IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
For updated and latest instructions for Ubuntu 9.10 onwards, go to this page.
This page keeps only the OBSOLETE instructions for setting up this printer up to Ubuntu 9.04 in case some people still need it.
Update (25-Apr-09): Updated for Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope and Samsung Unified Driver version 3.xx
Update (08-Nov-08): Updated for Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex
Update (30-Apr-08): Improved the workaround with hal-cups-utils
Update (28-Apr-08): Updated for Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron
Update (23-Oct-07): Updated for Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon
I started to use my Fuji Xerox WorkCentre PE220 since Ubuntu 7.10, and I needed to do many tricks to install the driver properly. But since Ubuntu 9.04 and Samsung Unified Driver version 3.xx, the installation is so easy and it works out-of-box!
Note that the installation steps involved differ for different Ubuntu and driver versions. I make this guide more 'practical' by only showing the steps for the latest Ubuntu (9.04 Jaunty Jackalope) and printer driver (version 3.xx).
1. Download the Unified Linux Printer Driver from Samsung
Some Xerox printers are Samsung OEM. This Xerox WorkCentre PE220 looks like a clone of Samsung SCX-4521F [www.samsung.com] (Note: This link changed very often! Navigate from the main page if the link does not work.) except that it has a slightly different button layout on the control panel. Download the driver. The latest driver I use is UnifiedLinuxDriver.tar.gz (Version 3.00.37) as of this writing.
2. Install the Unified Linux Printer Driver
Step 1: Prepare the Driver
Untar the tarball:
$ tar zxf UnifiedLinuxDriver.tar.gz
Step 2: Run the Installer with Root Privilege
$ cd cdroot $ sudo ./autorun
This is simple. The installer will gently prompt you to run the installer with root privileges if you don't specify 'sudo'.
Simply follow the instructions in the graphical installer:
- Add users you allow to access the printer into the
lpgroup. (To add future users, simply re-run the installer, use the 'Users and Groups' administration utility, or simply use theaddusercommand.) - Select 'Samsung SCX-4x21 Series' for this printer model
- Test to print and it should work!
Done!
3. Past Problems
You DO NOT need to read this section at all if you are not interested to know the tricks involved in making the old driver to work properly in old Ubuntu. Below lists the old problems encountered in the past.
(Solved) The installation script (install.sh) makes use of some bash extension but specifies to use /bin/sh in its first line, which points to /bin/dash instead of /bin/bash in Ubuntu. This causes some installation problems.
(Solved since driver version 3.xx) The ownerships of some installed files, which should be owned by root:root, are not set properly.
(Seems no problem since driver version 3.xx) The scanner driver (version 2.xx) will attempt to probe for scanners connected to the parallel ports, but as a normal user you cannot do so. Please refer here [jacobo.tarrio.org] for a patched driver that works.
(Solved since driver version 3.xx) The scanner and printer drivers do not look for the USB devices under /dev/bus/usb/ but instead look for them under /dev/bus/usb/, which is obsolete. A workaround is to modify /etc/init.d/mountdevsubfs.sh to have these lines:
domount devpts "" /dev/pts devpts -onoexec,nosuid,gid=$TTYGRP,mode=$TTYMODE # Uncomment or add the following lines # Magic to KEEP /proc/bus/usb working mkdir -p /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs domount usbfs "" /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs usbfs -obusmode=0700,devmode=0600,listmode=0644 ln -s .usbfs/devices /dev/bus/usb/devices mount --rbind /dev/bus/usb /proc/bus/usb
Then restart the script:
$ sudo /etc/init.d/mountdevsubfs.sh stop $ sudo /etc/init.d/mountdevsubfs.sh start
(Solved since driver version 3.xx; Options to include users to the group from the installer) You need to be in the lp group (instead of the scanner group in the Ubuntu convention) to use the scanner.
(Solved; Ubuntu 7.10) The default AppArmor CUPS profile is too restrictive for the Samsung driver. You will not be able to access the printer with the default profile. A workaround is to disable the profile with:
$ sudo aa-complain cupsd Setting /etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.cupsd to complain mode. $ sudo aa-status cupsd apparmor module is loaded. 2 profiles are loaded. 0 profiles are in enforce mode. 2 profiles are in complain mode. /usr/sbin/cupsd /usr/lib/cups/backend/cups-pdf 1 processes have profiles defined. 0 processes are in enforce mode : 1 processes are in complain mode. /usr/sbin/cupsd (4505) 0 processes are unconfined but have a profile defined.
(Ok; Ubuntu will ask you instead of installing a wrong driver blindly) The system automatically detects the correct printer model and will install a wrong printer driver. The main reason is that we are using a Samsung driver for a Fuji Xerox printer.
(Solved) The driver was infamous of compromising the security of the underlying GNU/Linux systems by making a few applications to run setuid root. (See this [lwn.net] and this [it.slashdot.org].) Some installation guides will ask you to chmod -s some applications. Luckily this step is no longer required as the terrible issue has been fixed in the latest version. (See this [lwn.net].)
4. Remarks
It has been quite easy to install the printer driver now. It's great that Samsung is really doing good work in maintaining the Unified Linux Driver!
Before driver version 3.xx, it was quite annoying and problematic to install the driver. (As you can see from the past problems.) However, many still hope that Samsung can generously donates the source codes of the driver to the free software community. By doing so, Ubuntu is able to include the driver, and the community can also help in maintaining the code and this should encourage more people to buy the Samsung or Xerox printers.
References
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=341621
http://jacobo.tarrio.org/Samsung_SCX-4200_on_Debian
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=4776310&postcount=114
