2.5. Printcap, lpd.conf, and lpd.perms files

The printcap file contains the definitions of the print queues used by LPRng, and is located in the directory specified by the configuration ${sysconfdir} value. For a complete description of the printcap file see Printcap Database. If your system does not have an existing printcap file then a dummy /gfile similar to the following is installed by default:

    # dummy printcap file
    lp:cm=Dummy Printcap Entry:
     :lp=/dev/null
     :sd=/var/spool/lpd/%P


The lpd.conf is located in the ${sysconfdir} directory and provides configuration settings for both the LPRng client and server programs. For a complete description of the lpd.conf file see Configuration File, Defaults and Overrides. During installation the ${sysconfdir}/lpd.conf.template is created with the default LPRng information and if there is not an existing ${sysconfdir}/lpd.conf file is copied to it.

The lpd.perms is located in the ${sysconfdir} directory and is only by lpd to determine user permissions for printing activities. For a complete description of the lpd.perms file see Permissions and Authentication for details. During installation the lpd.perms.template file is installed in the ${sysconfdir}/lpd.perms.template and if there is not an existing lpd.perms file is copied to it.

By default, the LPRng client programs lpr, lpq, lprm, and lprc will require a lpd.conf and printcap file to be installed on the local host. You can relax this requirement by setting using the --disable-require_configfile configuration option. You can also create empty files to satisfy the program requirements.