Printer Software

[dmeridith]

Why would the printer added through self service say that it requires software but on the same machine if it is added manually it would function properly?

[neilashdown]

How did you create the install for the printers?

[donmontalvo]

We've always used lpadmin for this. We push out the drivers (or at least confirm the correct drivers are installed) and use lpadmin to configure. In some cases, such as when a vendor customizes a PPD, where we have to curl the customized PPD from the print server, this is the only proper way to set up.

YMMV, I suppose.

[neilashdown]

I normally push them out as DMG files so have no insight installing them with lpadmin, I push them out and run a lpadmin script in casper (ongoing) to get round permission issues when the print pauses and needs a admin password to continue. not too sure i can help but it does seem like a permission issue.

[SeanA]

Depends upon how the printer policy/package was created for self service. Based upon the evidence, it looks like the self service is not installing all the necessary software that the GUI installation would install.

One possible speculation that I recently dealt with involved installing printers via Self Service policy. The policy worked for our existing printers, then our vendor provided us additional different printers that was supposed to use the same drivers. The vendor's driver was provided to us in a .mpkg format (an older format that is not as compatible as the .pkg format). As a scripting practice, we had error-checking in the post-installation script that installed the printers. The error checking quit the script on a non-fatal error caused by the .mpkg format:

Package /private/tmp/OSX/Printer Driver/OSX installer.mpkg uses a deprecated pre-10.2 format (or uses a newer format but is invalid).

The error-checking quit on this error and did not install a necessary folder that the newer printers used; the current printers did not require this folder.

The temporary workaround was to turn off error checking so the printers could successfully install. The SOLUTION was to obtain updated drivers from the vendor in the newer .pkg format.

That was the situation with me; for you, I recommend you run your script/package/policy via the Terminal. Watch it via Terminal and Console to see if there are any errors or interesting messages. SOMETHING is different between the two experiences of installing via Self Service and manual install.

[donmontalvo]

MPKG is still a current, supported format:

https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man1/packagemaker.1....

...though not easily converted to flat-PKG.

http://lists.apple.com/archives/installer-dev/2010/Feb/msg00049.html