topic Re: one queue for two physical printer in Operating System - HP-UX

one queue for two physical printer

Uwe Heinrich — Tue, 21 Oct 2003 07:11:53 GMT

I need to set up one queue for two printer.

If the first(default)printer is busy the print will go to the other printer.

Both are network printer connected with Jetadmin.

Have someone a idea who how I can configure this?

Thanks.

Re: one queue for two physical printer

Artyom Voronchihin — Tue, 21 Oct 2003 07:45:24 GMT

Hello !
In Jetadmin you can choose pool several printers together in a printer class. Users then have the option of submitting requests to the printer class, or an individual printer. Jobs submitted to a printer class are automaticaly entered in the queue of the printer in the class that has the fewest pending requests. /etc/lp/class contains one configuration file for each class defined on the system.

Re: one queue for two physical printer

A. Clay Stephenson — Tue, 21 Oct 2003 09:19:19 GMT

As has been noted, the key to your solution is a printer class but it is not a JetAdmin thing but rather an lp thing. Classes can be made up of very dissimilar physical printers -- even mixed network, parallel, and serial printers of widely different model and manufacturer. Of course, things work better if all memebers of a class are identical but its not a requirement. In the case of mixing fast and slow printers, its best to define the faster class members first so that most jobs go to them.

1) Add the printers in the usual way using SAM, JetDirect's hppi command, addqueue, ...

2) Next define a printer class and add the first printer.
lpadmin -p myprinter1 -c myclass

3) Now add other printers to this same class:
lpadmin -p myprinter2 -c myclass
lpadmin -p myprinter3 -c myclass

4) I THINK that you need to run these commands:
accept myclass
enable myclass

5) Now rather than directing lp to a printer, you instead direct it to a class and the behavior will be just what you are looking for.

lp -dmyclass myfile1