TCP/IP Printing from Epson DFX 500 + through HP3000

[Ted Morley]

I have configured the Epson DFX 500 onto HP3000/957 NPCONFIG.PUB.SYS added the device in SYSGEN and completed with DOIONOW...I am able to PING the device . START and STOPSPOOL and send reports to the printer ...They are shown as ACTIVE but DO NOT PRINT...can anyone help with this problem ..Many Thanks

[Fred Metcalf]

The ping is from the 957?
What do you see with this command?
spooler 900;show

LDEV DEV SPSTATE QSTATE OWNERSHIP SPOOLID JOB STEP
900 00000900 ACTIVE OPENED OUT SPOOLER #O921 CONNECTING

What do you see on the console?
10:52/63/Output spooler, LDEV #900: SNMP error SNMP_ResponseTimeout reported
while retrieving printer status.
Native Mode Spooler message 9656

10:52/63/Output spooler, LDEV #900: Cannot communicate with network printer.
Check network xport config, NPCONFIG.PUB.SYS, xport and links started status,
intermediate network, and printer status.
Native Mode Spooler message 9662

Above examples mean the printer is not responding correctly. Reasons can be as suggested in the console msg, but in your case most likely the Epson is not emulating the HP JetDirect properly.

[Eric Sorensen_1]

Hello Ted,

The MPE network spooler "expects" to get a response to the PJL status inquiry (from the printer) and also "expects" a SNMP response (from the network interface). If the printer cannot respond with PJL, then the spooler will not send data. In that case, use a different printer, or use a third-party spooler (i.e. NBSpool from Quest Software).

I strongly suggest that DOIONOW never be used for any reason. It is nothing more than a command file that reads a private logfile of SYSGEN actions, and tries to implement those changes with IOCONFIG. The logfile should be purged after a boot, but often it is not purged, and may contain many SYSGEN actions previous to several boots. When it tries to effect those changes, it can create a mess. Also, only certain actions are allowed "online". When using IOCONFIG, at least you can see an informative error message. Most error messages are suppressed when "calling" IOCONFIG through the command file DOIONOW. Use IOCONFIG instead.