Re: Recommended way to manually add an undiscovered IPP printer in CUPS 3.x

Abdelrahman,

If there is no mDNS/DNS-SD active you can do:

1. Put an option into the "Add Printer" part where the user only enters the IP 
(or host name) of the printer. It could then try get-printer-attributes on
- ipps://IP:443/
- ipps://IP:631/
- ipp://IP:631/
- ipps://IP:8000/
- ipp://IP:8000/
- ipps://IP:8001/
- ipp://IP:8001/
- ...

Test 1 and 3 are for network printers, 2 and 3 for remote CUPS servers, 4+ for 
remote Printer Applications.

2. Also test
- ipp://localhost:60000/
- ipp://localhost:60001/
- ...
- ipps://localhost:8000/
- ipp://localhost:8000/
- ipps://localhost:8001/
- ipp://localhost:8001/
- ...

either automatically in the main view or  by button(s) in "Add Printer". This is 
for local IPP-over-USB printers and local Printer Applications.

I only do not know how to keep the found printers with CUPS 3.x.


Michael,

if discovering a printer by the above tests using the method you have described, 
one creates a queue with ipp: or ipps: and "-m everywhere" under CUPS 2.x.

But how to proceed under CUPS 3.x?

If I have only the local server, it is stateless, it only uses temporary queues. 
How do I, in case of not using mDNS/DNS-SD, tell my discoveries/manual IP 
selections to the local server so that it sticks with them? Or am I REQUIRED to 
use mDNS/DNS-SD when I have a system with only the local server of CUPS 3.x as 
print environment?

Or do I have to use the sharing server when I just want to print locally but not 
use mDNS/DNS-SD? Does the sharing server has a config file for holding such 
printers?

    Till


On 8/1/26 19:16, Michael Sweet wrote:
> Abdelrahman,
> 
> For CUPS 2.x you'll use the "everywhere" model ("ppd-name" attribute passed with 'everywhere' value) with an "ipp:" or "ipps:" device URI.  If the user doesn't have the full URI (typically "ipps://hostname/ipp/print" these days) then you can send a Get-Printer-Attributes request to the "/" resource to try to get back the correct URI for the printer (returned in the "printer-uri-supported" attribute).
> 
> 
>> On Aug 1, 2026, at 12:44 PM, AbdElRahman Khalifa <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> I'm working on the COSMIC printer setup application for CUPS 3.x.
>>
>> I have a question about driverless IPP printers that are not
>> automatically discovered, for example, when DNS-SD/mDNS is disabled.
>>
>> What is the recommended way for a desktop printer setup application to
>> allow users to add such a printer manually?
>>
>> I'm looking for the intended approach in the CUPS 3.x architecture.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Abdelrahman Khalifa
>>
> 
> ________________________
> Michael Sweet
> 
>