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Question

Updating Print Drivers

  • May 3, 2016
  • 6 replies
  • 36 views

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Hello All,

How is everyone updating Print Drivers and Printers?

We have several Canon iR ADV printers on campus. This summer we are planning on upgrading to El Cap. In ensuring compatibility we want to update the drivers.

  • Printers are pushed via Policy

I have performed the following:
- Downloaded Canon Drivers
- Created policy to install the drivers
--- drivers installed successfully
- printers were not updated with new driver
- removed printers/reset printing system
- rebooted computer
- logged into computer as local administrator
- printers installed but not with the new driver

  • removed printer
  • added back manually via IP -- printer using updated driver

How can I update the drivers?

Thanks in advance!

6 replies

davidacland
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  • Valued Contributor
  • May 3, 2016

Hi,

We normally add printers using lpadmin (although still through a Casper policy), so we can easily see the PPD that is being used.

Other than that, the process is the same and works ok.


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  • Author
  • Contributor
  • May 3, 2016

Thanks @davidacland

Would you mind expanding a little? (Still a newbie!)


davidacland
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  • Valued Contributor
  • May 3, 2016

If I wanted to deploy a printer with the following details:

  • Printer name: MyGreatPrinter
  • Print server: smb://printserver.yourdomain.com
  • Printer model: Sharp MX-5112N
  • PPD (driver): /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/SHARP MX-5112N.PPD.gz

Assuming I had installed the driver software for that model of printer (I normally do that separately), I run a policy with the following command (in the "Files and Processes" section "Execute Command"):

lpadmin -p "MyGreatPrinter" -E -v "smb://printserver.yourdomain.com/MyGreatPrinter" -P "/Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/SHARP MX-5112N.PPD.gz" -o printer-is-shared=false -o PageSize=A4 -o auth-info-required=negotiate

stevewood
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  • Hall of Fame
  • May 3, 2016

@lee.smith as @davidacland pointed out, you can use lpadmin to add your printers. I'm assuming, based on what you are describing, that your printers have been added to Casper Admin by "capturing" them from a workstation and they are then pushed to machines via a policy.

I'm not familiar with Canon drivers, but I'm guessing that either the location of the driver changed, or the name of the driver changed. For example, Canon may be placing a version number in the name "Canon IR ADV Driver v1.0" is now "Canon IR ADV Driver v1.1". If that is the case, then your printers may not pick up the new driver.

What you will want to do is determine what the path is to the new driver and what the name of the new driver is. Once you have that info, you'll probably need to remove existing printers and then re-add them, pointing to the new driver. You can do this using the lpadmin method that David pointed out. If you get stuck with that, I'm sure we can point you in the right direction.


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  • New Contributor
  • June 24, 2016

@lee.smith i have a few questions for u, do you have email adress?


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  • Author
  • Contributor
  • June 24, 2016

@Lpbudde

You can reach me at lee.smith at cpalions .org