Since I upgraded from OSX 10.5.1 to 10.5.2 I haven't been able to use my shared printer on on my Windows server. Every job I submit gives me an error saying On Hold (Authentication Required).
There's no way that I could submit the printjob to the server from my Mac.
It seems that there is a bug in the authentication mechanism on OSX 10.5.2. If you add a (network) printer by using the System Preferences, you get to browse to find the actual printer. this results in a printer in the following location:
smb://<servernetbiosname>/printershare
For some weird reason this won't work. You need to specify the IP adres of the server or include the windows workgroup name in the url. This can be done by using the System Preferences. But you can also use CUPS. This is the webinterface on OSX to access printing services. You can access CUPS by entering the following URL in your browser;
This give you a webinterface for managing printers. Just add (or edit) the printer. During the 'Wizard' you can specify the actual path/URL where CUPS can find the printer. Just one of the following:
smb://<username>:<password>@<IP Address>/<Printershare>
smb://<username>:<password>@<workgroup>/<servername>/<Printershare>
Don't worry about the username and password being displayed in the URL. These will be 'moved' upon insertion to the Keychain.
Alternative is to add the Advanced button on the Add Printer Wizard on the Print & Fax panel in the System Preferences. This can be done by doing the following:
- Open System Preferences
- Open Print & Fax
- Click on the '+' to add a printer.
- Right-click (or ctrl + left-click) on the menubar
- Customize Toolbar
- Add the 'Advanced' button
With the Advanced button you can specify the exact smb path mentioned earlier to add the printer by its IP address or with the workgroup information in its path.
Note: the menu under the Advanced button may be grayed-out. This may occur on larger networks. It seems that the button (well, the process behind it obviously) is doing some 'exploring' on your network (thanks spec for this).