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17.3.7. Adding a Samba (SMB) printer

Follow this procedure to add a Samba printer:
  1. Open the New Printer dialog (refer to Section 17.3.2, “Starting Printer Setup”).
  2. In the list on the left, select Network Printer → Windows Printer via SAMBA.
  3. Enter the SMB address in the smb:// field. Use the format computer name/printer share. In Figure 17.8, “Adding a SMB printer”, the computer name is dellbox and the printer share is r2.
    Adding a SMB printer
    SMB Printer
    Figure 17.8. Adding a SMB printer

  4. Click Browse to see the available workgroups/domains. To display only queues of a particular host, type in the host name (NetBios name) and click Browse.
  5. Select either of the options:
    • Prompt user if authentication is required: username and password are collected from the user when printing a document.
    • Set authentication details now: provide authentication information now so it is not required later. In the Username field, enter the username to access the printer. This user must exist on the SMB system, and the user must have permission to access the printer. The default user name is typically guest for Windows servers, or nobody for Samba servers.
  6. Enter the Password (if required) for the user specified in the Username field.

    Be careful when choosing a password

    Samba printer usernames and passwords are stored in the printer server as unencrypted files readable by root and lpd. Thus, other users that have root access to the printer server can view the username and password you use to access the Samba printer.
    As such, when you choose a username and password to access a Samba printer, it is advisable that you choose a password that is different from what you use to access your local Red Hat Enterprise Linux system.
    If there are files shared on the Samba print server, it is recommended that they also use a password different from what is used by the print queue.
  7. Click Verify to test the connection. Upon successful verification, a dialog box appears confirming printer share accessibility.
  8. Click Forward.
  9. Select the printer model. Refer to Section 17.3.8, “Selecting the Printer Model and Finishing” for details.