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Decnet over VPN

 

Decnet over VPN

Hi all,

One of my company is still using OpenVMS and DECNET protocol.

We have some printers (Epson DFX 8000) that embade ROM LA75 emulation card. Theses cards only have a serial connector. We have a convertor serial/RJ45 and we connect it to a decserver.

I've already tried to connect this card to a jet direct server. But nothing happen when I print (LA75 caracter code is not emulated by the jet direct server). I

I'd like to delete all my decnet/lat trafic to buy a VPN connexion. Currently this compagny is bridged through a 128Kbits connexion.

My question is the following:
-Is there a way to transform my decserver (decnet/lat) to IP server ? Can I connect to a IP decnet server serial printer with LA75 emulation code?

Thk you.
6 REPLIES 6
Steven Schweda
Honored Contributor

Re: Decnet over VPN

> [...] decserver [...]

This is not a well-defined quantity. Which
model DECserver? Some do IP, too.

It's not clear to me from your description
exactly how you send data to the printers
now, so it's hard to say how hard it would be
to change things from using LAT to reverse
Telnet (or whatever).

> [...] OpenVMS [...]

This is not a well-defined quantity. Which
VMS version?

[...] DECNET [...]

This is not a well-defined quantity. Which
DECnet version? A Forum or general Web
search should find descriptions of multiple
DECnet-over-IP possibilities.

> [...] (decnet/lat) [...]

LAT and DECnet are different, by the way.
Wim Van den Wyngaert
Honored Contributor

Re: Decnet over VPN

I found these instruction for Unix. If your decserver can talk IP you can try it. No idea if it works.

***
The following DECserver commands will create an LPD queue called LPDQUE on port 8. The example uses the traditional DEFINE and SET for each command, though most, if not all commands should work with CHANGE. You can ENABLED the HEADER and TRAILER commands if you require header or trailer pages with each print job and want the DECserver to handle that task. AUTOCR must be ENABLED with hp-ux or carriage returns will not work on the printer.

Local> DEFINE PRINTER LPDQUE CONNECTIONS ENABLED
Local> DEFINE PRINTER LPDQUE PORTS 8
Local> DEFINE PRINTER LPDQUE HEADER DISABLED
Local> DEFINE PRINTER LPDQUE TRAILER DISABLED
Local> DEFINE PRINTER LPDQUE TYPE ASCII
Local> DEFINE PRINTER LPDQUE AUTOCR ENABLED
Local> SET PRINTER LPDQUE CONNECTIONS ENABLED
Local> SET PRINTER LPDQUE PORTS 8
Local> SET PRINTER LPDQUE HEADER DISABLED
Local> SET PRINTER LPDQUE TRAILER DISABLED
Local> SET PRINTER LPDQUE TYPE ASCII
Local> SET PRINTER LPDQUE AUTOCR ENABLED

After defining the LPD queue, you can use SAM to create the print queue using "Add Remote Printer/Plotter"
***
So any VMS LPD queue should do with in the rm (or lp ???) field "LPDQUE".

Wim


Wim

Re: Decnet over VPN

OK, I'm sorry if i wasnt clear.

My main problem is the printing decnet language called LA75.

Currently, we're running some applications that print in this language.

For printing it, we use a serial card that embed LA75 ROM (pluged into epson dfx printers). This card is connected to a decserver using serial/mmj convertor.

I'm trying hard to find a IP print server that can emulate LA75 as well.

LA75 program has been discontinued but the programer who wrote our application is not avaliable anymore. So i dont have any choice but to find a IP+LA75 card emulation.
Hoff
Honored Contributor

Re: Decnet over VPN

The Epson DFX-8000 is a twenty year old dot-matrix impact printer.

If the networks are bridged, your existing connection should work. Which implies you're looking to get rid of the bridge.

Your use of this printer and your phrasing implies you have host software which uses ANSI-compliant serial escape and control sequences, and various devices offer ANSI compliance or ANSI conversions to (whatever). Many printers around are (or were) capable of LA-compatible printing.

If you want to switch from reverse LAT to IP, you will be using reverse telnet, and you may have to make changes to the host software. Various introductions to OpenVMS IP printing and to reverse telnet and to general LAT printing are around, including:

http://64.223.189.234/node/129
http://64.223.189.234/node/288

Whether your particular DECserver permits IP is an open question; you'll need to provide details. Various of the DECserver 300 and later DECserver devices can perform IP-based access, IIRC. Whether your configuration or your applications or your printing can implement and can allow this is an open question. Some stuff ports over to telnet-based or LPR-based printing and works fine, and some doesn't.

And a twenty year old printer on what is probably an OpenVMS VAX V5.5-2 configuration with an equivalent vintage application (multiple guesses there) might well be due for an end-to-end review, too. Particularly if that configuration and that Epson DFX-8000 is performing critical operations.

Re: Decnet over VPN

Thank you for your reply.

The more I read and the more I'm aware that my only problem is LA75 caracters.

Even though I had a VPN connection and "full IP" network, i wouldnt be able to print LA75.
Cause only DFX8000 can print it (thank to the serial card ROM emulation / MMJ convertor).

So, my (new question) is the following:

How can I print LA75 on current printers? (laser, matrix...).

Thank you.
Hoff
Honored Contributor

Re: Decnet over VPN

There's insufficient data for an answer.

Various of the LA75 characters and most of the DEC Multinational Character Set (MCS) characters are standard ASCII characters; they're now typically identical to the characters at the bottom end of the character set tables found in most every printer with ISO Latin 1 character set support.

What can (also) be involved here are the ANSI escape and control sequences; the positioning sequences, or one of the graphical character sets or the bar code printing capabilities that can exist in these printers. These can be more problematic.

Do you have the source code for the host application(s)?

What are the details of what you printing? Forms? Bar code? A sample text file with what you're printing?