12 Replies Latest reply on Apr 17, 2013 10:43 AM by kor.kiley@uvm.edu

    How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?

    David Marcinkowski Scout
    David Marcinkowski Apr 17, 2013 10:26 AM

      After much research and development, my macintosh team managed to create a printer package whcih will install all Pharos printers on a Macintosh with a single cdownloadable package .... similar to the printer packages created with package creater for windows OS.

       

      Now my task is to integrate this package into the website that a Uniprint server creates for downloadable packages and maps.  Unfortunately I am not an ASP person ... I have more experience with PHP/mySQL.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, can anyone point me in the direction of integrating a Mac OS X printer package into the Uniprint for download?

       

      Thanks

        • Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
          Tony Fappiano Wayfarer
          Tony Fappiano Apr 17, 2013 10:27 AM (in response to David Marcinkowski)

          We created a fascade to the uniprint package page, end users will never see this page directly.  This is where we have links to the Mac popup or the PC Installer. I posted the link below to give you an idea.

           

          http://www.yale.edu/ypps/uniprint/

            • Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
              Newbie
              jpfisher@smu.edu Apr 17, 2013 10:27 AM (in response to Tony Fappiano)

              We do the same at SMU, we host an internal site that we modify for our environment and include step by step instructions for our students to download.  Would like to know how you built your Mac package for multiple printers, though.. we are still building one for each queue.

                • Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
                  Tony Fappiano Wayfarer
                  Tony Fappiano Apr 17, 2013 10:28 AM (in response to jpfisher@smu.edu)

                  We build a "department" queue that is setup as a compatible queue to all of their printers.  Then we package either the Mac built in generic.ppd or genericPCL.ppd as the driver. This seems to work well for areas that do not need maximum functionality from their drivers.  For these areas we do build printer specific queues.

                    • Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
                      Newbie
                      sbrosnihan@artic.edu Apr 17, 2013 10:29 AM (in response to Tony Fappiano)

                      We also create our own web page with links to installers for laptop users:

                       

                      http://crit.artic.edu/printing/

                       

                      Because of our large Mac population, we don't use the Pharos map system. If we were to, we would simply link to it from our primary page above.

                       

                      I feel your pain with regard to creating Mac installers. We extract the popup bits and integrate them into our own installers too. The installers are pretty simple once you embrace CUPS. Printers are added with lpdamin.

                       

                      A sample lpadmin command to build a printer with a popup URI:

                       

                      /usr/sbin/lpadmin -p 'Mc9Hall_ColorLaser_PrintQ' -v popup://10.72.18.11/MI901_Canon2880_PrintQ -P /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/CNRC288X1_SAIC.PPD.gz -E -D 'Mc9Hall_ColorLaser_PrintQ' -o printer-is-shared=false

                       

                      We found that managing large numbers of desktop Mac computers and their printers/profiles with package installers under uniprint was a huge chore, so we developed an in-house system for delivering printer sets that works within our inventory system. It uses lpadmin commands too. We're looking into using Active directory to deliver printers to Windows machines (not installers.) Users don't have admin rights on the Windows machines and things need to 'just work.'

                        • Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
                          Gerald Rezes Tracker
                          Gerald Rezes Apr 17, 2013 10:30 AM (in response to sbrosnihan@artic.edu)

                          We create a separate Mac Packages HTML file using the standard packages.asp file as a template.  We also modify the default.asp page to indicate that there are Mac packages.

                            • Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
                              Rojaa Matlakunta Navigator
                              Rojaa Matlakunta Apr 17, 2013 10:31 AM (in response to Gerald Rezes)

                              For packages:

                              • You could try to copy the mac packages to "C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Uniprint" location
                              • Modify the manifest.xml in "C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Uniprint" location to include the mac packages (if you are confident in xml - this is another work around)
                                • Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
                                  AJ Settlemyer Wayfarer
                                  AJ Settlemyer Apr 17, 2013 10:32 AM (in response to Rojaa Matlakunta)

                                  Rojaa Matlakunta,

                                  Do you happen to have a copy of your XML package description that I can plug into my Manifest file?

                                   

                                  Thank you.

                                    • Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
                                      Rojaa Matlakunta Navigator
                                      Rojaa Matlakunta Apr 17, 2013 10:33 AM (in response to AJ Settlemyer)

                                      The manifest can be partially updated to include the Mac Package using Pharos Administrator. 
                                      The following steps need to be done to avoid the Manifest being overwritten whenever a package is built/rebuilt: 

                                      1. Create a Package in Administrator called 'Mac Package'
                                      2. Don't select any queues.
                                      3. In Description field: DO NOT REBUILD
                                      4. Build the package - this creates an entry in the Database, and also in the manifest.  (The database entry is important to stop the manifest being overwritten)
                                      5. On the IIS server, locate the files: MacPackage_for_W2K.exe; MacPackage_for_x64.exe; MacPackage_for_Lte.exe.  These can be deleted.

                                      In the manifest, three new <package> sections will be added for the new package, each with :      <name>Mac Package</name> 

                                      Delete the first two, but retain the final one , identified by the line          <environment>Lte</environment>  - as below

                                                                       <package>
                                                                                       <id>5</id>
                                                                                       <name>Mac Package</name>
                                                                                       <checksum>3134061475</checksum>
                                                                                       <buildversion>2966831076</buildversion>
                                                                                       <group/>
                                                                                       <description/>
                                                                                       <environment>Lte</environment>
                                                                                       <lastbuild>15 Nov 2011 16:15</lastbuild>
                                                                                       <fileurl>http://SERVERNAME/Uniprint/MacPackage_for_Lte.exe</fileurl>
                                                                                       <filesize>818962</filesize>
                                                                                       <supportedenvironments>W2K x64 Lte</supportedenvironments>
                                                                       </package>

                                      This entry in the manifest ensures the package displays on the Packages page of the website.
                                                                                       
                                      The <fileurl> line needs to be updated as follows: 
                                      1. replace //SERVERNAME with the IIS Server name hosting the Uniprint website.
                                      2. replace 'MacPackage_for_Lte.exe' with the name of the package to be run on the Mac client.
                                      3. ensure that the package to be run on the Mac client is in the Uniprint website location along with the other packages - usually C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Uniprint on IIS Server

                                      If there are any problems, this can be tested (on a windows client) by copying Notepad.exe into the Uniprint website location with the packages and update the <fileurl> to call notepad.exe - eg:
                                      <fileurl>http://SERVERNAME/Uniprint/notepad.exe</fileurl>

                                       

                                      Note: if the package is rebuilt from the Administrator, the file name to run will be overwritten in the Manifest. That is the reason, suggested to add the description to the Package inside the Administrator as 'DO NOT REBUILD'.

                                       

                                      Hope this helps...

                                       

                                      Regards, Rojaa
                                       

                                        • Re: Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
                                          AJ Settlemyer Wayfarer
                                          AJ Settlemyer Apr 17, 2013 10:35 AM (in response to Rojaa Matlakunta)

                                          Rojaa,

                                          Thanks a ton for the very descriptive information. I followed your instructions and I now see a MAC Package. Here is my XML entry as it is now.

                                          <package>
                                                       <id>5</id>
                                                       <name>MAC Package</name>
                                                       <checksum>566567134</checksum>
                                                       <buildversion>3005903909</buildversion>
                                                       <group/>
                                                       <description>DO NOT REBUILD!</description>
                                                       <environment>Lte</environment>
                                                       <lastbuild>14 Nov 2011 17:13</lastbuild>
                                                       <fileurl>http://Pharos_PS/Uniprint/Popup.dmg</fileurl>
                                                       <filesize>799408</filesize>
                                                       <supportedenvironments>OSX</supportedenvironments>
                                                   </package>

                                          A few questions:

                                          1. Am I using the correct MAC file ? When I click on the link on the Package website it gives me a page not found. I have put the "Popup.dmg" file in the C:\inetpub\wwwroot\uniprint directories, of course I'm trying this from a MAC.
                                          2. When I go through the instructions and add the printers to my MAC it doesn't prompt me for authentication information.
                                          3. Is there anything more I have to do in the Administrator to make this work? Queue's, printers, groups...etc? As far as making this part work, I already have accounting and the windows side working?

                                          Thanks again. AJ

                          • Re: How can I add a Mac printer package to the Uniprint package download website?
                            Charles Myers Wayfarer
                            Charles Myers Apr 17, 2013 10:42 AM (in response to David Marcinkowski)

                            I have an old Pharos Tech Note which describes how to build a custom installer for multiple Pharos print queues on Mac OS X. I wish they would put a newer updated tech note on the website. I got the document from someone in our IT department, so I don't know

                             

                            where they got it. This document tells exactly how to modify the Popup Client Installer, put your drivers and queue names in the Configuration file.

                             

                            We have also used Absolute Manage/Install Ease to make custom installers of all types, and I think that would be a good option to construct a full custom installer.

                             

                            Charles Myers