Printer job "On hold (authentication required)"

Question

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

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Hen3ry

Level 3

505 points

Jul 10, 2010 2:47 PM in response to caw35slr

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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Answer 2

Nov 27, 2010 1:27 PM in response to caw35slr

We have two Minis on airport Extreme wireless hardware with a hidden network. Shared printing from my wife's Mini to mine stopped working after a recent O/S upgrade (within 10.5) on her machine. It still didn't work after we upgraded her machine to 10.6.

In "System Preferences: Print & Fax" I tried deleting the shared printer (a Canon MP610) and adding it back on both Mac Minis (mine, attached to the printer, and my wife's, the remote). That didn't work.

However, after I deleted and re-added the printer on both machines, I went into the sharing preferences on my Mini (the one with the printer attached), Changed "Everyone Can Print" to "Everyone No Access" and back. That worked.

It looks as if there's some flag in the programming that some programmer forget to reset in all instances. Apple should fix this. (I also noted that I couldn't connect, even with authentication, from my wife's Mini to mine in Network: Go. But that's a problem for another day; maybe it's due to my allowing no file sharing.)

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Answer 3

TheClapp

Level 1

0 points

Jan 9, 2011 1:39 PM in response to caw35slr

I, too, finally got the "authentication required" to go away. Sadly it was not by figuring out how to authenticate, which would've been ideal, but by removing the requirement to authenticate.

After much fiddling, I believe that the net change was a) delete the printer where it's attached (i.e. on the machine where it's plugged into a USB port), 2) re-add it, 3) go to localhost:631 (the CUPS interface, as described previously in this thread), click the "administration" tab, and then on the right under Server, select "allow printing from the Internet". ("share printers connected to this system" should already be selected; this is the analog of the Mac Preferences setting Sharing -> Printer Sharing -> Enable.) 4) Then go to any other computer that shares that printer and try to print. If it doesn't work, delete it and re-add it and try again.

Since the Internet cannot reach this machine, this is safe. It may not be safe for you. The net end result in the CUPS config file (again, I think this was the only net change) was to add "allow all" to the Location line, as mentioned above.

So I guess this is a long winded way of saying "me too", but I just wanted to document my findings a little more verbosely.

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Answer 4

niuboshi

Level 1

0 points

Feb 11, 2014 8:04 AM in response to caw35slr

First, this problem should be fixed as part of the PrinterProxy user interface. Since it isn't yet, this has worked for me whenever it happens (usually as a result of monthly password changes enforced by our password policy):

Open KeyChain Access
Type the friendly 'name' of the printer into the search box
Double click the entry
Click the "Show Password" check-box.
Authenticate.
Change the entry in the password box to reflect your current password.
Click "Save Changes".
Cancel the current job in the print queue.

You can now send the job to the printer again and it will be able to authenticate properly with your print server.

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Answer 5

ETeague

Level 1

5 points

Feb 21, 2014 2:37 PM in response to caw35slr

I upgraded to OS X 10.9.1 and had "paused for authentication problems but luckly just discovered that with the print sharing on in the computer that that has the direct connection with the printer being shared on the network and in this configuration with certain persons selected, even an administrator, it puts a "no access" on everyone. In this status I get the "paused for authentication" on the print job from any networked computer. see below

User uploaded file ---------------------************************************-----------------

When you click the up and down arrow to the right of everyone you get either "no access" or "can print" option.

When the "can print" option is selected all the individual persons added gets droped but at least now I can do a network print job from the other computers and not get the "paused for authenication" problem. Hope this helps anyone with "paused for authent" problems 🙂 ET

User uploaded file

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Answer 6

Aug 5, 2014 8:33 AM in response to niuboshi

Keychain is the enemy here. I had an old network login stored for an old Windows machine with the same name as the new one, which is the machine sharing the printer. After having tried deleting the printer keychains with no joy, I deleted the old network login keychain, then added the printer again. I then got the "Hold for Authentication" message, so hit re-load and it asked me for the keychain password again (already set by default) so I hit OK, and hey presto! I can print again 🙂

I did have to trawl through this post a bit trying everything listed before I put it all together and did the above! But got there in the end. I hope this helps someone else in my situation!

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Answer 7

oYnan

Level 1

8 points

Jun 29, 2017 6:02 AM in response to caw35slr

This worked for me:1. Send anything to print. Open your Keychain Access.app and delete the entry for the print queue in question (it's going to be the name of your printer).2. Go to the printer, and where's says "Hold for authentication" press on the REFRESH icon and use this:User: guestPass: guestYou are going to be able to print, and is not going to "hold" anymore in the future.

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Answer 8

Mar 15, 2010 4:08 PM in response to caw35slr

I had a similar problem, but my HP 7310 is connected directly to my imac (intel core2 duo) and shared through that machine via airport express to my two macbooks.

I deleted the printer from all the machines, and then set it back up from the imac system prefs. Then, set it up on the macbooks printer system prefs. Worked like a charm. Took all of 2 minutes, but oh the frustration.

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Answer 9

Apr 8, 2010 12:52 PM in response to caw35slr

We had a similar problem and it was self inflicted:
I deleted and re-installed a printer and shared it using the same name (that was on a Mac Mini running 10.6.2).
After that my wife got that same error message (authentication required).
Deleting the printer on her MacBook did NOT resolve the problem. I had to delete the printer on the "server" (the Mac Mini) and reinstall it using a different name. Then delete and re-install it on my wife's computer (the MacBook). Now printing works again = wife happy.

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Answer 10

Apr 11, 2010 8:56 AM in response to caw35slr

After much frustration with the "on hold (authentication required)" message, I read this thread. Just deleted the printer from its host computer by clicking the minus sign then added it back by clicking the + sign. No more message!

The only thing we did which might have caused this to happen after years of successful sharing was to update the Airport software. I'm thinking the printer problem was caused by this update.

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Answer 11

Mar 18, 2015 5:38 PM in response to caw35slr

I fixed this problem (on a wireless work network, with a Fuji Xerox APEOS) by

opening prefs Printers and Scanners

>select the problematic printer

>select 'options and supplies'

>select 'options'

>go to 'customise user prompts' and in drop down menu select 'no need to enter'

Fixed the issue. Hope this helps someone else.

S

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Answer 12

tageek

Level 1

5 points

Oct 24, 2012 5:50 PM in response to caw35slr

In the printer queue, where you see the "Hold for Authentication" message, just click the refresh icon. A dialog should appear where you an enter your network credentials.

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Answer 13

neeleshs

Level 1

0 points

Jul 7, 2015 3:38 AM in response to matthewdebeyer

See post below - click refresh icon on printer queue when you have a queued item. You'll get authentication dialogue so shouldn't have to muck about with keychain or deleting printers.

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Answer 14

May 8, 2010 8:54 PM in response to nucleon2000

FIXED!!!! (Although early prints on the Olympus P-11 are coming out too large...)

I did a MacOS X reinstall, and selected the printer support and Rosetta options. Voila! Working printer.

My son's machine was upgraded to Snow Leopard from an earlier version and probably had Rosetta already installed.

Live and learn.

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Answer 15

Feb 22, 2011 10:49 AM in response to TheClapp

My fix for the "on hold" authentication required message

1. opened the printer window and selected the printer name
2. selected the Hold icon
3. held down the control button and clicked my mouse
4. a dialogue box opened where I could change my password and check a box appear where I could choose to save the password.

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