FujiXerox DocuPrint P455d drops connection at end of DCPS job

[Jeremy Begg]

Hello again, it's been a while.

I am helping a customer to get a FujiXerox DocuPrint P455 d printer working as a VMS print queue.

DCPS does not recognise that printer model so I followed the instructions in the "DCPS 2.7 Management Guide", section 7.12 to set up a DCPS device control library for this printer, based on the provided DocuPrint N32 modules.

When I send a standard text file to this queue the job goes into "printing" state but then terminates with a "%DCPS-F-CONTERMINATED, Connection abnormally terminated" error.

Using TCPDUMP to watch the TCP packets between VMS and the printer, DCPS seems to be sending thr right setup modules and the printer responds as required, e.g. supplying the current page count.  When DCPS sends the last line of the text file it sends a TCP packet ending thus:

%.NEWSHEET.V1.1-1

statusdict/newsheet known{save statusdict begin newsheet end restore}if

ending with <CR><LF><Ctrl/D>

Af that point, the printer ACKs that packet and then drops the TCP session, before DCPS has had a chance to request the final page count.  The result is that the job ends up failing and remains on the print queue in Holding state.

Is the some way I can get DCPS to suppress the final Ctrl-D character?

I tried making this a DCPS LPD queue but that got nowhere fast, I don't think the printer supports LPD.  (It doesn't accept connections on port 515.)

Thanks,

        Jeremy Begg

[Hoff]

Specs for that printer indicate LPD support.  Check the printer setup, and run a port scan.

The ^D is the buffer flush for typical TCP 9100 printing.

Here's a Xerox tech note that might be interesting, and a previous related discussion here.

If the above fails, Mr Anderson has been visible in comp.os.vms recently; might want to try asking this question there, if he doesn't notice this thread.

[Jeremy Begg]

Thanks Hoff,

Customer has enabled LPD on the printer now, and I have reconfigured DCPS accordingly.

My test print completed successfully, so I have asked the customer to confirm what came out of the printer.   With any luck that has solved the problem.

[John Gillings]

Jeremy,

    I haven't been able to get clean job completion on DocuPrint printers (different model, same symptom) through DCPS. The jobs print, but the queue entry is retained. I couldn't get DCPS LPD queues to work at all, but was able to get "plain vanilla" TCPIP LPD queues to print, but without much control (orientation, input tray, output tray etc).

   I've recently managed to get VMS to send print jobs into a "FollowYou" system (Equitrac). Print the job, go to any printer, swipe ID card to release and collect the job. There are a few restrictions, but once it's setup, it seems to work. Contact me directly if you want details.