topic Re: Printer administration in Operating System - HP-UX

Printer administration

Jimemac70 — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:11:10 GMT

I am currently in the middle setting up a new HP-UX Itanium server on 11.23. I'm trying to get it as close to our previous PA-RISC system as possible. Here is where I'm having trouble.

We have these ancient terminal servers called Micro Annex. You can read more about them here..

http://aput.net/~jheiss/annex/

These have been discontinued and are not supported. I know, I wish I could replace them but the damn things never break and we can't budget for replacing these things as of right now.

Well on the PA-RISC system, I install these printers by using SAM->Printers & Plotters->add local printer/plotter->add printer with nonstandard device file. And I select the printer model that was provided to us millenia ago. The device path is /dev/null.

I attached that script. In order to direct output to a printer, you need to change the lines ANNEX= and ANNEXLINE= (like ANNEX=annex1 and ANNEXLINE = 4)

Installing it this way on the Itanium didn't work (test prints not successful).

Next I tried to install a printer using hppi and using this model again. It created an standard hppi printer model script in the /etc/lp/interface directory, and put the annex model in the /etc/lp/interface/model.orig/ directory. I was able to change the ANNEX part in that file and send a test print to the printer. YAY! right? Well here's where I'm stuck. It printed then immediately the printer was disabled. When I go to enable the printer again, it prints the test page and disables itself again.

Here's whats in the /var/adm/lp/log said

lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 n
lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 n
lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 n
lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 n
lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 e test3
test3-15 root test3 Dec 22 17:03
lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 n
lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 n
/etc/lp/interface/model.orig/test3
/opt/hpnpl/bin/hpnpf -j test3-15+root -x test3
hpnpf: unknown host test3
disabling test3
lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 n
lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 d test3 reason unknown
lpsched: FIFO: Dec 22 17:03 m test3 r 12740
lpsched: CHILD: Dec 22 17:03 test3 15 000f

I'm not sure what some of this info means.

Any help and advice with any and all of this would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Printer administration

Dennis Handly — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:07:11 GMT

>It printed then immediately the printer was disabled.

It's strange it prints something then gets an error. From the above log, it seems it can't find test3:
hpnpf: unknown host test3

If this is a network printer, it can't find it. But if it can't find it, how did you print a test page?

Re: Printer administration

Jimemac70 — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:56:14 GMT

On the original(PA-RISC) system, its setup as a local printer with the device path being /dev/null. On the new(Itanium), I tried that same way and it didn't work. Using hppi, it installs it as a network printer.

I just ignore the part where it can't find the printer and tell it to use the model script I was given. It prints, but it won't "clear the queue" for that printer, and the queue disables itself.

Re: Printer administration

Dennis Handly — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:15:19 GMT

>On the original system, its setup as a local printer with the device path being /dev/null.

That seems like a remote printer.

>it installs it as a network printer. It prints, but it won't "clear the queue" for that printer, and the queue disables itself.

Except for the "It prints", this seems the wrong way to do things.

You probably need Bill to weigh in here.
I suppose you could try adding test3 in /etc/hosts to point back to the current system? I'm not sure what hpnpf -j is doing?
Here are some threads about hpnpf:
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1095816
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1064051
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=870275

Re: Printer administration

TTr — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:04:50 GMT

Your custom interface script uses a command called "aprint" at the bottom. That does not look like standard HP-UX command, it probably needs to be copied from the old PA-RISC server.

Re: Printer administration

TTr — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:45:37 GMT

I agree with Dennis that this is a non standard setup but with these odd printers you have to use their custom interface scripts. After looking carefully at what you tried with hppi, perhaps it maybe better after creating the standard hppi printer (let's name it hp-annex), to copy your custom printer script (the one in your attachment) directly to /etc/lp/interface/hp-annex and forget about calling the model.orig script.

You would still need the aprint utility in the new server.

Re: Printer administration

Jimemac70 — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:19:36 GMT

Thanks for your help so far guys.

I didn't realize aprint wasn't a standard HP-UX, but it looks like when I copied the annex software over, it brought aprint with it as well. It's in the /usr/annex/ directory, as the PATH variable in the printer script shows.

I even did a

./aprint -Aannexf4 -L4 -Fabcdefg^L and it printed. So that part is working.

I haven't tried the other method yet, nor read over those links you provided, I will do so soon.

Re: Printer administration

Dennis Handly — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:39:54 GMT

>it looks like when I copied the annex software over, it brought aprint with it as well.

You did say it printed. :-)

>nor read over those links you provided

Since you will no longer be using hpnpf with TTr's suggestion, you can probably skip it.