Commands Reference, Volume 3

lpadmin Command

Note: This is a System V Print Subsystem command.

Syntax

Adding or Changing the Configuration of a Local Printer

lpadmin -p Printer -v Device [ -D Comment ] [ -A AlertType ] [ -W Minutes ] [ -c Class ] [ -e Printer1 ] [ -F FaultRecovery ] [ -f allow:FormList | -f denyFormList ] [ -h ] [ -I Content-Type-List ] [ -i Interface ] [ -l ] [ -M -f Form-Name [ -o File-break ] ] [ -M -S Print-Wheel ] [ -m Model ] [ -O Copy-Options ] [ -o Print-Options ] [ -o nobanner | -o banner ] [ -r Class ] [ -S List ] [ -s Server-Name [!ServerPrinterName ] ] [ -T Printer-Type-List ] [ -u allow:Login-Id-List | -u deny:Login-Id-List ] ]

Adding or Changing the Configuration of a Remote Printer

lpadmin -p Printer -s ServerName [!ServerPrinterName ] -v Device [ -D Comment ] [ -A AlertType ] [ -W Minutes ] [ -c Class ] [ -e Printer1 ] [ -F FaultRecovery ] [ -f allow:FormList | -f denyFormList ] [ -h ] [ -I Content-Type-List ] [ -i Interface ] [ -l ] [ -M -f Form-Name [ -o Filebreak ] ] [ -M -S Print-Wheel ] [ -m Model ] [ -O CopyOptions ] [ -o PrintOptions ] [ -o nobanner | -o banner ] [ -r Class ] [ -S List ] [ -T PrinterTypeList ] [ -u allow:LoginIdList | -u deny:LoginIdList ] ] [ -v Device ]

Removing a Printer Destination

lpadmin -x Destination

Setting or Changing the System Default Destination

lpadmin -d [ Destination ]

Setting an Alert for a Print Wheel

lpadmin -S Print-Wheel -A AlertType [ -W Minutes ] [ -Q Requests ]

Description

The lpadmin command configures the LP print service by defining printers and devices. It is used to:

Add and change printers
Remove printers from the service
Set or change the system default destination
Define alerts for printer faults
Mount print wheels
Define printers for remote printing services

Printer and class names may be no longer than the maximum length filename allowed for the filesystem type you are using, and may consist of all printable characters except the space, slash, backslash, colon, semicolon, comma, asterisk, question mark, and tilde. The dash can be used in any position except the first position in a printer name.

For additional information about network printers, see the lpsystem command.

Adding or changing a printer

The -p Printer flag is used to configure a new printer or to change the configuration of an existing printer. When you use this form of the lpadmin command, you must select one of the following:

-v Device, required to configure a local printer
-s ServerNname [ !ServerPrinterName ], required to configure a remote printer

Removing a printer destination

The -x dest flag removes the destination dest (a printer or a class), from the LP print service. If dest is a printer and is the only member of a class, then the class is deleted. If dest is all, all printers and classes are removed. No other parameters are allowed with -x.

Setting/changing the system default destination

The -d [ dest ] flag makes dest, an existing printer or class, the new system default destination. If dest is not supplied, then there is no system default destination. No other parameters are allowed with -d. To unset the system default printer, the user can enter the keyword none.

Setting an alert for a print wheel

The -S Print-Wheel flag is used with the -A Alert-Type flag to define an alert to mount the print wheel when there are jobs queued for it. If this command is not used to arrange alerting for a print wheel, no alert will be sent for the print wheel. See the other use of -A flag, with the -p.

The Alert-Types are the same as those available with the -A flag: mail, write, quiet, none, shell-command, and list. See the description of -A, for details about each.

The message sent appears as follows:

   The print wheel Print-Wheel needs to be mounted
   on the printer(s):
   printer (integer1 requests)
   integer2 print requests await this print wheel.

The printers listed are those that the administrator had earlier specified were candidates for this print wheel. The number integer1 listed next to each printer is the number of requests eligible for the printer. The number integer2 shown after the printer list is the total number of requests awaiting the print wheel. It will be less than the sum of the other numbers if some requests can be handled by more than one printer.

If the Print-Wheel is all, the alerting defined in this command applies to all print wheels already defined to have an alert.

If the -W flag is not given, the default procedure is that only one message will be sent per need to mount the print wheel. Not specifying the -W flag is equivalent to specifying -W once or -W 0. If Minutes is a number greater than zero, an alert is sent at intervals specified by minutes.

If the -Q flag is also given, the alert is sent when a certain number (specified by the argument requests) of print requests that need the print wheel are waiting. If the -Q flag is not given, or requests is 1 or the word any (which are both the default), a message is sent as soon as anyone submits a print request for the print wheel when it is not mounted.

Flags

Notes:

When creating a new printer, you must specify the -v, or -s flag. In addition, only one of the following may be supplied: -e, -i, or -m; if none of these three flags is supplied, the model standard is used.
If -s and/or -R flags are specified, the following flags are not valid: -A, -e, -F, -h, -i, -l, -M, -m, -o, -v, and -W.

-A AlertType [-W minutes ]	The -A flag defines an alert to inform the administrator when a printer fault is detected, and periodically thereafter, until the printer fault is cleared by the administrator. If an alert is not defined for a particular printer, mail is sent to user lp by default. The AlertTypes are: mail Send the alert message via mail (see mail) to the administrator.
	write Write the message to the terminal on which the administrator is logged in. If the administrator is logged in on several terminals, one is chosen arbitrarily.
	quiet Do not send messages for the current condition. An administrator can use this option to temporarily stop receiving further messages about a known problem. Once the fault has been cleared and printing resumes, messages will again be sent when another fault occurs with the printer.
	none Do not send messages; any existing alert definition for the printer is removed. No alert is sent when the printer faults until a different alert-type (except quiet) is used.
	*shell-command* Run the shell-command each time the alert needs to be sent. The shell command should expect the message in standard input. If there are blanks embedded in the command, enclose the command in quotes. The mail and write values for this option are equivalent to the values mail login-ID and write login-ID respectively, where login-ID is the current name for the administrator. This will be the login ID of the person submitting this command unless he or she has used the su command to change to another login ID. If the su command has been used to change the login ID, then the login-ID for the new login is used.
	list Display the type of the alert for the printer fault. No change is made to the alert.
	The message sent appears as follows: The printer Printer has stopped printing for the reason given below. Fix the problem and bring the printer back on line. Printing has stopped, but will be restarted in a few minutes; issue an enable command if you want to restart sooner. Unless someone issues a change request lp -i request-id -P . . . to change the page list to print, the current request will be reprinted from the beginning. The reason(s) it stopped (multiple reasons indicate reprinted attempts): reason
	The LP print service can detect printer faults only through an adequate fast filter and only when the standard interface program or a suitable customized interface program is used. Furthermore, the level of recovery after a fault depends on the capabilities of the filter.
	If the Printer is all, the alerting defined in this command applies to all existing printers.
	If the -W flag is not used to arrange fault alerting for Printer, the default procedure is to mail one message to the administrator of Printer per fault. This is equivalent to specifying -W once or -W 0. If minutes is a number greater than zero, an alert is sent at intervals specified by minutes.
-c Class	Insert Printer into the specified Class. Class is created if it does not already exist.
-d [ Dest ]	Makes dest, an existing printer or class, the new system default destination.
-D Comment	Saves the Comment for display whenever a user asks for a full description of Printer (see lpstat). The LP print service does not interpret this comment.
-e Printer1	Copies the interface program of an existing Printer1 to be the interface program for Printer. Note: Do not specify the -i and -m flags may not be specified with the -e flag.
-F FaultRecovery	Specifies the recovery to be used for any print request that is stopped because of a printer fault, according to the value of FaultRecovery: continue Continue printing on the top of the page where printing stopped. This requires a filter to wait for the fault to clear before automatically continuing. beginning Start printing the request again from the beginning. wait Disable printing on Printer and wait for the administrator or a user to enable printing again. During the wait the administrator or the user who submitted the stopped print request can issue a change request that specifies where printing should resume. (See the -i flag of the lp command.) If no change request is made before printing is enabled, printing will resume at the top of the page where stopped, if the filter allows; otherwise, the request will be printed from the beginning. The default value of FaultRecovery is beginning.
-f allow: FormList \| -f deny:FormList	Allows or denies the forms in FormLlist to be printed on Printer. By default no forms are allowed on a new printer.
	For each printer, the LP print service keeps two lists of forms: an allow-list of forms that may be used with the printer, and a deny-list of forms that may not be used with the printer. With the -f allow flag, the forms listed are added to the allow-list and removed from the deny-list. With the -f deny flag, the forms listed are added to the deny-list and removed from the allow-list.
	If the allow-list is not empty, only the forms in the list may be used on the printer, regardless of the contents of the deny-list. If the allow-list is empty, but the deny-list is not, the forms in the deny-list may not be used with the printer. All forms can be excluded from a printer by specifying -f deny:all. All forms can be used on a printer (provided the printer can handle all the characteristics of each form) by specifying -f allow:all.
	The LP print service uses this information as a set of guidelines for determining where a form can be mounted. Administrators, however, are not restricted from mounting a form on any printer. If mounting a form on a particular printer is in disagreement with the information in the allow-list or deny-list, the administrator is warned but the mount is accepted. Nonetheless, if a user attempts to issue a print or change request for a form and printer combination that is in disagreement with the information, the request is accepted only if the form is currently mounted on the printer. If the form is later unmounted before the request can print, the request is canceled and the user is notified by mail.
	If the administrator tries to specify a form as acceptable for use on a printer that doesn't have the capabilities needed by the form, the command is rejected.
	The lpadmin command issues a warning when an invalid (nonexistent) form name is submitted with the -f deny: flag.
	See the other use of -f, with the -M flag.
-h	Indicates that the device associated with the printer is hardwired. If neither of the mutually exclusive flags, -h and -l, is specified, this flag is assumed.
-I Content-Type-List	Allow Printer to handle print requests with the content types listed in a Content-Type-List. If the list includes names of more than one type, the names must be separated by commas or blank spaces. If they are separated by blank spaces, the entire list must be enclosed in double quotes. The type simple is recognized as the default content type. A simple type of file is a data stream containing only printable ASCII characters and the following control characters. Control Character Octal Value Meaning backspace 10 move back one character, except at beginning of line tab 11 move to next tab stop linefeed (newline) 12 move to beginning of next line form feed 14 move to beginning of next page carriage return 15 move to beginning of current line To prevent the print service from considering simple a valid type for the printer, specify either an explicit value (such as the printer type) in the content-type-list, or an empty list. If you do want simple included along with other types, you must include simple in the content-type-list. Except for simple, each content-type name is freely determined by the administrator. If the printer type is specified by the -T option, then the printer type is implicitly considered to be also a valid content type.
-i Interface	Establish a new interface program for Printer. The Interface is the pathname of the new program. Do not specify the -e and -m flags with this flag.
-l	Indicates that the device associated with Printer is a login terminal. The LP scheduler (lpsched) disables all login terminals automatically each time it is started. The -h flag may not be specified with this flag.
-M -f Form-Name [-a [-o filebreak] ]	Mounts the form Form-Name on Printer. Print requests that need the pre-printed form Form-Name are printed on Printer. If more than one printer has the form mounted and the user has specified any with the -d flag of the lp command as the printer destination, then the print request is printed on the one printer that also meets the other needs of the request.
	The page length and width, and character and line pitches needed by the form are compared with those allowed for the printer, by checking the capabilities in the terminfo database for the type of printer. If the form requires attributes that are not available with the printer, the administrator is warned but the mount is accepted. If the form lists a print wheel as mandatory, but the print wheel mounted on the printer is different, the administrator is also warned but the mount is accepted.
	If the -a flag is given, an alignment pattern is printed, preceded by the same initialization of the physical printer that precedes a normal print request. Printing is assumed to start at the top of the first page of the form. After the pattern is printed, the administrator can adjust the mounted form in the printer and press return for another alignment pattern (no initialization this time), and can continue printing as many alignment patterns as desired. The administrator can quit the printing of alignment patterns by typing `q`.
	If the -o filebreak flag is given, a form feed is inserted between each copy of the alignment pattern. By default, the alignment pattern is assumed to correctly fill a form, so no form feed is added.
	A form is unmounted either by mounting a new form in its place or by using the -f none flag. By default, a new printer has no form mounted.
	See the other use of -f without the -M.
-M -S Print-Wheel	Mount the Print-Wheel on Printer. Print requests that need the Print-Wheel will be printed on Printer. If more than one printer has Print-Wheel mounted and the user has specified any with the -d flag of the lp command as the printer destination, then the print request is printed on the one printer that also meets the other needs of the request. If the Print-Wheel is not listed as acceptable for the printer, the administrator is warned but the mount is accepted. If the printer does not take print wheels, the command is rejected. A print wheel is unmounted either by mounting a new print wheel in its place or by using the -S none flag. By default, a new printer has no print wheel mounted. See the other uses of the -S flag without the -M.
-m Model	Select Model interface program, provided with the LP print service, for the printer. DO not use the -e and -i flags with this flag. The following interface programs are available: standard generic printer interface PS interface for PostScript printers only By default, the standard interface is used. -O Copy-Option The -O controls whether or not lp makes a copy of the user's file(s) when a print job is submitted. The copy-option can be either copy or nocopy. If -O copy is specified, the LP system always copies the user's source files to the spool area when a print job is submitted. If -O nocopy is specified, the files are copied only if the user specifies the -c flag of lp when submitting the job. This flag sets the value of the copy-files parameter in the /etc/default/lp file. The value, which can be either on or off, is checked every time a print job is submitted.
-o Printing-Option	Specifies the, in the list below the default given to an interface program if the option is not taken from a preprinted form description or is not explicitly given by the user submitting a request (see lp). The only -o options that can have defaults defined are listed below.
	length=scaled-decimal-number width=scaled-decimal-number cpi=scaled-decimal-number lpi=scaled-decimal-number stty='stty-option-list'
	scaled-decimal-number refers to a non-negative number used to indicate a unit of size. The type of unit is shown by a trailing letter attached to the number. Three types of scaled decimal numbers can be used with the LP print service:
	numbers that show sizes in centimeters, marked with a trailing c numbers that show sizes in inches, marked with a trailing i numbers that show sizes in units appropriate to use, without a trailing letter
	that is, lines, characters, lines per inch, or characters per inch.
	The first four default option values must agree with the capabilities of the type of physical printer, as defined in the terminfo database for the printer type. If they do not, the command is rejected.
	The stty-option-list is not checked for allowed values, but is passed directly to the stty program by the standard interface program. Any error messages produced by stty when a request is processed (by the standard interface program) are mailed to the user submitting the request.
	For each printing option not specified, the defaults for the following attributes are defined in the terminfo entry for the specified printer type.
	length width cpi lpi
	The default for stty is stty='9600 cs8 -cstopb -parenb ixon -ixany opost -olcuc onlcr -ocrnl -onocr -onlret -ofill nl0 cr0 tab0 bs0 vt0 ff0'
	You can set any of the -o flags to the default values (which vary for different types of printers), by typing them without assigned values, as follows: length= width= cpi= lpi= stty=
-o nobanner	Allows a user to submit a print request specifying that no banner page be printed.
-o banner	Forces a banner page to be printed with every print request, even when a user asks for no banner page. This is the default; you must specify -o nobanner if you want to allow users to be able to specify -o nobanner with the lp command.
-p Printer	Configures a new printer changes the configuration of an existing printer.
-Q Requests	Specifies that an alert be sent when a certain number of print Requests that need the print wheel are waiting.
-r Class	Remove Printer from the specified Class. If Printer is the last member of Class, then Class is removed.
-S List	Allows either the print wheels or aliases for character sets named in List to be used on the printer. The -S flag does not let you add items to a List specified with an earlier invocation of -S; instead, it replaces an existing List with a new one. Thus -S differs from the -f, -u, allow, and deny options, which allow you to modify existing lists of available forms and authorized users. Once you've run the -S flag, the print wheels and character sets specified, in List, on the current command line are the only ones available.
	If the printer is a type that takes print wheels, then List is a comma or space separated list of print wheel names. Enclose the list with quotes if it contains blanks. These are the only print wheels considered mountable on the printer. You can always force a different print wheel to be mounted, however. Until the flag is used to specify a list, no print wheels is considered mountable on the printer, and print requests that ask for a particular print wheel with this printer is rejected.
	If the printer is a type that has selectable character sets, then List is a comma or blank separated list of character set name mappings or aliases. Enclose the list with quotes if it contains blanks. Each mapping is of the form:
	known-name=alias
	The known-name is a character set number preceded by cs, such as `cs3` for character set three, or a character set name from the Terminfo database entry csnm. See terminfo. If this flag is not used to specify a list, only the names already known from the Terminfo database or numbers with a prefix of cs are acceptable for the printer.
	If List is the word `none`, any existing print wheel lists or character set aliases is removed.
	See the other uses of the -S with the -M flag.
-s Server-Name [ !Server-Printer-Name ]	Specifies that you are configuring a remote printer. It makes a server printer accessible to users on your system. Server-Name is the name of the system on which the printer is located. It must be listed in the LP systems table. See lpsystem. Server-Printer-Name is the name used on the server system for that printer. For example, if you want to access Printer1 on Server1 and you want it called Printer2 on your system, enter -p Printer2 -s Server1!Printer1. If Server-Name is a Netware server, defined as -t nuc using the lpsystem command, then Server-Printer-Name can be the name of a Netware queue or Netware printer.
-T Printer-Type-List	Identify the printer as being of one or more Printer-Types. Each Printer-Type is used to extract data from the terminfo database; this information is used to initialize the printer before printing each user's request. Some filters may also use a Printer-Type to convert content for the printer. If this flag is not used, the default Printer-Type is `unknown`; no information will be extracted from terminfo so each user request is printed without first initializing the printer. Also, this flag must be used if the following are to work: -o cpi, -o lpi, -o width, and -o length flags of the lpadmin and lp commands, and the -S and -f flags of the lpadmin command. If the Printer-Type-List contains more than one type, then the content-type-list of the -I option must either be specified as simple, as empty (-I ""), or not specified at all.
-u allow:Login-ID-List
-u deny:Login-ID-List	Allows or denies the users in Login-ID-List access to the printer. By default all users on the local system are allowed on a new printer. The Login-ID-List parameter may include any or all of the following constructs: *login-ID* a user on the local system **system-name!login-ID** a user on system system-name *system-name!all*** all users on system system-name **all!login-ID a user on all systems all all users on the local system all!all** all users on all systems For each printer the LP print service keeps two lists of users: An allow-list of people allowed to use the printer A deny-list of people denied access to the printer. With the -u allow flag, the users listed are added to the allow-list and removed from the deny-list. With the -u deny flag, the users listed are added to the deny-list and removed from the allow-list. If the allow-list is not empty, only the users in the list may use the printer, regardless of the contents of the deny-list. If the allow-list is empty, but the deny-list is not, the users in the deny-list may not use the printer. All users can be denied access to the printer by specifying -u deny:all. All users may use the printer by specifying -u allow:all.
-v Device	Specifies you are configuring a local printer. It associates a Device with Printer. Device is the pathname of a file that is writable by lp. The same Device can be associated with more than one printer.
-x Dest	Removes the destination dest (a printer or a class), from the LP print service.

Files

/var/spool/lp/*
/etc/lp

Related Information

The accept command, enable command, lpsched, command, lpsystem command.