CUPS dependency issues in Crostini

Jetstar88 · 03-30-2021, 04:24 PM

So I recently acquired a new HP Chromebook and when I learned of its ability to run Linux apps in the Crostini container, I was more than pleased. My biggest issue right now is I can't get CUPS up and running so I can print from the installed Linux apps (LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Firefox). As far as I can tell, I have successfully installed CUPS itself but when I get to the next command, sudo apt install system-config-printer, the process breaks down with dependency issues and I get the following message and I can go no further:

Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
system-config-printer : Depends: python3-cups (>= 1.9.60) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: python3-cupshelpers (= 1.5.11-4) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: system-config-printer-common (= 1.5.11-4) but it is not going to be installed
Recommends: system-config-printer-udev but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

Anybody have any clue how to debug this? Thanks in advance!

ferrari · 03-31-2021, 12:32 AM

I understand that you’d like to install ‘system-config-printer’ so that you can configure CUPS for use with a given printer, however you can also use it’s built in web interface to do the same. Fire up a browser and navigate to ‘local host:631’ and configure from there.

Jetstar88 · 03-31-2021, 02:41 PM

I tried local host:631 and when I click the "add printer" command, it asks for a username and password. I tried entering the username and password I use to sign in to the chromebook and it says it's an invalid username. Cryptically, the prompt for my username and password says at the end "The site says 'CUPS'". Not sure what to make of that.

Jetstar88 · 03-31-2021, 05:06 PM

Okay, I got everything working after I invoked the 'nuclear option', deleted my entire Crostini installation and started over again. A little drastic, yes, but it was the most effective way I could think of to clear out the crap and remove the roadblocks so I could get everything reinstalled and configured, which took about an hour. As much of a pain as it was, it was good to recover some of my long dormant terminal skills. Thanks for your help.

ferrari · 03-31-2021, 06:32 PM

Quote:

I tried local host:631 and when I click the "add printer" command, it asks for a username and password. I tried entering the username and password I use to sign in to the chromebook and it says it's an invalid username. Cryptically, the prompt for my username and password says at the end "The site says 'CUPS'". Not sure what to make of that.

Likely you needed to enter the root credentials.