Exercise: Create and Print to a Driverless Queue

Using the Modern CUPS Workflow

A hands-on exercise to create a modern, driverless CUPS print queue that points to the persistent virtual IPP printer service.
Author

Chuck Nelson

Published

November 16, 2025

1 Purpose

Now that you have a persistent virtual IPP printer running as a background service, you need to tell CUPS how to find it. In this exercise, you will create a CUPS print queue using the modern, driverless method. You will use the -m everywhere model, which tells CUPS to treat the device as a standard IPP Everywhere printer, and point it to the fixed port your service is using.

2 What You’ll Accomplish

By the end of this exercise, you will be able to:

  • Create a driverless print queue using the lpadmin command.
  • Print a test job to the persistent IPP queue.
  • Verify a successful print by checking the output directory and viewing the service logs.

This exercise maps to the following program and course learning outcomes:

  • Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs):
    • 1. Identify hardware and basic network components: This exercise covers the modern software process for configuring and using a network peripheral.

This exercise develops the following skills, which align with the O*NET SOC Code 15-1232.00 for Computer User Support Specialists.

Learning Objective O*NET KSAs Technologies Used
Create and test a driverless print queue. Knowledge: Computers & Electronics, Telecommunications
Skills: Installation, Systems Analysis		 CUPS, lpadmin, journalctl

3 Prerequisites

This exercise requires a running Fedora 43 virtual machine where you have already completed Exercise 10.1 and the ippeveprinter.service is active and running.

4 Step-by-Step Guide

4.1 Step 1: Create the Driverless CUPS Queue

We will now use the lpadmin command to create the print queue that points to our persistent service.

  1. Open a terminal window.

  2. Run the following command. The port 8631 is fixed because we defined it in our systemd service file.

    sudo lpadmin -p IPP-Persistent-Printer -E -v ipp://localhost:8631/ipp/print -m everywhere

  3. Let’s break down this command:

    • -p IPP-Persistent-Printer: Sets the name of our queue.
    • -E: Enables the printer so it’s immediately ready to accept jobs.
    • -v ipp://localhost:8631/ipp/print: The device URI. This tells CUPS where the “hardware” is—our persistent ippeveprinter service.
    • -m everywhere: This is the magic flag. It tells CUPS to use the modern, driverless IPP Everywhere model.

4.2 Step 2: Print a Test Job

Now, let’s send a print job to our new, persistent queue.

  1. Use the echo and lp commands to send a test file:

    echo "This is a test of a persistent, driverless printer." | lp -d IPP-Persistent-Printer

4.3 Step 3: Verify the Output

Since the service is running in the background, we can’t watch its terminal output directly. Instead, we verify in two ways: by checking for the file and by viewing the service’s log.

  1. Check the output directory. This is the most direct proof.

    ls -l ~/PrinterOutput

    You should see a PDF file in this directory, confirming the job was processed and saved.

  2. View the service log. This is a powerful troubleshooting skill. The journalctl command lets you see the logs for systemd services.

    journalctl --user -u ippeveprinter.service

    Scroll through the log output. You should see the same activity you saw in the terminal in the previous test, including lines like Accepted connection, Send-Document, and Created job file. This is how you debug a background service. Press q to exit the log viewer.

5 Reflect and Review

ImportantReflection: 3-2-1

Now that you have completed this exercise, reflect on your experience in your personal notes:

  • 3 parts of the lpadmin command you used.
  • 2 ways you verified the print job was successful.
  • 1 question you still have about journalctl.
TipCheck on Learning

Answer these questions in your notes to solidify your understanding:

  1. What command is used to create and manage CUPS print queues from the CLI?
  2. What flag tells lpadmin to use the modern, driverless printing standard?
  3. Now that the virtual printer runs as a background service, how can you view its log output?
  4. Why didn’t you need two separate terminal windows for this exercise?
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