Using CUPS would be the way to go (and I have an old blog entry from my Apple MobileMe site yet to import describing this), but to set up using the native Solaris 10 stuff:

Run the Solaris 10 printmgr GUI; in my example the printer to be configured is a networked HP LaserJet 4050N (so use “New Network Printer…” from the printmgr Printer menu).

First hiccup was the “Use PPD files” option in the printmgr Print Manager menu being grayed out; enabling the ppd-cache-update SMF service resolved this.

pfexec svcadm enable application/print/ppd-cache-update

See http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/819-7355/gewsn?a=view for more information.

 

Filled out the relevant info for my printer:

Second hiccup occurs whenever one tries to modify properties for an existing printer;

Can’t apply or OK any changes, and I’ve seen this consistently on several Solaris 10 machines; I can only assume that the problem is known and widespread. The only way around this I have found is to delete and create the print queue – not very convenient when all you might want to do is change banner page options…

 

Anyway, on the print server enable the IPP listening service:

$ pfexec svcadm enable svc:/application/print/ipp-listener:default

$ svcs -a | grep print

online         Feb_02   svc:/application/cde-printinfo:default
online         Feb_04   svc:/application/print/ppd-cache-update:default
online         Feb_05   svc:/application/print/server:default
online         14:08:17 svc:/application/print/rfc1179:default
online         15:02:18 svc:/application/print/ipp-listener:default

Print server should now be ready to receive print requests, run netstat -a:

TCP: IPv4
   Local Address        Remote Address    Swind Send-Q Rwind Recv-Q    State
-------------------- -------------------- ----- ------ ----- ------ -----------
      *.631                *.*                0      0 49152      0 LISTEN

IPP listening on port 631.

 

With an OpenSolaris snv_130 client, using the Gnome Print Manager application, I connected to the network print queue using IPP. Worked fine – except a banner page would always be printed with each job, in spite of the server configured not to. Turns out this is a known issue:

http://defect.opensolaris.org/bz/show_bug.cgi?id=5803

Using the old-style printmgr application on OpenSolaris (i.e. /usr/sbin/printmgr) to “Add Access to Printer…” on the other hand works fine.

 

Printing from Ubuntu 9.10, using IPP:

On Windows 7 Enterprise, had to use the “MS Publisher Imagesetter” driver to get sensible output with the HP 4050N. Using PCL5 / PCL6 resulted in no printer output (although jobs were logged at /var/lp/logs/requests), and using the PS driver results of course in streams of raw Postcript output:

 

Misc…

On the print server, view configuration for an installed printer:

cat /etc/lp/printers/sol10-4050n

Banner: off
Content types: postscript
Device: /dev/null
Interface: /usr/lib/lp/model/netstandard_foomatic
Printer type: unknown
Modules: 
Options: dest=192.168.10.12,protocol=bsd
PPD: /usr/lib/lp/model/ppd/system/foomatic/HP/HP-LaserJet_4050-Postscript.ppd.gz

 

TBC….