Toffoletto.me

Installing Cups & HPLIP

Friday, October 9th 2020

Sometimes HP Printers and Linux aren't just the plug-and-play they should have been out of the box... and every time I need to set up mine for network sharing I have to use Google to refresh my memory. So I hope with those tips I can help someone forgetful as me in this simple endeavour. ![Short attention span](https://i.imgur.com/YuMAmV0.jpg){.is-image-centered} If you, like me, have an aging HP Printer that doesn't have integrated wifi, sharing it over your local network can be simple as plugging it into your NAS or Router, however, sometimes the software won't recognize it or won't have the proprietary plugins for it. This can be solved by using your computer, home server or a RaspberryPi; for that we will need CUPS and HPLIP (HP Linux Image Processing), use your package manager to install them. For debian-ish distros you can use: `$ sudo apt install cups hplip` ### CUPS After the installation, the daemon needs to be enabled and started: `$ sudo systemctl enable --now cups.service` Easy, right? Now we only need to configure it, this will enable sharing and remote access in your LAN. `$ sudo $EDITOR /etc/cups/cupsd.conf` Modify only the following parameters: ``` (...) Listen 631 # Web interface setting... WebInterface Yes # Restrict access to the server... Order allow,deny Allow @LOCAL # Restrict access to the admin pages... AuthType Default Require valid-user Order allow,deny Allow @LOCAL (...) ``` The last step is to add your user to the printer group, `$ sudo usermod -a -G lpadmin,lp $USER` and refresh group memberships: `$ sudo sync /etc/gshadow` `$ sudo grpck` Voilà, CUPS is up & running :-) This should cover any Linux/Mac devices in your network. (*) You can access the web interface at `https://$YOUR_LOCAL_IP:631/` ### HPLIP Now we need to get HP's proprietary plugin before adding your printer: `$ sudo hp-plugin -i` Read the instructions on the screen and, when asked, answer as follows: ` **d** Download plug-in from HP (recommended)` ` Do you accept the license terms for the plug-in (y=yes*, n=no, q=quit) ? **y**` Now it's time to add your printer (*verify if it is properly connected and turned on*): `$ sudo hp-setup -i` Print a test page, if everything goes well now you can use your printer as far your wifi goes! ### SAMBA (Optional) If you have a windows device, you can share your printer via SAMBA: `$ sudo apt install samba` `$ sudo $EDITOR /etc/samba/smb.conf` ``` (...) [printers] comment = All Printers browseable = no path = /var/spool/samba printable = yes guest ok = yes read only = yes create mask = 0700 (...) ```

I ignored the internet and built a custom C.M.S.

Friday, July 31th 2020

If you ask anyone: "Should I build my own CMS?", they will answer "NO". And they are absolutely right! The answer should be always **NO**. However, I decided to ignore the wisdom of the internet (and my own good judgment) and started to write one for my personal website. ![Internet Treason](https://i.imgur.com/wHIjDax.jpeg){.is-image-centered} Nowadays, the implementation of a CMS (*Content Management System*) is essential even for small projects, being them for the web or not. However, to write your own can prove to be a herculean task. It takes a lot of planning, effort and investment to develop a proper CMS. Initial development and deployment aside, a decent custom C.M.S. requires constant development in order to keep up with system compatibility, to add new features, implement third part APIs and apply security patches, thus, making the final cost not viable in the case of most projects. Instead, there are plenty of alternatives out there (free and paid ones) to solve most of the 'usual' necessities: e-commerces, blogs, news agencies, etc... It is preferable to spend some time trying out and researching about an open source CMS, customizing it and exploring its plug-ins; the end result is better security and a stable environment. Also, it can reduce the initial adaptation time for new users and maintainers who have already worked with that software before or are familiar with it. There are several articles online to enforce this conclusion (a quick [DuckDuckGo](https://duckduckgo.com/?q="Should+I+build+my+own+CMS%3F") search proves my point), like this one by [Sean C. Davis](https://cobwwweb.com/build-cms-dont-build-cms) where he tell us how after five years invested in the development and maintenance of his [Sapwood](https://github.com/seancdavis/sapwood) project he ended up abandoning it. However, Davis's advice isn't only to avoid writing your own and go for the big open-sourced projects, he also acknowledges that in some cases a custom CMS may make sense, either because it's a very specialized or because it's simply a learning opportunity and fun for the developer. ## My Case When I started this website project, I decided that I wanted to develop a simple and lightweight [markdown](https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/) based website using [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) and tools native to linux systems, like [Git](https://git-scm.com/) and [SystemD](https://freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/). That lead me to create the [Aedifico](https://github.com/raibtoffoletto/aedifico) framework, my own blog/website engine written in JavaScript, a language not loved by everyone (*with reason*) but if HTML and CSS are the **`H`** and **`O`** of Internet's base elements, JS is the **`C`** that brings everything to life. ![JavaScript](https://i.imgur.com/8B8ye29.jpg){.is-image-centered} The engine itself isn't complicate: Node's Express and Markdown modules make it very easy to serve static pages and Git is the simplest tool you can find to add a version control system. I could very easily `ssh` into my server, write pages/posts using [VIm](https://vim.org/) and this very website wouldn't be any different from what it is. But as much as I love my terminal, I like nice and shiny graphical applications and the option to manage the content from my website from everywhere. So, Sprintplank was born, my own CMS! It's development took me *(at least)* six times longer than the website engine and it was like... ###### Internal dialog: - *"If the CMS is accessible online, I need a Log-In system"*, so, lets spend a long time researching the best security practices. - *"The CMS should integrate with Git"*, ok, I need to read NodeGit's ~~lack of~~ documentation. - *"The CMS should preview the website and only publish when ready"*, then, lets create a git repo with two different branches. - *"These services should've been native"*, hum... systemd it is! - *"But how to set up all this mess?"*, Fine! Let's create an installer written in python. - *"And how about an update system?"* ... 😭 😭 😭 I'm not even counting the time it took for solving bugs created by any new idea I had for the project... the self-update one delayed this very post by four months! ## Then, why bother? Well, my project was specialized enough that the use of any other tool would mean to significantly modify it, besides, I've learned **A LOT** during the whole process, and *that* was the main point of rewriting this website (otherwise I'd have used any payed service that my only labor would be to insert the site's content, like squarespace, wix, wordpress, etc). And for sure solving all those puzzles was **FUN**! ![Fun](https://i.imgur.com/JmTXHv4.jpeg){.is-image-centered} Is Aedifico the most advanced web framework out there? Not by a long shot... but I'm proud of what it can do and how stable *(knock on wood)* it is now. This learning process helped me to improve my git workflow, software design, general problem solving and coding skills. The cost of what I've invested is neglectable in comparison with how much I've gained with it and how it fits in my portfolio. As I stated in the beginning, to build your own CMS usually is not the answer, but you can learn and improve yourself a great deal by doing it.

Locus novus, vita nova.

Wednesday, December 4th 2019

**New website, new life!** ~ Now, I promise to stop with the "latim fetish" at the name of this blog: Cogito *(i.e. I Think)*. All the reasons that led me to start blogging [again] are the same that made me redesign this website: I was in need for a change in my life. I'm a trained musician, with diplomas from three different countries and, yet, I wasn't able to develop a career to support myself. So, after some *soul searching*, I decided to focus in one of my hobbies as a career, programming. This process isn't easy, particularly when you are already in your 30's, but it's possible with dedication and effort. One of the things I most value as a musician was the "learning by teaching". Any 'social animal' (humans included) is capable of learning by copying, however we, human beings, learn also by the process of teaching others. When someone needs to pass their knowledge of something, that knowledge needs to be clear in their minds, and if it's not, needs to be organised in order to [successfully] explain it. Most of my mistakes as a musician was solved not by listening to my teachers, but by observing the exactly same problems in my students! So, my plans for this blog is to share my thoughts on new things I learn in technology or coding. Probably not exclusively, because I'm a complex person ;), but at least as its main focus. That will serve mostly to help *me* with my bad memory, keeping a record of things I will probably forget (like how to exit [vim](https://www.vim.org) xD), and, at the same time, making me reflect on what I'm learning and organise my own knowledge of the subject in my [cluttered] mind. You may be wondering *why he's writing in a foreign language*? In my [almost a] decade living abroad, I adopted English as my main language (despite the fact I've never lived in a english-speaking country). I did my studies in english, my master's thesis and it is the language I talk with most of my friends. However, I keep the love for loads of comas and huge senttences all the latim-based languages have. Hope it won't bother anyone to death :).