Setting Up Hardware Components with YaST

Contents

2.1. Hardware Information
2.2. Setting Up Sound Cards
2.3. Setting Up a Printer
2.4. Setting Up a Scanner

Abstract

YaST allows you to configure hardware items at installation time as well as on an already-installed system. Configure audio hardware, printers or scanner support or learn which hardware components are connected to your computer by using the YaST Hardware Information module.

[Tip]Graphics card, monitor, mouse and keyboard settings

Graphics card, monitor, mouse and keyboard can be configured with either KDE or GNOME tools.

Hardware Information

Use the YaST hardware information module if you want to know more about your hardware or if you need to find out details like vendor and model of a certain piece of hardware to be able to properly configure it.

  1. Start YaST and click Hardware+Hardware Information. Hardware probing starts immediately and it will take some time until you see the hardware information tree in a separate window.

  2. In the hardware information tree recursively click on the entries to expand the information about a specific device.

  3. Click Save to File... to save the output to a file.

  4. Click Close to leave the hardware information overview.

Setting Up Sound Cards

YaST detects most sound cards automatically and configures them with the appropriate values. If you want to change the default settings, or need to set up a sound card that could not be configured automatically, use the YaST sound module. There, you can also set up additional sound cards or switch their order.

To start the sound module, start YaST and click Hardware+Sound. Alternatively, start the Sound Configuration dialog directly by running yast2 sound & as user root from a command line.

The dialog shows all sound cards that are already configured.

If YaST cannot detect your sound card automatically, configure it manually as described in Procedure 2.1, “Configuring a New Sound Card”. For this, you need to know your sound card vendor and model. If in doubt, refer to your sound card documentation for the required information. During configuration, you can choose between various setup options:

Quick Automatic Setup

You are not required to go through any of the further configuration steps—the sound card is configured automatically. You can set the volume or any options you want to change later.

Normal Setup

Allows you to adjust the output volume and play a test sound during the configuration.

Advanced setup with possibility to change options

For experts only. Allows you to customize all parameters of the sound card.

[Important]Advanced Configuration

Only use this option if you know exactly what your are doing. Otherwise leave the parameters untouched and use the normal or the automatic setup options.

Procedure 2.1. Configuring a New Sound Card

  1. In the YaST Sound Configuration dialog, click Add.

  2. Select your sound card vendor and model and click Next.

    For a reference list of sound cards supported by ALSA with their corresponding sound modules, see http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Main.

  3. Choose one of the setup options and click Next.

  4. If you have chosen Normal Setup, you can now Test your sound configuration and make adjustments to the volume. You should start at about ten percent volume to avoid damage to your hearing or the speakers.

  5. If all options are set according to your wishes, click Next.

    The Sound Configuration dialog shows the newly configured or modified sound card.

  6. To remove a sound card configuration that you no longer need, select the respective entry and click Delete.

  7. Click OK to save the changes and leave the YaST sound module.

Procedure 2.2. Modifying Sound Card Configurations

  1. To change the configuration of an individual sound card (for experts only!), select the sound card entry in the Sound Configuration dialog and click Edit.

    This takes you to the Sound Card Advanced Options where you can fine-tune a number of parameters. For more information, click Help.

  2. To adjust the volume of an already configured sound card or to test the sound card, select the sound card entry in the Sound Configuration dialog and click Other. Select the respective menu item.

  3. For playback of MIDI files, select Other+Start Sequencer.

  4. When a supported sound card is detected (like a Creative Soundblaster Live, Audigy or AWE sound card), you can also install SoundFonts for playback of MIDI files:

    1. Insert the original driver CD-ROM into your CD or DVD drive.

    2. Select Other+Install SoundFonts to copy SF2 SoundFonts™ to your hard disk. The SoundFonts are saved in the directory /usr/share/sfbank/creative/.

  5. If you have configured more than one sound card in your system you can adjust the order of your sound cards. To set a sound card as primary device, select the sound card in the Sound Configuration and click Other+Set as the Primary Card. The sound device with index 0 is the default device and thus used by the system and the applications.

  6. To enable or disable the PulseAudio sound system, click Other+PulseAudio Configuration. If enabled, PulseAudio daemon is used to play sounds. Disable PulseAudio Support in case you want to use something else system-wide.

The volume and configuration of all sound cards are saved when you click OK and leave the YaST sound module. The mixer settings are saved to the file /etc/asound.conf and the ALSA configuration data is appended to the end of the files /etc/modprobe.d/sound and /etc/sysconfig/hardware.

Setting Up a Printer

YaST can be used to configure a local printer that is directly connected to your machine (normally with USB or parallel port) and to set up printing with network printers. It is also possible to share printers over the network. Further information about printing (general information, technical details, and troubleshooting) is available in Chapter Printer Operation (↑Reference).

In YaST, click Hardware+Printer to start the printer module. By default it opens in the Printer Configurations view, displaying a list of all printers that are available and configured. This is especially useful when having access to a lot of printers via the network. From here you can also Print a Test Page and configure local printers.

Configuring Local Printers

Usually a local USB printer is automatically detected. There are two possible reasons why a USB printer is not automatically detected:

  • The USB printer is switched off.

  • The communication between printer and computer is not possible. Check the cable and the plugs to make sure that the printer is properly connected. If this is the case, the problem may not be printer-related, but rather a USB related problem.

Configuring a printer is basically a three-step process. First specify the connection type, then choose a driver, and name the printing queue for this setup.

For many printer models, several drivers are available. When configuring the printer, YaST defaults to the one marked recommended as a general rule. Normally it is not necessary to change the driver—the recommended one should produce the best results. However, if you want a color printer to print only in black and white, it is most convenient to use a driver that does not support color printing, for example. If you experience performance problems with a PostScript printer when printing graphics, it may help to switch from a PostScript driver to a PCL driver (provided your printer understands PCL).

If no driver for your printer is listed, you can try to select a generic driver with an appropriate standard language from the list. Refer to your printer's documentation to find out which language (the set of commands controlling the printer) your printer understands. If this does not work, refer to Section 2.3.1.1, “Adding Drivers with YaST” for another possible solution.

A printer is never used directly, but always through a print queue. This ensures that simultaneous jobs can be queued and processed one after the other. Each printer queue is assigned to a specific driver, and a printer can have multiple queues. This makes it possible to set up a second queue on a color printer that prints black and white only, for example. Refer to Section “The Workflow of the Printing System” (Chapter 11, Printer Operation, ↑Reference) for more information about print queues.

Procedure 2.3. Adding a New Local Printer

  1. Start the YaST printer module with Hardware+Printer

  2. Click Add in the Printer Configurations screen

  3. If your printer is already listed under Specify the Connection, proceed with the next step. Otherwise, try to Detect More or start the Connection Wizard.

  4. Enter the vendor name and the model name into the input box under Find and Assign a Driver and click Search for.

  5. Choose the driver marked as recommended that best matches your printer. If no suitable drivers is displayed

    1. check your search term

    2. broaden your search by clicking Find More

    3. add a driver as described in Section 2.3.1.1, “Adding Drivers with YaST”

  6. Specify the Default paper size

  7. Enter a unique name for the printer queue in the Set Arbitrary Name field.

  8. The printer is now configured with the default settings and ready to use. Click OK to return to the Printer Configurations view. The newly configured printer is now visible in the printers list.

Adding Drivers with YaST

If no suitable driver is available in the Find and Assign a Driver dialog when adding a new printer, no PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file for your model is available. For more information about PPD files, refer to Section “Installing the Software” (Chapter 11, Printer Operation, ↑Reference).

Get PPD files directly from your printer vendor or from the driver CD of a PostScript printer. For details, see Section “No Suitable PPD File Available for a PostScript Printer” (Chapter 11, Printer Operation, ↑Reference). Conversely, you can also find PPD files at http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/, the OpenPrinting.org printer database. When downloading PPD files from OpenPrinting.org, keep in mind that it always shows the latest Linux support status, which is not necessarily met by openSUSE.

Procedure 2.4. Adding a PPD file

  1. Start the YaST printer module with Hardware+Printer

  2. Click Add in the Printer Configurations screen

  3. Click Driver Packages in the Find and Assign a Driver section

  4. Enter the full path to the PPD file into the input box under Make a Printer Description File Available or choose the file from a dialog box by clicking on Browse

  5. Click OK to return to the Add New Printer Configuration screen.

  6. In order to directly use this PPD file, proceed as described in Procedure 2.3, “Adding a New Local Printer”. Otherwise, click Cancel.

Editing a Local Printer Configuration

By editing an existing configuration for a local printer you can not only change basic settings as connection type and driver, but also adjust the default settings for paper size, resolution, media source, etc. You can change the identifier of the printer by altering the printer descriptions.

Procedure 2.5. Editing a Local Printer

  1. Start the YaST printer module with Hardware+Printer

  2. In the Printer Configurations screen, choose a local printer from the list and click Edit.

  3. Change the connection type or the driver as described in Procedure 2.3, “Adding a New Local Printer”. This should only be necessary in case you have problems with the current configuration.

  4. Make this printer the default by checking Default Printer.

  5. Adjust the default settings by clicking All Options for the Current Driver. To change a setting, expand the list of options by clicking the relative + sign. Change the default by clicking on an option. Apply your changes by clicking OK

Configuring Printing via the Network with YaST

Network printers are not detected automatically. They must be configured manually using the YaST printer module. Depending on your network setup, you can print to a print server (CUPS, LPD, SMB, or IPX) or directly to a network printer (preferably via TCP). Access the configuration view for network printing by choosing Printing via Network from the left pane in the YaST printer module.

Using CUPS

In a Linux environment CUPS is usually used to print via the network. The simplest setup is to only print via a single CUPS server which can directly be accessed by all clients. Printing via more than one CUPS server requires a running local CUPS daemon that communicates with the remote CUPS servers.

Procedure 2.6. Printing via a Single CUPS server

  1. Start the YaST printer module with Hardware+Printer

  2. Launch the Print via Network screen from the left pane.

  3. Check Do All Your Printing Directly via One Single CUPS Server and specify the name or IP address of the server.

  4. Click Test Server to make sure you have chosen the correct name or IP address.

  5. Click OK to return to the Printer Configurations screen. All printers available via the CUPS server are now listed.

Procedure 2.7. Printing via multiple CUPS servers

  1. Start the YaST printer module with Hardware+Printer

  2. Launch the Print via Network screen from the left pane.

  3. Check Accept Printer Announcements from CUPS Servers

  4. Specify which servers to use under General Settings. You may accept connections from all networks available, from the local network, or from specific hosts. If you choose the latter option, you need to specify the hostnames or IP addresses, as well.

  5. Confirm by clicking OK and then Yes when asked to start a local CUPS server. After the server has started you will return to the Printer Configurations screen. Click Refresh list to see the printers detected by now. Click this button again, in case more printer are to be available.

Using Print Servers other than CUPS

If your network offers print services via print servers other than CUPS, start the YaST printer module with Hardware+Printer and launch the Print via Network screen from the left pane. Start the Connection Wizard and choose the appropriate Connection type. Ask your network administrator for details on configuring a network printer in your environment.

Sharing Printers Over the Network

Printers managed by a local CUPS daemon can be shared over the network and so turn your machine into a CUPS server. Usually you share a printer by enabling CUPS' so-called browsing mode. If browsing is enabled, the local printer queues are made available on the network for listening to remote CUPS daemons. It is also possible to set up a dedicated CUPS server that manages all printing queues and can directly be accessed by remote clients. In this case it is not necessary to enable browsing.

Procedure 2.8. Sharing Printers

  1. Start the YaST printer module with Hardware+Printer

  2. Launch the Share Printers screen from the left pane.

  3. Select Allow Remote Access. For more detailed configuration, additional options are available:

    • Check For computers within the local network and enable browsing mode by also checking Publish printers by default within the local network.

    • Add the network interface to be used by the CUPS server. If you want to share your printers via specified network interfaces, add those in the input box below.

    • In case you like to restrict access to your CUPS server to certain networks or IP addresses, specify these via the two input boxes.

  4. Click OK to restart the CUPS server and return to the Printer Configurations screen.

  5. Regarding CUPS and firewall settings, see http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:CUPS_and_SANE_Firewall_settings.

Setting Up a Scanner

You can configure a USB or SCSI scanner with YaST. The sane-backends package contains hardware drivers and other essentials needed to use a scanner. Scanners connected to a parallel port cannot be configured with YaST. If you own a HP All-In-One device, see Section 2.4.1, “Configuring an HP All-In-One Device”, instructions on how to configure a network scanner are available at Section 2.4.3, “Scanning over the Network”.

Procedure 2.9. Configuring a USB or SCSI Scanner

  1. Connect your USB or SCSI scanner to your computer and turn it on.

  2. Start YaST and select Hardware+Scanner. YaST builds the scanner database and tries to detect your scanner model automatically.

    If a USB or SCSI scanner is not properly detected, try Other+Restart Detection.

  3. To activate the scanner select it from the list of detected scanners and click Edit.

  4. Choose your model form the list and click Next and Finish.

  5. Use Other+Test to make sure you have chosen the correct driver.

  6. Leave the configuration screen with OK.

Configuring an HP All-In-One Device

An HP All-In-One device can be configured with YaST even if it is connected to the parallel port or is made available via the network. If you own a USB HP All-In-One device, start configuring as described in Procedure 2.9, “Configuring a USB or SCSI Scanner”. If it is detected properly and the Test succeeds, it is ready to use.

If your USB device is not properly detected, or your HP All-In-One device is connected to the parallel port or the network, run the HP Device Manager:

  1. Start YaST and select Hardware+Scanner. YaST loads the scanner database.

  2. Start the HP Device Manager with Other+Run hp-setup and follow the on-screen instructions. After having finished the HP Device Manager, the YaST scanner module automatically restarts the auto detection.

  3. Test it by choosing Other+Test.

  4. Leave the configuration screen with OK.

Sharing a Scanner over the Network

openSUSE allows the sharing of a scanner over the network. To do so, configure your scanner as follows:

  1. Configure the scanner as described in Section 2.4, “Setting Up a Scanner”.

  2. Choose Other+Scanning via Network.

  3. Enter the hostnames of the clients (separated by a comma) that should be allowed to use the scanner under Server Settings+Permitted Clients for saned and leave the configuration dialog with OK.

Scanning over the Network

To use a scanner that is shared over the network, proceed as follows:

  1. Start YaST and select Hardware+Scanner.

  2. Open the network scanner configuration menu by Other+Scanning via Network.

  3. Enter the hostname of the machine the scanner is connected to under Client Settings+Servers Used for the net Metadriver

  4. Leave with OK. The network scanner is now listed in the Scanner Configuration window and is ready to use.