Learning Devuan GNU/Linux - Audio, Multimedia & Printing

#Introduction

A comfortable desktop needs sound, playable media, and a working printer. Episode 9 covers all three on Devuan: audio with PipeWire or PulseAudio on top of ALSA, multimedia with the right codecs, and printing with CUPS. All of them are managed as services via init — the pattern you've known since episode 5.

The good news: Devuan fully inherits Debian's audio ecosystem. What you need to understand is how to run audio and printing services through init, not systemd units. Once you master this pattern, every other desktop component follows the same one.

#Audio with ALSA, PulseAudio, and PipeWire

#The ALSA Foundation

ALSA is the kernel audio layer on Linux — where all applications play sound. Before using PipeWire or PulseAudio, make sure your sound card is detected:

aplay -l
cat /proc/asound/cards

The output of aplay -l lists sound cards and devices. If it's empty, check the kernel modules with lsmod | grep snd and make sure your user is in the audio group.

#PipeWire as the Modern Audio Server

PipeWire is a modern audio-video server that replaces PulseAudio while also handling video capture. On Devuan, PipeWire runs as a service:

sudo apt install pipewire pipewire-pulse
sudo service pipewire start
pactl info

pactl info shows the Pulse server currently in use — it should report PipeWire if pipewire-pulse is active. If you prefer classic PulseAudio, switch with sudo apt install pulseaudio.

#Testing Sound

Once the audio server is running, test it by playing a file:

speaker-test -c 2 -t wav
mpv sample.mp3

speaker-test -c 2 -t wav plays a test tone on both channels. If there's no sound, check the volume with alsamixer and make sure the output isn't muted.

#Multimedia: Codecs and Players

#Codecs for Various Formats

Devuan follows Debian's rules on patents, so some proprietary codecs like H.264 and MP3 aren't installed by default. To play almost any format, install the common codec packages and libraries:

sudo apt install ffmpeg gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad \
  gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly libavcodec-extra

ffmpeg provides versatile conversion and playback tools, while the gstreamer plugins supply codecs for GNOME-based players. For hassle-free MP4, MP3, and MKV playback, make sure libavcodec-extra is installed.

#Media Players

The recommended player combination on Devuan:

sudo apt install mpv vlc

mpv is a lightweight CLI-based player, while VLC offers a complete interface. Both use the same audio server, so once audio works, both work right away.

#Printing with CUPS

#Installing and Running CUPS

CUPS is the standard Linux printing system. On Devuan it runs as an init service:

sudo apt install cups
sudo service cups start
sudo service cups status

sudo service cups status shows the status of the cupsd daemon. Once running, the web administration interface is available at http://localhost:631 for adding printers.

#Adding a User to the Group

To print, a user must be in the lpadmin group:

sudo usermod -aG lpadmin budi
newgrp lpadmin

usermod -aG lpadmin budi grants budi printer administration rights. Group changes apply to the next session — newgrp applies them immediately to the current one.

#Adding and Printing

From the CUPS web interface, choose Add Printer, pick the matching driver, and set it as default:

lpstat -p -d
lp -d printer_name testfile.pdf

lpstat -p -d lists printers and the active default. The lp command sends a document to the printer queue. If a printer doesn't show up, make sure the cups service is active and the printer-driver-* packages are installed.

#Troubleshooting Audio and Printers

#No Sound

A systematic check sequence:

aplay -l
alsamixer
pactl info

Start with card detection (aplay -l), then volume (alsamixer), then the audio server (pactl info). The most common problems are a muted volume or an audio server that isn't running.

#Printer Not Detected

sudo service cups status
lpstat -p
dmesg | grep -i usb

Make sure the cups service is running, the printer is listed, and the device is detected by the kernel. If a USB printer doesn't appear in dmesg, check the cable and USB port.

#Conclusion

Episode 9 covered audio, multimedia, and printing on Devuan: the ALSA foundation with the modern PipeWire server, codecs for various media formats, and CUPS as an init-managed printing service. You also learned systematic troubleshooting steps.

Key takeaways:

• ALSA is the audio foundation; PipeWire replaces PulseAudio as the server.
• aplay -l confirms the sound card is detected.
• Proprietary codecs need to be installed due to patent policy.
• CUPS is managed as an init service with service cups.
• Users must be in the lpadmin group to print.
• Diagnose in order: kernel, service, then configuration.

In the next episode, episode 10, we'll cover storage: filesystem and encryption — ext4, XFS, and Btrfs, volume management with LVM, and LUKS/dm-crypt encryption with initramfs-tools integration for unlocking at boot.