[sane-devel] SANE needs a GUI like CUPS's 'system-config-printer' to manually add a network scanner.

[Hans Deragon]

Greetings,

I understand that saned is a daemon / API running in the backend, but I
believe that like CUPS's 'system-config-printer', it should come with a
frontend to manage scanners.

I have a network (wifi) scanner setup properly. One of my Linux machine
(a desktop computer) connects to it without any issue. I have setup
that machine with hplip. However, another Linux laptop cannot find it
on the network. I know its IP and I can ping it, figure out the ports
that are open, but there is no GUI to add a scanner.

In fact, I cannot even figure out how to add this scanner via the
terminal. Searching for any reference to it under /etc on the desktop
machine for which it works returns nothing. I have no clue where the
scanner is configured on that machine so I can copy the configuration on
the laptop.

The scanner is part of my MFC "HP Officejet Pro 6978 All-in-one". hplip
requires me to set it up (again!) with a USB cable. But this device is
already setup and I should not have to plug as USB cable to it and
reconfigure it. I should just be able to find it on the network and go
on with it, or at least, add it manually via a GUI.

Has this issue already been discussed? BTW, I am new to this mailing
list and I have no history regarding the SANE project; I am just a
simple user.

Best regards,
Hans Deragon

[Simon Matter]

Post by Hans Deragon
Greetings,
I understand that saned is a daemon / API running in the backend, but I
believe that like CUPS's 'system-config-printer', it should come with a
frontend to manage scanners.

AFAIK system-config-printer is a development of RedHat and has no relation
with CUPS. The only problem here is that RedHat "forgot" to implement
'system-config-scanner' :-)

Post by Hans Deragon
I have a network (wifi) scanner setup properly. One of my Linux machine
(a desktop computer) connects to it without any issue. I have setup
that machine with hplip. However, another Linux laptop cannot find it
on the network. I know its IP and I can ping it, figure out the ports
that are open, but there is no GUI to add a scanner.
In fact, I cannot even figure out how to add this scanner via the
terminal. Searching for any reference to it under /etc on the desktop
machine for which it works returns nothing. I have no clue where the
scanner is configured on that machine so I can copy the configuration on
the laptop.
The scanner is part of my MFC "HP Officejet Pro 6978 All-in-one". hplip
requires me to set it up (again!) with a USB cable. But this device is
already setup and I should not have to plug as USB cable to it and
reconfigure it. I should just be able to find it on the network and go
on with it, or at least, add it manually via a GUI.

Here again, AFAIK, HPLIP is a HP thing and not developed by SANE. So I
guess you should send your requests to the HPLIP developers as only they
may be able to help you with the HP specific things.

Regards,
Simon

[Alex ARNAUD]

Hello Hans,

There is program named xsane that could help you.

If you use an HP multifunction printer you can configure it from
system-config-printer and you scanner feature will automatically work.

Best regards.
--
Alex ARNAUD
Visual-Impairment Project Manager
Hypra - "Humanizing technology"

Post by Hans Deragon
Greetings,
I understand that saned is a daemon / API running in the backend, but I
believe that like CUPS's 'system-config-printer', it should come with a
frontend to manage scanners.
I have a network (wifi) scanner setup properly. One of my Linux machine
(a desktop computer) connects to it without any issue. I have setup
that machine with hplip. However, another Linux laptop cannot find it
on the network. I know its IP and I can ping it, figure out the ports
that are open, but there is no GUI to add a scanner.
In fact, I cannot even figure out how to add this scanner via the
terminal. Searching for any reference to it under /etc on the desktop
machine for which it works returns nothing. I have no clue where the
scanner is configured on that machine so I can copy the configuration on
the laptop.
The scanner is part of my MFC "HP Officejet Pro 6978 All-in-one". hplip
requires me to set it up (again!) with a USB cable. But this device is
already setup and I should not have to plug as USB cable to it and
reconfigure it. I should just be able to find it on the network and go
on with it, or at least, add it manually via a GUI.
Has this issue already been discussed? BTW, I am new to this mailing
list and I have no history regarding the SANE project; I am just a
simple user.
Best regards,
Hans Deragon

[Hans Deragon]

Greetings Alex,

Post by Alex ARNAUD
There is program named xsane that could help you.

It does not help. It aborts because it does not found a scanner I use
occasionally, when I am at my friend's house, and it does not find my
scanner, which I am able to ping to and access to from another computer.

Post by Alex ARNAUD
If you use an HP multifunction printer you can configure it from
system-config-printer and you scanner feature will automatically work.

Nope, that is not the case. system-config-printer is only for the
printer side of a MFC device. I can print to my MFC, but I cannot scan
it. As a scanner, it does not exists and I have no means to add it
manually to Linux.

Merci,
Hans Deragon

Post by Alex ARNAUD
Hello Hans,
There is program named xsane that could help you.
If you use an HP multifunction printer you can configure it from
system-config-printer and you scanner feature will automatically work.
Best regards.
--
Alex ARNAUD
Visual-Impairment Project Manager
Hypra - "Humanizing technology"

Greetings, I understand that saned is a daemon / API running in the
backend, but I believe that like CUPS's 'system-config-printer', it
should come with a frontend to manage scanners. I have a network
(wifi) scanner setup properly. One of my Linux machine (a desktop
computer) connects to it without any issue. I have setup that machine
with hplip. However, another Linux laptop cannot find it on the
network. I know its IP and I can ping it, figure out the ports that
are open, but there is no GUI to add a scanner. In fact, I cannot even
figure out how to add this scanner via the terminal. Searching for any
reference to it under /etc on the desktop machine for which it works
returns nothing. I have no clue where the scanner is configured on
that machine so I can copy the configuration on the laptop. The
scanner is part of my MFC "HP Officejet Pro 6978 All-in-one". hplip
requires me to set it up (again!) with a USB cable. But this device is
already setup and I should not have to plug as USB cable to it and
reconfigure it. I should just be able to find it on the network and go
on with it, or at least, add it manually via a GUI. Has this issue
already been discussed? BTW, I am new to this mailing list and I have
no history regarding the SANE project; I am just a simple user. Best
regards, Hans Deragon

[Hans Deragon]

Greetings,

I have an HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 MFC. I have two Linux computers at home,
a desktop and a laptop. Both are able to print to it, no problem. I
configured the desktop with hp-setup from hplip, using the USB cable.
That configures the device to use the wifi. Once configured, I
disconnected the USB cable and that desktop computer is able to use the
scanner, no problem. I have another laptop, which I just want to
connect to the same scanner. I do not want to set the scanner up again,
since it is already configured. I just want to tell Sane that there is
a scanner at address 192.168.1.157. Sane fails to detect it, and I have
no clue how to add it using a GUI nor a terminal for that matter.

The should be a GUI feature that allows me to add a scanner the same way
one can add a printer.

Best regards,
Hans Deragon

Post by Alex ARNAUD
If you use an HP multifunction printer you can configure it from
system-config-printer and you scanner feature will automatically work.
Nope, that is not the case. system-config-printer is only for the
printer side of a MFC device. I can print to my MFC, but I cannot scan
it. As a scanner, it does not exists and I have no means to add it
manually to Linux.

I don't understand precisely. Are you talking about HP printers or
Brother MFC one? Brother provides a dedicated command-line tool to
configure both printer and scanner.

Best regards.

[Alex ARNAUD]

Post by Hans Deragon
Greetings,
I have an HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 MFC. I have two Linux computers at home,
a desktop and a laptop. Both are able to print to it, no problem. I
configured the desktop with hp-setup from hplip, using the USB cable.
That configures the device to use the wifi.  Once configured, I
disconnected the USB cable and that desktop computer is able to use the
scanner, no problem.  I have another laptop, which I just want to
connect to the same scanner.  I do not want to set the scanner up again,
since it is already configured.  I just want to tell Sane that there is
a scanner at address 192.168.1.157.  Sane fails to detect it, and I have
no clue how to add it using a GUI nor a terminal for that matter.
The should be a GUI feature that allows me to add a scanner the same way
one can add a printer.

OK, after checking what I do every time when configuring network
multifunction HP devices I've only used system-config-printer without
doing any manual configuration from command-line or from sane.

Which distribution are you using ? Are you using Ubuntu 17.10 ?

Best regards.
--
Alex ARNAUD
Visual-Impairment Project Manager
Hypra - "Humanizing technology"

[Hans Deragon]

Greetings Alex,

I am not an Sane expert, but what happens in your case, I believe, is
that Sane automatically detects your scanner, regardless of your printer
settings. I bet that if you tried your scanner before adding your
printer, it would have worked.

I am using Ubuntu 16.04.

Best regards,
Hans Deragon

Post by Alex ARNAUD

Greetings, I have an HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 MFC. I have two Linux computers at home, a desktop and a laptop. Both are able to print to it, no problem. I configured the desktop with hp-setup from hplip, using the USB cable. That configures the device to use the wifi. Once configured, I disconnected the USB cable and that desktop computer is able to use the scanner, no problem. I have another laptop, which I just want to connect to the same scanner. I do not want to set the scanner up again, since it is already configured. I just want to tell Sane that there is a scanner at address 192.168.1.157. Sane fails to detect it, and I have no clue how to add it using a GUI nor a terminal for that matter. The should be a GUI feature that allows me to add a scanner the same way one can add a printer.

OK, after checking what I do every time when configuring network
multifunction HP devices I've only used system-config-printer without
doing any manual configuration from command-line or from sane.
Which distribution are you using ? Are you using Ubuntu 17.10 ?
Best regards.

[Alex ARNAUD]

Post by Alex ARNAUD
If you use an HP multifunction printer you can configure it from
system-config-printer and you scanner feature will automatically work.

Nope, that is not the case.  system-config-printer is only for the
printer side of a MFC device.  I can print to my MFC, but I cannot scan
it.  As a scanner, it does not exists and I have no means to add it
manually to Linux.

I don't understand precisely. Are you talking about HP printers or
Brother MFC one? Brother provides a dedicated command-line tool to
configure both printer and scanner.

Best regards.

[Hans Deragon]

Greetings Simon,

Isn't this a problem? I thought that Sane, like CUPS, is a generic
standard. So why would my HP MFC's scanner be something HP specific?

Shouldn't there be a way to just tell Sane "Hey, there is a scanner at
IP <xxx> you are unable to detect automatically. Please add it to your
list."?

If a printer is not found, I can add it with system-config-printer. But
if the magic of automatic detection of Sane fails, I cannot add a
scanner manually. This is an important feature that is missing in
Linux, IMHO.

Has this topic been discussed before? I must not be the first to bring
it up.

Best regards,
Hans Deragon

Post by Simon Matter

Greetings, I understand that saned is a daemon / API running in the
backend, but I believe that like CUPS's 'system-config-printer', it
should come with a frontend to manage scanners.

AFAIK system-config-printer is a development of RedHat and has no
relation
with CUPS. The only problem here is that RedHat "forgot" to implement
'system-config-scanner' :-)

I have a network (wifi) scanner setup properly. One of my Linux
machine (a desktop computer) connects to it without any issue. I have
setup that machine with hplip. However, another Linux laptop cannot
find it on the network. I know its IP and I can ping it, figure out
the ports that are open, but there is no GUI to add a scanner. In
fact, I cannot even figure out how to add this scanner via the
terminal. Searching for any reference to it under /etc on the desktop
machine for which it works returns nothing. I have no clue where the
scanner is configured on that machine so I can copy the configuration
on the laptop. The scanner is part of my MFC "HP Officejet Pro 6978
All-in-one". hplip requires me to set it up (again!) with a USB cable.
But this device is already setup and I should not have to plug as USB
cable to it and reconfigure it. I should just be able to find it on
the network and go on with it, or at least, add it manually via a GUI.

Here again, AFAIK, HPLIP is a HP thing and not developed by SANE. So I
guess you should send your requests to the HPLIP developers as only
they
may be able to help you with the HP specific things.
Regards,
Simon

[Johannes Meixner]

Hello,

Post by Hans Deragon
If a printer is not found, I can add it with system-config-printer.
But if the magic of automatic detection of Sane fails,
I cannot add a scanner manually.

I did not read all the details in this mail thread but in general
as far as I understand how the scanner drivers in SANE work
it is not possible for the user to add a scanner manually.
Either a scanner driver can detect the scanner or not.
In general you may have a look at
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Configuring_Scanners
and therein see in particular the sections
"Scanning via Network" and perhaps also
"Third-Party Scanner Drivers".

I think with scanners it is basically same as with things like
harddisks. Either a kernel driver can detect a harddisk or not.
It is not possible for the user to add a harddisk manually
because when no kernel driver can detect a special harddisk
there is nothing what the user could do any further, except
update his kernel to get hopefully a new/updated driver that
can detect (and use) his special harddisk.


Kind Regards
Johannes Meixner
--
SUSE LINUX GmbH - GF: Felix Imendoerffer, Jane Smithard,
Graham Norton - HRB 21284 (AG Nuernberg)