LPRng-HOWTO: 15 Oct 2001 (For LPRng-3.7.9)
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# 2.6. System and User Printcap, lpd.conf, and lpd.perms files

The system `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 file similar to the following is installed by default:

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

In addition to the system `printcap` file, each user can have a `${HOME}/.printcap` which contains printcap entries as well. The the user `printcap` file is in effect appended to the system printcap file, and values in the user printcap file override the system printcap file. However, in order to allow users to specify a default printer after reading the printcap file information the entries are sorted so that printcap entries defined by users come first.

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.

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