Level 1

30 points

Printer job "On hold (authentication required)"

My set-up:

2 x iMac running 10.6.2 attached to AEBS via ethernet
1 x MacBook running 10.6.2 attached to AEBS via wireless
1 x HP PSC 1600 printer/scanner USB atached to one of the iMacs

Printer sharing is enabled: everyone can print can print from either iMac.

On the MacBook I can add the printer easily enough but, when I try to print, the job is held with the status: On hold (authentication required):

!http://idisk.me.com/charlie.whitfield/Public/Pictures/Skitch/HP PSC_1600_series_%40_bucky_%281Job%29-20100120-122550.jpg!

What's happening here. I've found the same problem in networks involving Windows machines, but I'm all OSX.

iMac: 2 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM. MacBook: 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Jan 20, 2010 4:26 AM

Top-ranking reply

Hen3ry

Level 3

505 points

Posted on Jul 10, 2010 2:47 PM

Hello,

Trying to print from an iMac running 10.6.x to a shared Canon Pixma iP4500 printer USB-connected on another local iMac running 10.5.x, I encountered the "printing on hold (authentication required)" blockage.

I fixed it. At least for one test case.

Here is what I did:

After checking all the usual issues in the Sharing and Print-Fax Control panels without any improvement, and verifying that local printing functioned normally, I went to the local machine, opened a browser window, and entered this URL:

http://localhost:631

This is the control interface for the CUPS printing subsystem on that machine. (CUPS stands for "Common UNIX Printing System" and appears be the mechanism that makes printing work on MacOS X.) Then I chose the Administration tab. This revealed a button "Edit Configuration File". I clicked on that and got a editable window containing the configuration file. I located the following text sequence:

...
<Location />
Allow From None
Allow From @LOCAL
....

Interpretation: No printing request from a remote machine would be accepted. (Note: I neglected to write down the text I found there. I am fairly certain of the word "None" -- it was either that or something synonymous.)

I changed this to

...
<Location />
Allow From All
Allow From @LOCAL
....

and saved the edit. At that point I was informed of a printing subsystem reset.

I walked over to the "remote" machine and attempted to print on the Canon. It now worked.

Note 1: The configuration file is available on the local 10.5.x machines that I checked, but it doesn't seem to be accessible on my 10.6.4 machine. Clicking on "Edit Configuration File" has no effect. Why? I think it may be a permissions issue. Security has been tightened on 10.6.4, I think.

Note 2: There's an option to use the default configuration. But the default doesn't seem to say "Allow from None" or anything similar in the Location section.

Here's my interpretation of what I'm seeing:

Most, maybe all, adjustments that affect local printing end up modifying this configuration file. It accumulates changes over time, and gets progressively harder to read, and perhaps the printing subsystem becomes a bit confused. Maybe for that reason, or some completely different one, the text denying all remote accesses was inserted on the 10.5.x machine. Changes to GUI printing setup in the Print&FAX control panel or elsewhere may not be able to undo the damage, so a manual modification was required.

hen3ry

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109 replies

Nov 14, 2012 2:31 PM in response to matthewdebeyer

After trying so many other suggestions to no avail, this one worked for me. Just to be clear: use "guest" as the login name and "guest" as the password. Thank you so much for posting this solution. (It still amazes me that nothing else seems to work, even the actual and correct login names and passwords for my Windows workgroup!)

Marc

mrb26

Level 1

8 points

Nov 9, 2014 1:51 AM in response to gregclaridge

This worked for me too. I got the "On hold (authentication required)" message, then hit the reload button for that print job (looks like Safari's reload button) and then it asked me for username/password. Entered the correct user/pass and then it worked. Thanks!

D.O

Level 1

0 points

Dec 12, 2012 11:32 PM in response to caw35slr

IT WORKSS !!!!!!!!!! thank you so much to whoever give this solution..

username : guest

password : guest

so simple but it 100% effective.

Mar 9, 2014 10:45 PM in response to caw35slr

For me adding printer through CUPS interface (http://localhost:631) worked. Adding normally through system preferences, was not working.

RamsyPak

Level 1

0 points

Oct 15, 2014 8:13 AM in response to matthewdebeyer

2 years later - still helpful, thanks.

I deleted all related keychain files and started again. This time, no problem. It has remembered the password and stopped asking for it on every print.

Thanks

Jun 1, 2016 12:35 PM in response to matthewdebeyer

This worked out for me excellent! Didn´t have to delete anything, just typed guest and guest for user and pass. THANKS!

ACA4134

Level 1

5 points

Jan 23, 2010 12:13 PM in response to ACA4134

An update ... I was able to resolve this problem, although I am not sure exactly how. I disconnected the printer from the iMac and hooked it up to the AEBS via USB (side note: I know this works to share my printer, but don't use this as my default printing system, as then I can't make use of the scanning function on my printer). On the MacBook, I deleted the old printer, and installed the new set-up via AEBS. Successfully printed. I then disconnected printer from AEBS, and reconnected it to iMac via USB, and reinstalled the printer to the iMac, and ensured that printer sharing was turned on. Went back to MacBook, reinstalled printer connected to iMac, but did NOT delete the printer via AEBS option; this meant that the same printer showed up 2x on the MacBook just in different locations; made the option via the iMac default. Was then able to successfully print from MacBook w/out the error message problem.

I don't know why this worked, but it did. Perhaps will be helpful to you.

Jun 3, 2010 10:59 AM in response to caw35slr

Have been trying since 830a this morning to print to my iMac printers via shared network. Did not realize that upgrade to Snow Leopard was causing the problems as printers had worked on shared network previously. Read this forum at 1230p, quickly used my "+" and "-" buttons on the Mac Book to delete all the shared printers, used "+" and "-" buttons on the iMac to delete, then add back, the USB-attached printers, then added printers to Mac Book. It is now 1255p. Those little "+" and "-" buttons are rock stars!

Jul 2, 2012 2:49 PM in response to matthewdebeyer

I got this problem after a very long troublefree period - so long in fact that I didn't remember how I had solved it in the first place. Everything went fine until we changed our network setup (new router, modem, yadda).

- In the Printer & Scan pref. pane, delete the printer

- Create a new printer, BUT don't give it the same name as before. So in the "Name" field, enter something else.

- Proceed as usual. Select the driver, etc. Save. Print.

This worked for me after trying a lot of other, far more sophisticated options.

philipco

Level 1

0 points

Aug 28, 2012 4:51 AM in response to myztiko

I just deleted the printer and reinstalled it. That worked. However, as a new Macbook user, I must make the following comments:

It is outrageous that things like this should happen without ANY input from Apple who are responsible for this OS.

The operating system is an amateurish joke. It is unstable, and appears untested. I really don't know how Apple get away with it. Since switching from Windows my productivity has gone through the floor.

As the Macbook itself is a nice piece of hardware, I am going to buy a copy of Windows and install that. Had enough. Apple can shove their OS where the sun don't shine. They ought to call the next major release "Dead Parrot", because its likely to be about as useful.

Jun 6, 2016 10:17 AM in response to sheriffrompefferlaw

My solution is a bit different that matthewdebeyer because of the secure network we have, so maybe this will help you: delete the printer from your list of installed printers. Re-add the printer using the IP address (second icon in the dialog box). If you do not know the correct IP address, depending on your printer you may be able to print a network status page from the printer itself, or go to another computer that is communicating with it successfully and send a test page to the printer from the device setting menu (windows). Once you have added the computer by IP address, send a new print job to it from your Mac. You will be prompted for your username and password. On our network, each user has to use their real username and password to access the windows printers, guest does not work, but you can save it to your key chain, and keychains are Mac login dependent. So as long as you do not share your computer with others under the same mac account, save it to your keychain, otherwise leave that option unchecked.

Oct 18, 2011 7:39 PM in response to alan263

"guest"

worked for me Lion 10.7.2 been frustrated about printing all day.

Oct 4, 2013 1:14 AM in response to bumpwhite

try

dseditgroup -o edit -a everyone -t group _lpadmin

it works for me

alan263

Level 1

0 points

Jul 29, 2011 4:37 AM in response to caw35slr

Had this issue following a Lion upgrade.*

For me, the solution was not to touch CUPS admin at all. Instead, the 'remote' printer (shared as an smb://<printer-ip>/<queue> target), was also asking for Authentication. I tried my valid usernames/passwords, no luck. Finally tried authenticating as "guest" with password "guest" and it worked. This is well worth trying first, because it is quick to do, versus the relatively painful method of nuking all configurations (which i also did, only to end up with this 'fix').

*Incidentially, in snow leopard, i learned how to installl a non-discoverable smb printer by usint the ALT+"+" key combination in order to obtain the "Advanced" printer setup button (System Preferences->Print/Scan->[Windows][Internet] ... buttons). But under Lion the ALT+"+" combo didn't work for me. But i found that i could just rightmouse near to the existing printer-type buttons in order to 'customize' the toolbar, and then it was possible to drag n drop the Advanced cog icon, and I could then proceed to define a smb printer as expected.

DowCo

Level 1

0 points

Mar 12, 2015 10:14 AM in response to matthewdebeyer

I tried both @MatthewDebeyer and @Macounette's suggestions, one after the other, and then tried printing... and it worked!

Thanks for sharing, guys! 🙂

matthewdebeyer wrote:

Anyone still battling with this "Authentication Required" when connecting to a shared printer connected to a Windows 7 PC try what I did, sorted out the issue.

Open keychain access and delete all passwords/items linked to the problem printer.

Try send a print through again.

It should now give you a dialog box to enter a username and password.

Enter guest/guest.

Check remember in keychain.

Ok.

This worked for me after trying everything else.

Good luck!

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Printer job "On hold (authentication required)"