You didn't answer if you're accessing CUPS management via
http://127.0.0.1:631/? If so, while I was beta-testing Tiger, I continually ran into that problem with new updates. So I put this together so I wouldn't have to remember the steps:
From the CUPS Software Administrators Manual
http://127.0.0.1:631/sam.html#13_2
CUPS Doesn't Recognize My Username or Password when I enter this URL into my browser:
http://127.0.0.1:631/
CUPS will ask you for a UNIX username and password when you perform printer administration tasks remotely or via a web browser. The default configuration requires that you use the root username and the corresponding password to authenticate the request.
CUPS does not allow you to authenticate an administration request with an account that has no password for security reasons. If you do not have a password on your root account then you won't be able to add printers remotely or via the web interface!
To disable password authentication you need to edit the /etc/cups/cupsd.conf file
**************
*NOTE: Disabling password checks allows any local user to change your printer and class configuration, but remote administration from another machine isn't allowed.*
Personally, on a home machine, I disable it, since enabling the root user could prove hazardous to your system's health—I never have enabled the root user account and strongly caution anyone else against do it. Here are the steps used to disable the CUPS password checks.
*****************
Launch the Terminal.app and open the cupsd.conf file by copying & pasting this command into the window that pops up, and hit the return key:
*sudo nano /etc/cups/cupsd.conf*
enter your admin password at the
Password: prompt, carefully, since the characters aren't displayed, and hit the return key
click: CONTROL+W and type in:
<Limit GET PUT>
hit return key
this takes you to the section headed by +<Limit GET PUT>+
Type a # in front of these two lines under the GET PUT heading (use the arrow keys to move about the file):
AuthType Basic
AuthClass System
so that they read:
#AuthType Basic
#AuthClass System
click: CONTROL+O -hit return key
click: CONTROL+X -that takes you out of nano and back to the Terminal
To ensure that you made the proper changes, type in the following, and hit return key
*sudo cat /etc/cups/cupsd.conf*
and you should see this grouping near the page's bottom:
<Limit GET PUT>
#AuthType Basic
#AuthClass System
</Limit>
If so, then you successfully modified the cupsd.conf file. Now, you have restart the CUPS server, either by shutting down or by typing in this command, and hit return key:
*sudo killall -HUP cupsd*
Quit the Terminal app.
Launch Safari, type in this URL, and hit the return key:
*
http://127.0.0.1:631/*
This gives you access to everything dealing with CUPS and printers, including links to extensive documentation, without bringing up the password dialog box.
