Linux Configuration Tool

Overview

The configuration tool allows the perform administrative tasks, including adding and removing new printers, and changing their global settings. Regular users can also run it, to easily inspect job queues, examine the printer properties and change their local preferences.

When started, the configuration tools show a list of installed printers from the printing system. Linux printers and other printers are presented in a tree-like structure at the left of the main dialog.

The right part of the main dialog shows a number of tabs that display information regarding the currently selected printer.

The Info tab shows general information about the queue, as configured in the printing system.

Additionally, if the currently selected queue is a Linux printer, you can go to the corresponding Web page for this printer by clicking on the "Go to the Web page for this printer" button.

The Jobs tab allows you to inspect and manage the job queue for the selected printer. The Configuration Tool allows you to manage jobs even for printers from other manufacturers.

The Properties tab allows you to change the default printer settings. See "Changing Printer Properties" below.

Printing System options

The "File" menu allows you to change the options for your printing system. Although the defaults detected at installation time will work fine most of the time, in some circumstances you may want to change some of these options. The options are different depending on the printing system in use.

LPD / LPRng Systems

CUPS Systems

Adding a new printer

When you try to configure a new Linux printer, the configuration tool will do its best to autodetect any printer that may be connected to the computer through the parallel or USB ports.

The "Add Printer" dialog is comprised of four tabs:

Removing an installed printer

The administrator can remove an installed queue from the system, either by clicking on the "Remove" icon in the toolbar, using the "Printer" menu or right-clicking on the printer with the mouse and selecting "Remove".

Changing Printer Properties

After a Linux printer has been added, its setting can be changed through the "Properties" tab. The actual settings depend on the selected model. Since it is possible for some of the settings to be in conflicts with each other, it is only possible to apply the changes if no conflicts have been detected. When a conflict is detected, the conflicting option is changed to a "No choice" value, and must then be selected to a non-conflicting choice before being able to submit the new printer properties.

Original "factory" defaults may be restored for the printer by clicking on the Factory Defaults button.

Regular users are able to override the system-wide default settings defined by the administrator. When a regular user clicks on "Apply", these custom settings will be saved in the user's profile and may be later used with LLPR. If the administrator is running the configuration tool, then the settings will be saved as the new global defaults.

Manipulating jobs

You need to have proper permissions to be able to manage jobs. In the "Jobs" window, it is possible to select several jobs at the same time and apply an operation to all of the selected jobs by using the buttons at the bottom. The configuration tool allows you to perform the following operations on print jobs :

Manipulating queues

By right-clicking on a queue name, a menu pops up that allows some additional manipulations.