Printing to a Next Laser Printer from WIndows via Samba

Yes, it can be done. Yes, under NeXTStep 3.3. Yes, from Windows XP. Yes, without any fancy authentication server running.

NextStations and NextCubes (aka. black hardware) were build by NeXT ( a Steve Jobs undertaking) through 1993. These workstations were the "Cadillac" of computers in their time. Their OS, NeXTStep, eventually became the basis for OS X.

One of the nice features of these computers was the NeXT Laser Printer. The 400 DPI black and white monster I got with mine ran for 5 years without changing the toner cartridge. At my college, my colleagues and I would print out hundreds and thousands of pages out on them without so much as a glitch. I like them so much, that when I bought my NeXTStation turbo back in '93, I got the laser printer too.

Now I have Windows and Linux boxes around and a small network, and I want to resurect my old beast and see if I can use its printer with it as a print server. I did a lot of digging. I'll list some of my reference sites at the end of this post. The bottom line was that I was successful after a lot of fiddling. So how did I do it?

Configuration:
NeXTStation Turbo running NeXTStep 3.3 with a local NeXT Laser Printer
Windows XP Home PC
Both machines on a local subnet.
Host file on Windows resolves the proper name / IP for the NeXT

Steps for solution:

1. Install the NeXT Laser Printer on the NeXT and make sure it works. Mine was locally named Local_Printer.
2. Install samba on the NeXT. I used version samba 2.0.4 in binary form from here.
3. Setup authentication. This is always the fuzzy part for me. Supposedly the guest access will work. I also had a login account on the next with the same username as my windows machine. In general, a very simple network drive share can be used for testing this portion of the process.
   
4. Add two new files: /usr/local/lib/smb.conf and /usr/local/samba/lib/printcap (contents below)
5. Add the printer from Windows using the Apple LaserWriter v23.0 (included in XP).
6. Print away.

In general, there is probably more to do to get observation of the queue from Windows. I didn't really pay any attention to this or worry about it. After all, it works for printing -- everything else is just showing off.

/usr/local/samba/lib/smb.conf:

[global]
workgroup = Workgroup
encrypt passwords = yes
guest account = archerca
log level = 4
printing = bsd
printcap = /usr/local/samba/lib/printcap
[test]

comment = testing
path = /usr/spool/samba
print command = /usr/ucb/lpr %s
read only = no
guest ok = yes
guest only = yes
printable = yes

/usr/local/samba/lib/printcap:

Local_Printer