I bought a Samsung b/w laser printer ML1640.
The printer was outstanding cheap and reported to run with the CUPS driver provided from Samsung.
Although the printer ships without any indication of Linux compatibility (as usual requirements are Win/Mac) the CD that ships with it, once inserted runs a .sh script (to be executed with root rights) that offers the install of the “Samsung Unified Linux Driver”. Once you restart your machine you find out it installed also without asking "Smart Panel" and application for controlling the toner level of your printer.
The driver works flawlessly, the Smart Panel also …BUT it keeps asking me on every login to KDE as normal user for the root password. If you deny it runs without any apparent limitation of functionality.
***Question:
a) does anybody know why, or does know how I can find out “why” it continues to ask for the root password if it does not need it?
b) does anybody know how to get rid of the not necessary promt?
PS. of course you can uninstall it, since Smart Panel comes as independent application and has no link to the driver, but to know your toner level can be handy.
Info on system:
OS: Linux 2.6.27.29-0.1-default x86_64
System: openSUSE 11.1 (x86_64)
KDE: 3.5.10 “release 61”
I wanted to bring this to your attention from this source.
Certain Samsung printers have the option of using the Samsung Smart Panel & Printer Settings Utility. I have not packaged these and you should download them directly from Samsung if you wish to use them. However, read the following before you do so.
The packages in this repository are compatible with the Samsung utility packages. These utilities appear to only come in Qt3 compiled versions. However, you should note that as of v2.00.42 (Smart Panel) and v2.00.17 (Printer Settings Utility), these utilities still require the use of setuid root (i.e., they run as root regardless of who executes them) and so represent a security risk. In addition, by default the installer will create the /opt/Samsung/… directories with world-write access, another security risk; you can solve this by a “find . -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;” in the “cdroot” folder before installing to reset folder permissions. Non-executable files are also marked as executable by default in /opt/…/bin and /opt/…/share/, a small but real security risk. The way the installers deal with menu entries, menu directories, and autostart is also highly non-standard, but does not appear to be anything other than slopppy. Both utilities also install local (in /opt) copies of the Qt3 libraries, which could potentially cause conflicts but is unlikely to be a significant issue. Finally, because one of the two Smart Panel executables is 32-bit only, the installer tries to copy both the 32-bit and 64-bit libstdc++5 libraries onto the system on 64-bit installations; this is a problem on Debian-based systems, because the method used to check for those files fails due to the symlinking of /usr/lib64 to /usr/lib, and so only one of the two libraries will be installed (I don’t know the consequences of this, but any resulting instability/bugs probably only affects the Smart Panel).
In general, I discourge you from installing these tools for the security reasons above. Please do not ask me to package either; I am unable to test them with my printer and unwilling to distribute a package that requires setuid, especially when unable to test it myself. In addition, both utilities come in a wide variety of versions on the Samsung website, and the printers supported by individual versions varies, so I would have to package multiple versions of each for specific printers. (It is possible that the multiple versioning issue is just sloppiness on Samsung’s part, but since I am unable to test this I cannot resolve the issue.)
Thank you very much. Going to un install the Smart Panel.
This is the second time that software provided by the industry proves to be a disaster. At the end it would be better to not support linux at all instead of producing such a HS.
Thanks for the fast reply Dino.
Ps. Non hai da darmi una tua macchinetta per caso? GTV? Testarossa?
Hi, while looking for the launch application i stumbled upon the smart panel in
/opt/Samsung/SmartPanel/smartpanel
which had the sticky bit set.
removing this sticky-bit as root with
chmod -s smartpanel
helped for me.
After reading the manpage about what the sticky bit is intended to do, this does makes sense at all.
Hi, while looking for the launch application i stumbled upon the smart panel in
/opt/Samsung/SmartPanel/smartpanel
which had the sticky bit set.
removing this sticky-bit as root with
chmod -s smartpanel
helped for me.
After reading the manpage about what the sticky bit is intended to do, this does makes sense at all.
Hi, thank you very much for writing. Although the thread is now 3 years old It is true, in the meanwhile Samsung has with its software made some progress, especially with the security related issues. If you currently install one of their recent laser printers (as I did only a few weeks ago) you will however encounter the following issue (CLP-315). The software installs the printer drivers and itself (where the module for the printer control of samsung is apparently installed to the userspace). I recognized well the printer. The surprise you get it after the reboot, as the printer vanishes. This is the case if your printer is not connected directly but through an usb-hub as apparently the program does not correclty reveal the usb-id after the reboot, and therefore looses contact with the printer. You can perfectly get rid of the issue by closing the printer software of samsung, you go into Yast, you take of all printers. You make yast search for new printers. It will recognize the samsung one. You set it up and print a test page. You close with O.K. You do not use ever again the samsung software for printers as you do not need it anymore. Now your printer will be also recognized if on an usb-hub. Why they do not simply offer a module to install with just the gutenprint or cups printerdrivers I do not know. They will hope to impress the users with the software…well. Still thanks for your advice anyway. I appreciate your effort to make this info available. Edit: oh, and welcome to opensuse Forums. This is even nicer, it is one of your first posts. Welcome!
Hi, yes, an old problem but still occurring, I did not find any solution to the initial issue for several days and in those cases I feel urged to share my findings.
With your YAST method, do you see the toner levels then?
I just realized that with my method SmartPanel also looses connection to the USB printer so I dont see toner levels too,
but fortunately this does not affect printig.
I haven’t tried out as toner level in my configuration where to some extend a “ludicrous” question as the volume of printing on that machine is spurious. But you can try to do this and then to run the Samsung software. It should be able to see the printer and show the level.
Always loved Ferrari’s!
It is true, in the meanwhile Samsung has with its software made some progress, especially with the security related issues. If you currently install one of their recent laser printers (as I did only a few weeks ago) you will however encounter the following issue (CLP-315). The software installs the printer drivers and itself (where the module for the printer control of samsung is apparently installed to the userspace). I recognized well the printer. The surprise you get it after the reboot, as the printer vanishes. This is the case if your printer is not connected directly but through an usb-hub as apparently the program does not correclty reveal the usb-id after the reboot, and therefore looses contact with the printer. You can perfectly get rid of the issue by closing the printer software of samsung, you go into Yast, you take of all printers. You make yast search for new printers. It will recognize the samsung one. You set it up and print a test page. You close with O.K. You do not use ever again the samsung software for printers as you do not need it anymore. Now your printer will be also recognized if on an usb-hub. Why they do not simply offer a module to install with just the gutenprint or cups printerdrivers I do not know. They will hope to impress the users with the software…well. Still thanks for your advice anyway. I appreciate your effort to make this info available. Edit: oh, and welcome to opensuse Forums. This is even nicer, it is one of your first posts. Welcome!