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[Launchpad Bug Tracker <1401835@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

** Branch linked: lp:ubuntu/vivid-proposed/system-config-printer

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1401835

Title:
  system-config-printer does not automatically download and install
  printer driver packages any more

Status in system-config-printer package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in system-config-printer source package in Trusty:
  In Progress
Status in system-config-printer source package in Utopic:
  In Progress

Bug description:
  The transition from Python2 to Python3, the replacement of the
  OpenPrinting web server by a new VM running Ubuntu 12.04 instead of
  10.04 (which was done bevause the old VM was completely overloaded and
  so contributed a part of the inability to auto-install drivers), and
  code restructuring in system-config-printer has broken automatic
  driver package download at several points. This is now fixed in the
  Vivid package of system-config-printer but (at least part) of the
  fixes needs to get backported to Utopic and Trusty, for which I have
  posted this bug report.

  [Impact]

  With the OpenPrinting web server change (Utopic, Trusty) and the
  transition to Python3 (Utopic) automatic driver download stopped
  working. So users of Utopic and Trusty who connect a printer only
  supported by a downloadable driver package listed at OpenPrinting
  (mostly newer Epson inkjets but also new PostScript/PCL printers from
  Ricoh and OEM, Samsung, ...) will not get the correct driver letting
  the printer not work at all or work with an inferior generic driver.

  [Test Case]

  If you do not have one of the mentioned printers, create a file named
  /usr/lib/cups/backend/testbackend containing the line

  echo 'direct usb://EPSON/EP-801A "EPSON EP-801A" "EPSON EP-801A"
  "MFG:EPSON;CMD:ESCPL2,BDC,D4,D4PX,ESCPR2;MDL:EP-
  801A;CLS:PRINTER;DES:EPSON EP-801A;" ""'

  and make iot world-readable and -executable:

  sudo chmod a+rx /usr/lib/cups/backend/testbackend

  This emulates an Epson EP-801A printer on USB, at least for CUPS'
  printer discovery facility.

  Start system-config-printer and click the "Add" button. In the printer
  setup wizard choose the Epson EP-801A under the detected printers.
  There will pop up "Searching driver" messages several times but in the
  end the manual make/model/driver selection screen appears as system-
  config-printer was not able to find a driver for this printer.

  With the proposed packages for Utopic and Trusty a driver is find via
  OpenPrinting ("epson-escpr") and offered for download. Accepting this
  leads to the driver being installed (and the Debian package repository
  at Epson being locally registered for future updates by Ubuntu's
  update mechanism) and afterwards automatically being assigned to the
  new print queue. The user is only asked for setting the queue name and
  comments before the wizard completes.

  [Regression Potential]

  Regression potential is low, as the fix consists of several small,
  independent changes, and most of them are not hit if the newly added
  printer is supported by a locally available driver.

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