Methods and Protocols for Connecting Printers

There are various possibilities for connecting a printer to the system. The configuration of the CUPS print system does not distinguish between a local printer and a printer connected to the system over the network. In Linux, local printers must be connected as described in the manual of the printer manufacturer. CUPS supports serial, USB, parallel, and SCSI connections. For more information about the printer connection, read the article CUPS in a Nutshell in the Support Database at http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:CUPS_in_a_Nutshell.

►zseries: Printers and similar devices provided by the z/VM that you can connect locally with the IBM System z mainframes are not supported by CUPS or LPRng. On these platforms, printing is only possible over the network. The cabling for network printers must be installed according to the instructions of the printer manufacturer. ◄

	Changing Cable Connections in a Running System
When connecting the printer to the machine, do not forget that only USB devices can be plugged in or unplugged during operation. To avoid damaging your system or printer, shut down the system before changing any connections that are not USB.