Chapter 1. Introduction

Red Hat Linux no longer includes printtool. The printconf utility has replaced printtool. The printconf utility maintains the /etc/printcap configuration file, print spool directories, and print filters.

To use printconf, you must have root privileges. To start printconf, use one of the following methods:

ImportantImportant
 

Do not edit the /etc/printcap file. Each time the printer daemon (lpd) is started or restarted, a new /etc/printcap file is dynamically created.

If you want to add a printer without using printconf, edit the /etc/printcap.local file. The entries in /etc/printcap.local are not displayed in printconf but are read by the printer daemon. If you upgrade your system from a previous version of Red Hat Linux, your existing configuration file is converted to the new format used by printconf. Each time a new configuration file is generated by printconf, the old file is saved as /etc/printcap.old.

Figure 1-1. printconf

Five types of print queues can be configured with printconf:

ImportantImportant
 

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 configuration 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.

Notes

[1]

If you type printtool at a shell prompt, printconf will start.