OpenVMS printing to a Windows 2003 shared Printer

[Kyle Snavely_1]

I've looked through Advanced Server 7.3 documentation and haven't found a way to link VMS queues to a printer shared via a windows box. The closest thing I've found is to use LPR/LPD but I've also read that it's painful. Can anyone give me some pointers on how to get this to work?

Thanks.

[Ian Miller. · Accepted solution]

lpr/lpd works. Not painful to setup (try run sys$system:tcpip$lprsetup after enabling the service in tcpip$config) however its unreliable as the LPD Server on the windows box tends to die.

Why not print direct? DCPS is good for many printers and no extra cost.

[Kyle Snavely_1]

Well, it's a bit complicated. I would like to get our OpenVMS app to print to a remote client computer that is connecting into our network over Microsoft Terminal Services. The client printer is redirected to the TS server, the TS server then shares this printer. So I need VMS to print to the shared windows printer on the TS which is actually the redirected client printer at the remote site. There is no L2L connection to the remote site so printing direct is not an option.

[Antoniov.]

Kyle,
LPR/LPD works and it's easy to install nevertheless you bother using it.
LPR/LPD of M$ is not standard LPR/LPD mainly you can't print over 80 chars line.
For PC located queues I used pwprint software of pathwork32 but it doesn't supported by hp and I never installed it on win2K3. I used pwprint on win9x, win2k and win xp with a wide variety of printer and connections.

Antonio Vigliotti

[Anton van Ruitenbeek]

Kyle,

I think if you are talking about TS I think you mean WTS (Windows Terminal Server).

But alright,
In a WTS environment normaly all the printers are printing using IP. So, the printer has a IP adress itself. It's not smart to use LPD for printing but TELNETSYM. This because of the way LPD handles SETUP modules of the printer (PRINT/FORM=xxxxx). When using LPD the printer will handle each setup module separately. This means, print setup module 1, reset, module 2, reset, module x, reset and and last prints your printout. This means 'as default, without setup'. Not usefull. If you use TCPIP$TELNETSYM as symbiont, you only have to setup some minor things:
The logicals
TCPIP$TELNETSYM_RAW_TCP = TRUE
TCPIP$TELNETSYM_SUPPRESSS_FORMFEEDS = "35"
if you dont want any opcom messages and keep track of logging:
TCPIP$TELNETSYM_LOG_KEEP = "3"
TCPIP$TELNETSYM_NO_OPCOM = "TRUE"
TCPIP$TELNETSYM_LOG =
These logicals must be setup before queues can be started.
After this,

$ INIT/QUE/START/ON=" or :9100"::/processor=TCPIP$TELNETSYM

And your up and running without any interference of Windows or Unix or something else .

AvR

[Anton van Ruitenbeek]

Sorry,

I didn't mention the dubble quotes " . These must be present .
Ofcourse you can use in stead of ON= you can also use AUTOSTART_ON=(::":9100",<:>)

AvR