Friday, July 8, 2011

OSX 10.6.8 Update and Printing

The 10.6.8 update closed some security holes in OS X related to the printing system, but, in doing so, caused the print drivers for certain manufacturers (including Toshiba and Konica Minolta) to break. Apparently, these companies wrote very custom drivers that relied on whatever Apple closed; printers from companies that used the printing APIs (such as HP) are fine.


If you have recently updated your Mac you may be unable to print to KM copiers: the print queue will simply be "stuck" on Paused. Fortunately, the fix is quick, if non-obvious:

  • From the Finder menu choose Go, then Go to Folder...
  • Enter /etc/cups/ppd in the Go to Folder dialog box and choose Go.
  • Find the ppd named PrinterName.ppd. (This is the same name as the printer name in Print and Fax with a .ppd extension. )
  • Drag the ColorPrinter.ppd to the Desktop.
  • Open the ColorPrinter.ppd with TextEdit.
  • At the end of the PPD add the following line exactly as written: *cupsSNMPSupplies: False
  • Save the modified ColorPrinter.ppd to the Desktop.
  • From the /etc/cups/ppd folder, move the original ColorPrinter.ppd to the trash. Authenticate when prompted.
  • Drag the modified ColorPrinter.ppd from the Desktop to the /etc/cups/ppd folder. Authenticate when prompted.
  • Printing should now work as expected. (You may have to start the print queue if it was previously paused)


This can also be done from the command line, which is a little faster:

  • Open Terminal
  • Navigate to /etc/cups/ppd (cd /ect/cups/ppd)
  • List the printers (ls)
    • There will be a series of files in the format "printername.ppd"
    • Create a backup of the print queue (sudo cp printername.ppd printername.ppd.bak)
    • Edit the printer queue in vim (sudo vim printername.ppd)
    • Insert a new line below the last line: "cupsSNMPSupplies: False"
    • Exit Insert mode in vim, save and quit

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Turning white clouds into black clouds: Cloud-driven hacking is now real http://ping.fm/QNDNF
Are your networks ready for the cutover to IPv6? http://ping.fm/XneaK
Amazon EC2 enables brute-force attacks on the cheap http://ping.fm/oyrPi
Mac App Store: Blueprint for the software retailer of tomorrow? http://ping.fm/NbAjT
Android's on-screen keyboard alternatives http://ping.fm/ju2FP

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Wozniak: Voice recognition is computing's next frontier http://ping.fm/wk3yR
Myths of the workplace: Job security and company loyalty http://ping.fm/PARtO
Build a strong relationship with your boss, with or without their help http://ping.fm/7auyQ
With Muglia gone, who will succeed Ballmer? http://ping.fm/rj3tZ
IBM doubles down on business analytics http://ping.fm/s8kdh
Google kills H.264 video support in Chrome http://ping.fm/49Z3s
Windows Phone 7 leaves a Microsoft fan in angst http://ping.fm/tLco6

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

CES 2011: Where tablet PCs and 3D TVs ruled http://ping.fm/rlDuy
FAQ: What you need to know about the Verizon iPhone 4 http://ping.fm/apRM7
JRuby upgrade called biggest release ever http://ping.fm/XcE3G
Cloud infrastructure: Soon there'll be just one that counts http://ping.fm/hxl0y
Security admins: Prepare for tomorrow's tech trend today http://ping.fm/LVezf

Monday, January 10, 2011

The myth of 10GbE IP storage http://ping.fm/Nu0Yg
Ballmer ousts Microsoft server chief Muglia http://ping.fm/CqVwl
Microsoft exec shakeup could be over cloud, Silverlight, or burnout http://ping.fm/009fP
Microsoft's Muglia stepping down http://ping.fm/gX4x0
Oracle aims new BI app at SAP customers http://ping.fm/MHCNM
Microsoft reengineering Dynamics ERP http://ping.fm/w2Pr0
InfoWorld's Linux IQ test: Round 2 http://ping.fm/iXp7e
Linux IQ test: Round 2 http://ping.fm/5PjiT
2011: The year personal computing will reinvent itself http://ping.fm/uVSWC
7 wacky products you missed at CES 2011 http://ping.fm/FUIzO

Saturday, January 8, 2011

The evolution of hard drives http://ping.fm/4dqma

Friday, January 7, 2011

Report: Verizon iPhone to come next week http://ping.fm/legim
The InfoWorld news quiz: Jan. 7, 2011 http://ping.fm/0mUpe
Is the Microsoft-Intel marriage finally over? http://ping.fm/6fjns
Microsoft divulged little at CES -- but the products speak volumes http://ping.fm/GSlHs
Apple quietly became a key enterprise provider http://ping.fm/ov4bV
PHP floating point bug fixed http://ping.fm/KutXw
The key mobile trends emerging from CES 2011 http://ping.fm/qpsfu
Android tablets ignore the enterprise to their peril http://ping.fm/k9wng
Android: The next generation http://ping.fm/EqgsG

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Why Google should buy Amazon.com http://ping.fm/i5TEL
What's beyond 10G Ethernet? http://ping.fm/wvTRj
Hackers find new way to cheat on Wall Street -- to everyone's peril http://ping.fm/qmVfA
Displaced IT workers stand to lose federal help http://ping.fm/vajsW
Software security: Honesty is the best policy http://ping.fm/kXQ4S
Hackers find a new way to cheat on Wall Street -- to everyone's peril http://ping.fm/VO79s
URL-shortening services gave hackers a new entry point http://ping.fm/H9xn5

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Update: PHP floating point bug fix due within hours http://ping.fm/KUNwu
Apple formally declares its enterprise intentions http://ping.fm/z8RTN
New Android smartphone to dock to laptop, desktop browser http://ping.fm/pIEZw
How to enhance your career with cloud computing http://ping.fm/GNNga
Deferred IT maintenance is a ticking time bomb http://ping.fm/I8TYe
Flash blamed for RIM PlayBook's short battery life http://ping.fm/1MQBi
Hotmail fail: Microsoft lays an egg in the cloud http://ping.fm/7vGqX
InfoWorld review: Desktop virtualization made easy http://ping.fm/AJXHQ
Server virtualization has stalled, despite the hype http://ping.fm/4P5XC
Has HP given up on smartphones and tablets? http://ping.fm/rpBUL

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Hadoop, SharePoint, vSphere, and the iPad point to intriguing possibilities for tech http://ping.fm/9IZtv
5 things you need to know about BYO tech http://ping.fm/9wwh0
Adobe offers top 10 list for Flash Platform in 2010 http://ping.fm/6vRAo
Is Microsoft becoming a security slacker? http://ping.fm/XsKoj
50 billion reasons why Facebook is not worth $50 billion http://ping.fm/fgqnN
Microsoft cuts software leasing costs to retain companies http://ping.fm/2IMlv
Update: Google comes in third on top 10 list of spam enablers http://ping.fm/WdOe2
AMD delivers Fusion processors for netbooks, laptops http://ping.fm/Q0oYK
The health care industry faces its risky ERP moment http://ping.fm/GHGHg
Five security trends for 2011 and beyond http://ping.fm/xsqv6
Where mobile technology is heading, from 2011 to 2020 http://ping.fm/pUGUQ

Monday, January 3, 2011

Can we trust big cloud? http://ping.fm/BgSOq
Microsoft CIO: We're dog-fooding the cloud http://ping.fm/lJUQM
Demand Net neutrality as a basic right http://ping.fm/WsYuO
The straight talk on IT's new directions http://ping.fm/czIHH

Saturday, January 1, 2011

The most innovative personal electronics of the year http://ping.fm/qOEGH