Pi printserver + OMV + Webmin?

I still have my Star LC10 and my DJ500 (for some reason). ;-)

Or you play the 'turn the page of labels over' so you don't waste as many ... ;-(

Cheers, T i m

I have a bad tendency to print them one at a time, so what I really need is a fairly simple way of telling 'start at the 3rd label on the second row', which probably means using some sort of GUI, even if it is a 4GL screen.

The set-up I currently have is designed to either print on one-up labels on carrier with sprockets holes or to print on the middle of a large variety of envelopes using the LQ-500 - the 4GL maintains a database of envelope and label definitions alongside the address database.

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martin@   | Martin Gregorie 
gregorie. | Essex, UK 
org       |

If you're talking to the RPi from PuTTY, you need to have sshd installed on the RPi. On most Linux distros sshd is a separate package from ssh, so you need to make sure that that is configured appropriately and is starting at boot time.

If you want to use graphical X, you also need to have an X-terminal package installed on the Windows box (PuTTY only provides an X-term text- mode terminal) and you'll need to configure sshd to allow X11 forwarding. Both the ssh and sshd configuration files are in /etc/ssh by default and both are well enough commented that you may not need to read the config file manpage ('man 5 ssh_config' or 'man 5 sshd_config' in Fedora Linux so probably the same in Debian).

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martin@   | Martin Gregorie 
gregorie. | Essex, UK 
org       |

The problem with that (from a Linux noobs POV) is that in most help provided by such methods only helps those who are already computer code literate or have a mind that is attune to / with such things. Mine isn't and in spite of building, installing and maintaining PC's, servers, network systems and providing CS at all sorts of levels for many year ... along with being a CNI, MCT and A+CT ... I've never done much in the way of programming, created a website or even a spreadsheet for that matter!

Being a poor / slow typist, poor speller having a terrible short term memory (for illogical / un-intuitive stuff) makes command copy-typing pretty unpredictable, hence why I like to have a GUI and a browser as at least I can then copy-paste etc. ;-)

I generally know what I want and sometimes how to get it, as long as I can do so by clicking / exploring etc. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

This is where this little Dymo 450 comes into it's own, only printing one label at a time. ;-)

Didn't we call that 'tractor feed'?

Luckily, I've never had to print many address / envelopes, even though I've had printers that have facilities to make doing so easier (also onto CD's etc).

Cheers, T i m

Oh?

I'm not sure if this helps but if I type 'sudo service ssh start' on the Pi CLI, I *can* then connect to it using Putty on the XP Mac Mini?

That sounds a bit advanced for my needs this time Martin but thanks anyway. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

sshd was enabled by default until the most recent version of Raspbian; now it's not (as a security measure because of default passwords), and at least for me the standard method for enabling it pre-boot (i.e. creating a file boot/ssh on the SD card image) doesn't work either.

I *knew* there was a name for it!

Nope, never had a store-bought program that could do that, though somebody used to sell sticky labels set in the middle a A5 sheet, so programming a way to reset top and left margins wasn't too hard. Convenient seeing that I wanted to use an HP LaserJet, though relatively expensive compared with other ways of putting labels on A4/A5 sheets.

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martin@   | Martin Gregorie 
gregorie. | Essex, UK 
org       |

OK. That just says that sshd is controlled by ssh.service. Makes sense, I guess, since you'd normally only launch ssh from a user login to run scripts on a remote system.

Bear it in mind - you may find it useful in future because it will let you run graphical programs with the display on your PC (or run an RPi desktop on the PC.

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martin@   | Martin Gregorie 
gregorie. | Essex, UK 
org       |

I put it that way because AKAIK there is no graphical equivalent of apropos and man. However, you're going to need the manpages if/when you start writing bash scripts.

Bash helps a lot with that. Look up 'filename and command completion' and 'retrieving and editing commands from bash history. Both are designed as builtins to bash and are designed for poor, two-finger typists, among which I count myself.

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martin@   | Martin Gregorie 
gregorie. | Essex, UK 
org       |

This is as close as it comes, but it's just man and apropos displayed on a web page.

And the whole "how do I do $SUBJECT" fed into your favorite search engine. Generally, you'll find solid answers.

Yes. Also the history command, arrow keys, and the control sequences that allow you to move easily on a command line.

--
Consulting Minister for Consultants, DNRC 
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow 
isn't looking good, either. 
I am BOFH. Resistance is futile. Your network will be assimilated.

What does 'sudo systemd status ssh' show? If it says 'disabled', this should fix it:

sudo systemd enable ssh sudo systemd start ssh

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martin@   | Martin Gregorie 
gregorie. | Essex, UK 
org       |

Don't know that (or did and it's been forgotten along with many things I only had a cursory knowledge of). ;-)

Ah, I use the up arrow to go back though my CLI history as I used to do that in the DOS days.

About the only Ctrl sequences I ever use (if that's what they are) are ^c and ^v ... and that's about it. But as I said previously, I'm no cli jockey, not into 'programming' (and I include scripting) and basically left all that after creating and editing autoexec.bat and config.sys in DOS.

As a Field Support tech for most of my life and installing and maintaining *hardware* (and indirectly software and users etc) for many years ... I got involved in instigating, building and maintaining about 40 PC's and associated servers and gateways for the Co I worked for at the time, eventually doing that alongside my everyday role of running the CS Help Desk.

In all that time (and prior that with home computers like the ZX81,

16/48 Spectrums, QL, BBC B, Atari STFM, Commodore C128 an the TRS80), my interest in 'computers' was only getting them running stuff (mostly games) and getting them to connect to other stuff (like printers and modems etc) and work for other people.

To this day I rarely read the manuals, only doing so as a last resort because the program / hardware wasn't intuitive enough to be 'figured out' by just usage.

So for me, little of this is about the journey or the need to learn something new / specific, it's really all about the final goal but having some involvement in it along the way.

Like this Pi Dymo Printserver project started purely out of the idea of being able to share a printer on my LAN (mainly for our daughter and I) because someone pointed me towards the idea and I thought I'd give it a go. Ideally (for my purposes) I would download a pre configured solution that I might be able to tweak (hopefully without breaking).

Now, I don't expect everyone to want to build their own car (like I did 30 years ago) or build their own boat (like I did 45 years ago) or assume anyone could just read a manual on the subject and then be able

*and* enjoy doing it.

So, if someone is willing and happy to point me in the right direction I will generally give it a try and let them know (with thanks) how I got on ... but maybe that's what I assume anyone would do for anyone else, if asked for help and guidance on something they are good at and without any expectation that they would be willing or able to learn such depths themselves.

I just wanted to get the above out there in the hope it will help folk understand better where I am at and hopefully help them wasting their time covering depths that are way beyond my skillset or interest. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. A while back I was doing a fair bit of Arduino stuff but many just downloading other people sketches and where I could, tweaking them to my own needs. Luckily I have a mate who is a pretty good C programmer and he helps me with code and I in turn help him with the electronics side. ;-)

Ah, so not just me then. ;-(

Thanks for that feedback Roger.

Cheers, T i m

p.s. This is a good example of the sort of problem I encounter with people offering me (or others) help on Linuxy stuff who aren't using the exact same distro, version and DE etc. Compared with the relative std base of Windows (or OSX / Android), managing Linux for someone not into the whole thing fairly heavily, can be like trying to heard cats. ;-(

OOI, on spite of being involved with 'computers' and 'IT' for over 40 years, I still don't know anyone in person and especially locally who knows more than me about Linux (and I know very little). For Windows, OSX or Android / iOS I have many people who could offer me help (not that I need it on those very often).

I'm not sure if the question (also?) applied to me but on the latest Raspbian Pi that returns:

'Excess arguments'?

Cheers, T i m

Correct. More specifically, Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery).

man is good. Margin notes are also good.

--
Consulting Minister for Consultants, DNRC 
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow 
isn't looking good, either. 
I am BOFH. Resistance is futile. Your network will be assimilated.

Understood (thanks).

Oh, ok, like often I do now with Teamviewer (inc to / from Linux) or used to do 30 years ago with the likes of PCAnywhere (for DOS). ;-)

At the end of the day, I could have / leave both Webmin and a GUI desktop running on my RPi printserver as it's not going to be doing much most of the time. However, I think I understand doing so make the Pi less secure and so as I (now) know how to disable both the DE and Webmin at boot time, but can start either should I ever need (and SSH etc), then I think I'm covered (as it will generally be in this house somewhere). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

And doesn't it show?

And that's fine, I've nothing to hide or fear. See, not everyone is the same (and especially like you) and learns and needs and do things in different ways.

I happen to prefer the processes that intelligent life has used for many many years and that's exploration or mentoring.

Unfortunately, you have not been able to offer me any of the latter, unlike the other good folk here.

Cheers, T i m