD-ROM and see the CD player start automatically. If
not, in GNOME, go to Main Menu => Programs => Multimedia => CD player to open the CD player.
In KDE, go to Main Menu => Multimedia => CD Player.
Section 8.4:Configuring a Video Card 103
Figure 8–1 GNOME CD Player Interface
The CD player interface acts like a standard CD player, with play, pause, and stop functions. A volume
control slider is located at the bottom of the interface. You can also edit the track listings for your
CDs and change the way the utility functions by clicking on the Open Track Editor and Preferences
buttons and making your selections.
Set your preferences to use CDDB and it will look up the name of the CD and its songs from an
extensive online database and list them in the GUI. The first time you play a CD, you will need to be
online for this feature to work; the information will be stored and displayed in the future whether you
are online or not. This is not a requirement — it is just a convenient feature.
8.4 Configuring a Video Card
You probably configured your video card during installation (see the Official Red Hat Linux Installa-
tion Guide), but you can change your video configuration settings at any time using the Xconfigurator
utility. You will want to do this if you, for example, install a new video card.
CAUTION
Xconfigurator will overwrite your system’s original video configu-
ration file. As a safety measure, be sure to make a backup of the
/etc/X11/XF86Config file before running Xconfigurator.
To run Xconfigurator, log in as root and type Xconfigurator at a shell prompt. Follow the in-
structions that appear on the screen. Make your selections using the [Tab] and [Enter] keys.
When you have finished reconfiguring your video card, log out of root and log back in to your user
account.
Cameras, scanners, and other peripherals can be used with Red Hat Linux, but are not discussed in this
manual. The Linux Documentation Project is an excellent source of information for using peripherals