cups-snmp - Linux

Overview

cups-snmp is a command-line utility that provides SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) management for CUPS (Common Unix Printing System). It allows you to monitor and control CUPS-managed printers and print jobs over a network.

Syntax

cups-snmp [options] [printer-name]

Options/Flags

General:

  • -h, --help: Display help and exit.
  • -V, --version: Display version information and exit.
  • -d, --debug: Enable debug output.
  • -v, --verbose: Increase verbosity level.
  • -q, --quiet: Suppress normal output.

SNMP Configuration:

  • -c, --community: SNMP community string (default: "public").
  • -p, --port: SNMP port number (default: 161).
  • -n, --host: SNMP host address (default: "localhost").

Printer-Specific:

  • -P, --printer-uri: URI of the printer to target.
  • -L, --list-printers: List available printers.

Examples

Get printer status:

cups-snmp --printer-uri "ipp://myprinter.example.com" status

Set printer description:

cups-snmp --printer-uri "ipp://myprinter.example.com" set-printer-info name "My Printer"

Monitor print job progress:

cups-snmp --printer-uri "ipp://myprinter.example.com" get-job-status 5

Common Issues

SNMP Communication Errors:

  • Ensure that the SNMP service is running on the host.
  • Verify that the SNMP community string matches the configured value on the printer.
  • Check that the SNMP port is not blocked by a firewall.

Printer Not Found:

  • Confirm that the printer is powered on and connected to the network.
  • Use the -L option to list available printers and verify that the target printer is listed.

Integration

cups-snmp can be used in conjunction with other CUPS-related commands, such as lpstat and lpr, to create automated scripts for printer management. For example:

lpstat -p | grep "offline" | while read printer; do
  cups-snmp --printer-uri "$printer" set-printer-state stopped
done

This script checks the printer status (lpstat -p) and automatically stops any printers that are offline (grep "offline"), using cups-snmp.

Related Commands

  • lpstat: List print jobs and printer status.
  • lpr: Send a print job to a printer.
  • snmp: Generic SNMP client tool.