0

I have a router that creates a wifi/wired network and a multifuncional printer that can be connected to network using ethernet cable (no wireless), but I cannot use a cable in the room where I want to put it.

Is it possible to connect the printer to an old eeepc 900 laptop (it has both wireless and ethernet port) running ubuntu (in minimal server mode, preferably) and make it available as a network printer to the other computers on the network created by the router?

I want the multifunctional printer to be both available to the wifi/wired network, AND be an independent player on that network - meaning, that it would have it's own (not the eeepc's) IP and so be able to send scanned documents via email. So neither an internet connection sharing via the ethernet port of eeepc (printer would not be available to the other computers on the primary network as that would create a secondary network) nor connection via usb (multifunctional printer would not be an independent player, able to send emails) are satisfactory options. I think some bridging solution is needed.

How do I configure the ubuntu laptop, step by step?

dgvirtual
  • 1

1 Answers1

0

Yes, that is possible. Steps are:

  • install Ubuntu server
  • preferably, set static network address
  • set it to not suspend when closing the lid, so the laptop takes up less space
  • attach printer to server (it will probably be recognized rightaway)
  • browse to server on port 631, so you can see the printer server running (still locally, at this point). You may need to install cups, I'm not sure if that is installed by default.
  • install Samba
  • edit /etc/samba/smb.conf to share printer over SMB
  • On guest computers, install printer as a network printer.

All of these steps are described in detail elsewhere on the web.

I'm using not a laptop but a Raspberry Pi taped to the printer for that purpose.

Jos
  • 29,224
  • Thank you. Just to clarify - are you really describing attachment of NETWORK printer (which gets it's onw ip address and is attached to network, or, in our case - the eeepc laptop - via ETHERNET cable), or USB printer? I am asking this, because I expected there would be some wifi-to-ethernet bridging involved, and it sounds like you do not describe it. – dgvirtual Mar 21 '18 at 15:41
  • Apologies for the confusion: the printer will be attached through a USB cable to the laptop, not to the network. The network features of the printer, if any, will not be used. The laptop will be connected to the network (through Wifi, or Ethernet, it doesn't matter). However, since the printer is shared by the laptop over the network, another computer will call it a "network printer" as opposed to "a printer directly connected to me". Does that help? – Jos Mar 21 '18 at 16:39
  • It will work as far as the printing goes, I hope. But the scanner of the multifunctional device will not be able to, for example, directly send by email the scans, in order to do that the MFP has to function as an independent network participant, with its own IP, not as a peripheral of the eeepc computer, right? I hope there is a way to attach it as an independent network participant through the ethernet cable... – dgvirtual Mar 21 '18 at 20:41
  • Yes, you could, as an alternative, set up the laptop as a Wi-Fi hotspot to be used by the printer. That way all the printer's network functions will be available. – Jos Mar 21 '18 at 21:08
  • true, but the printer does not have wifi cababilities, only ethernet (cable connection). I know I can share the wifi connection of eeepc to the printer/mfp connected to eeepc via ethernet port, but when connected that way eeepc and the printer/mfp will be on a separate (secondary) network and will not be available to the primary network. I have updated the question to explain more precisely what I want to do. – dgvirtual Mar 22 '18 at 07:19