topic Re: Printing encrypted files in Operating System - HP-UX

Printing encrypted files

Gerry Tully — Thu, 01 Nov 2001 16:37:23 GMT

I was wondering if someone could tell me the best way to encrypt files, send them over the network to a printer and have them print out as readable data. Thanks.

Re: Printing encrypted files

A. Clay Stephenson — Thu, 01 Nov 2001 17:00:20 GMT

Hi Gerry:

If all I get is a printer on the other end then this is going to be tricky.

Plan A) Host --> Cisco PIX Router with VPN ----
WAN/LAN ----> Cisco PIX Router with VPN ---> printer - expensive

Plan B) lp -> Perl Encryption -> socket --> WAN/LAN -----> PC running Perl Decryption listening on a port ---> Printer

A) Expensive but easy. B) If you have a PC lying around inexpensive but more technically difficult but maybe fun. There are already existing Perl encryption modules and sockets are easy.

My 3 cents worth, Clay

Re: Printing encrypted files

Patrick Wallek — Thu, 01 Nov 2001 17:02:39 GMT

Are you going to send the files from machine A, encrypt on A, to machine B, decrypt on B, and then have them print to a local printer on machine B? Or do you want to send them from machine A, encrypt on A, over the network directly to a printer, presumably with a jet direct card or something similar, and have the printer decrypt them?

If you want the printer to decrypt the files, I think you may be out of luck. I don't know of a way to do that.

If you wanted to send from machine to machine and then print to a local printer you could use something like SSH or PGP to send the stuff encrypted. You could then drop the files in a sdirectory and have that directory monitored via some sort of script and then print whatever is there and delete it.

Does any of that make sense or help at all?

Re: Printing encrypted files

Gerry Tully — Thu, 01 Nov 2001 18:36:06 GMT

Thanks for the input, I didn't think what they wanted to do could be done. They wanted to send some data from within Oracle over the Internet, to a printer( that would unencrypt the data).

Re: Printing encrypted files

A. Clay Stephenson — Thu, 01 Nov 2001 19:48:01 GMT

Okay, Plan C. Consider a dial-up serial connection with a printer attached to a modem. If you want security Black Box makes a little module called a 'Lock and Key Set' so that only modems which have a 'key' module can get connected. http://www.blackbox.com Part No: 39625. The downside is, of course, paying for the connection. How's that for thinking outside the box? - blackbox that is.

More food for thought, Clay