hp-probe
Detect connected HP printers and peripherals
SYNOPSIS
hp-probe [-b|--bus=BUS] [-i|--id=ID] [-m|--model=MODEL] [-u|--uid=UID] [-s|--serial=SERIAL] [--debug[=N]] [--usb] [--net] [--par] [--fax] [--cups] [-?|--help] [--version]
PARAMETERS
-b|--bus=BUS
Bus to probe: usb, net, par, fax, cups, all (default: all)
-i|--id=ID
Filter by device ID (e.g., MFG:HP;MDL:Officejet)
-m|--model=MODEL
Filter by exact model name (e.g., HP_LaserJet_400)
-u|--uid=UID
Filter by unique device ID
-s|--serial=SERIAL
Filter by serial number
--debug[=N]
Enable debug output (level 1-9, default 1)
--usb
Probe only USB bus
--net
Probe only network bus
--par
Probe only parallel bus
--fax
Probe only fax bus
--cups
Probe only CUPS queues
-?|--help
Show help message
--version
Print version information
DESCRIPTION
hp-probe is a utility from the HPLIP (HP Linux Imaging and Printing) package used to detect and identify HP printers, scanners, and multifunction devices on Linux systems.
It scans specified or all buses including USB, network (LAN/parallel/IEEE-1284), fax modems, and CUPS queues, reporting detailed device information such as model name, serial number, USB ID, device URI, and capabilities.
The tool outputs parseable data ideal for scripting or integration with hp-setup. Run with elevated privileges (e.g., sudo) for complete USB/network discovery. Primarily used during printer setup to locate and configure devices automatically.
Requires HPLIP installed; supports SNMP for network devices and libusb for USB.
CAVEATS
Requires root privileges for USB/network probes; install HPLIP first. Network probe may require SNMP support. Output format may change between versions.
EXAMPLE USAGE
sudo hp-probe -b all
Lists all detected HP devices with URIs.
hp-probe --usb --debug
Debug USB probe only.
OUTPUT FORMAT
Tab-separated: device-uri<tab>status<tab>... (parse with scripts).
HISTORY
Developed as part of HPLIP project starting 2005 by HP and OpenPrinting.org for Linux printer support. Evolved with HPLIP releases to improve device detection across buses.
