When dealing with CUPS configurations using BrowsePoll, you might encounter situations where printers appear with multiple naming variations like hpext and hpext@vm-cups. This typically happens when:

• The local CUPS server caches old printer instances
• DNS or hostname resolution creates naming inconsistencies
• BrowsePoll refreshes don't properly clean up old entries

First, verify all printer instances:

lpstat -v
lpstat -a

To properly delete the conflicting printer (even when web interface fails):

sudo lpadmin -x hpext
sudo lpadmin -x hpext@vm-cups
sudo systemctl restart cups

When standard deletion doesn't work, try these advanced steps:

# Stop CUPS service
sudo systemctl stop cups

# Remove printer configuration files
sudo rm -f /etc/cups/printers.conf*
sudo rm -rf /var/spool/cups/tmp/*

# Clear CUPS cache
sudo rm -f /var/cache/cups/*

# Restart CUPS
sudo systemctl start cups

Add these directives to /etc/cups/cupsd.conf:

BrowsePoll cups.eecs.tufts.edu:631
BrowseRemoteProtocols dnssd
BrowseOrder allow,deny
BrowseAllow from @LOCAL

After making changes, verify with:

lpinfo -v
lpstat -t

The output should only show your intended printer name without @host variations.

When CUPS maintains ghost printer entries like hpext and hpext@vm-cups that conflict with BrowsePoll-discovered printers, standard removal methods often fail. This typically happens when:

• The printer was previously configured with multiple protocols (IPP, socket, etc.)
• CUPS database corruption occurs during network printer discovery
• Permission issues prevent proper deletion through normal channels

When the web interface and lpadmin commands fail, we need to manually clean CUPS' internal databases:

# Stop CUPS first
sudo systemctl stop cups

# Remove printer from printers.conf
sudo sed -i '/^<Printer hpext@vm-cups>/,/^<\/Printer>/d' /etc/cups/printers.conf

# Clean out PPD files
sudo rm -f /etc/cups/ppd/hpext@vm-cups.ppd

# Remove job cache
sudo rm -f /var/spool/cups/*hpext@vm-cups*

# Restart CUPS
sudo systemctl start cups

After cleaning, force CUPS to rediscover the correct printer from your BrowsePoll server:

# First remove all instances
sudo lpadmin -x hpext
sudo lpadmin -x hpext@vm-cups

# Then explicitly add the correct version
sudo lpadmin -p hpext -E -v ipp://cups.eecs.tufts.edu/printers/hpext -m everywhere

When all else fails, reset CUPS' entire configuration while preserving your BrowsePoll settings:

sudo systemctl stop cups
sudo mv /etc/cups/printers.conf /etc/cups/printers.conf.bak
sudo rm /etc/cups/printers.conf.O /etc/cups/printers.conf.prev
sudo systemctl start cups

Confirm successful removal and proper rediscovery with:

lpstat -v | grep -E 'hpext|vm-cups'
cupsctl | grep BrowsePoll

The output should only show the single valid printer entry from your BrowsePoll server.