Redirecting OpenVMS queue to Windows queue

[MarkW_1]

Alpha server ds20e running OpenVMS7.3-2 Multinet 5.0. Would like to create a print queue that points to a windows 2003 print queue. Not sure how to redirect to the queue if it is possible.

[Karl Rohwedder]

You can export the queue as LPD queue on the windows system and create a LPD queue on VMS.


regards Kalle

[Jorge Cocomess]

Karl,

Can you give us some examples or syntax on how to perform this task on OpenVMS?

Thank you in advance.
J

[Karl Rohwedder]

Search this forum for LPD printing, there were several streams about this ,e.g.
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=883937


regards Kalle

[Robert Atkinson]

Mark/Jorge,
unless you specifically need LPD queues, I'd use TELNETSYM to print :-

$ INIT queuename /QUEUE /FORM=xxx /AUTO=node::"address:port" /PROC=TCPIP$TELNETSYM /START

e.g.

$ INIT MYQUE /FORM=DEFAULT /AUTO=KANSAS::"saleshp:9100" /PROC=TCPIP$TELNETSYM /START

Most HP's work from port 9100, and this method will avoid a lot of LPD headaches.

Rob.

[Karl Rohwedder]

If it is a supported printer by DCPS, you may even use DCPS together with LPD or better rawTCP. It gives yu a lot of control over the printout.

regards Kalle

[Jan van den Ende]

Mark,

please consider the previous answers REAL seriously!

_IF_ however, there still exists a compelling reason to print to a M$-controlled print setup (eg. some package for Secure Printing that is only available on M$, but MUST also be used from VMS - been there, been hurt by that), _AND_, you need your VMS-way of print setup (by way of setup-modules and/or print qualifiers), then you CAN get that done, at the cost of some effort.
- use a (eg: LATSYM ) symbiont to merge all modules etc into one integrated printfile (imitating the *UX or M$ PrinterDriver) out to a spoolfile.
- LPD-print that file to the M$ system
- (on M$) spool that file onto the actual printer.

Summary: now you need THREE (2 VMS + 1 M$) queues per printer; and what you get in return is nightmares of printproblem debugging.
If the first queue delivers the print (barring spool Device Full situations: always) your users receive "Successfull Completion", but any problem in LPD-to-M$, on M$, M$-to-printer, and in the printer, just leads to "Where is my output, it was printed ok!".
But if your management insists, there IS a way!

Wishing you wisdom & patience on that.

Proost.

Have one on me (maybe in May in Nashua?)

jpe

[Hakan Zanderau ( Anders]

You need the Windows component "Other Network File and Print Services" enabled on the PC. This feature enables LPR/LPD and makes your "shared" queues targets for remote LPD-servers ( VMS ).

I'm not sure the syntax for setting up LPR/LPD using Multinet.

BUT.....the printcap-parameters "rm" & "rp" should point to your PC and the shared queue.

rm = xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx ( or hostname )
rp = printshare on PC

regards,

Hakan Andersson

I used to work at Digital/Compaq/HP Customer Support Center in Stockholm, Sweden. One of my special skills were (still are) setting upp printerqueues in complex environments.

[Robert Atkinson]

Hakan - could you have a look at this thread http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1006089 to see if you have any other ideas?

Ian Miller has kindly helped by suggesting EXECSYMB, but I'd like to know if there are any other ways to 'skin the cat'.

Thanks, Robert.

[Hakan Zanderau ( Anders]

I need to make one thing clear.

There is no such thing as "LPD headace" ;-)

See the different symbionts as different tools in a toolbox.

One advantage of LPD is to target QUEUES on remote nodes. PRTSMB, LATSYM, TELNETSYM all targets PORTS. One disadvantage of LPD is that it sucks when it comes to formatting......
That's why we use TELNET-relay queue to combine two symbionts, one to format and one to send the job to a remote queue.

The original question was to target a QUEUE on a remote host......wich requires LPR/LPD.

regards,

Hakan Andersson

[Robert Atkinson]

Hakan, there are a number of 'Headaches' I could mention regarding LPD.

You've already mentioned the main one, formatting.

I'd also throw into the pot PRINTCAP, and the amount of effort it takes to create an LPD queue.

As you said, you can use TELNETSYM to LPD relaying to sort some of the problems (and we do) but if it's at all possible, I'd try and stick with TELNETSYM queues in the main.

I'd spotted Mark's comment about "remote windows queue" after I origianlly posted, but my suspicion is that he could probably print directly to the printer and not go through a 2nd queuing mechanism (especially Windows). Mark?

Hope this clarifies the reason for my comment.

Rob.

[Hakan Zanderau ( Anders]

Rob,

I agree that LPR/LPR is not the most userfriendly symbiont, but it's not originally designed for VMS.

All symbionts have two faces....one happy and one not so happy ;-)

You can't stick to one. There is no magic symbiont that fits all needs. You need to pick the most suitable one to do your work.

regards,

Hakan Andersson

Did you see my suggestion how to "skin your cat" ?

[Robert Atkinson]

> Did you see my suggestion how to "skin your cat" ?

Yep - when I get through this weekends emails, I'll have a closer look.

Rob.

[Dale A. Marcy]

It is easy to do this in Multinet. At the VMS:

$ Multinet Configure/Printer
PRINTER-CONFIG> Add vmsqueuename
[Adding new configuration entry for queue "vmsqueuename"]
Remote Host Name or IP address: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Protocol Type: [LPD] LPD
Remote Queue Name: [lp] windowsqueuename
PRINTER-CONFIG>exit
[Writing configuration to MULTINET_ROOT:[MULTINET]REMOTE-PRINTER-QUEUES.COM]
$ @multinet_root:[multinet]remote-printer-queues.com

The above steps are from a multinet V4.4-A installation, but I believe they are the same for your version.

[Verne Britton]

Haven't played with this for awhile, but be aware of the many LPR flags for "data type" ... the basic two are TEXT and BINARY ("f" for text and "l" or "v" for binary) and I can't remember if Windows treats them differently or not. Multinet can be forced to transmit the print job with either flag ... we have some Oracle add-ons that generate PCL on the fly and have to transmit that as Binary ...

Also had recent problems with LF to CR-LF translation ... sometimes this can be fixed with the HP sequence &k2G (in case ITRC messes this up, I wrote ESC ampersand "k2G") to force the printer itself to do the translation (although VMS and Multinet usually get it right).

Also if you want to enhance your Win2003 box, I have had very good luck using a 3rd party commerical LPD server for Windows ... WinLPR.

I am just a happy customer and not associated with that company. WinLPR is a replacement for the Microsoft LPD routines and will accept incoming LPR jobs ... I send jobs to it from VMS and Unix/Linux just fine.

This probably is overkill for your situation, as the generic Win2003 Windows component "Other Network File and Print Services" mentioned by Hakan above may be enough ...

WinLPR allows you to make any number of virtual queues for incoming jobs to target, each pointing to the same or different physical Windows print queues (local or networked) and each virtual queue can have a different header prefix (for Linux output, just like a setup module in VMS).

See www.alixoft.com for more info.

Naturally, perhaps like you, I prefer using VMS setup modules to handle printer control via ESC sequences.


Verne