printing from OpenVMS and W2003 network on same printer

[Sandy Rosenberg_2]

When we send a print job from our AlphaServer to a queued printer that is also available on the Windows 2003 network, and, after it starts printing, someone sends a job from the W2003 network, the job from the PC interrupts the job from the alpha and prints right in the middle of it (usually on checks or some other special form). Is there some way to prevent this? The printer setup on the alpha uses TCPIP$TELNETSYM. It is a stand alone printer on the network.

[Karl Rohwedder]

This sounds more like a problem on the printerside. The TELNETSYM keeps the connections open until the job finishes and the printer should queues/block requests from other hosts. What kind of printer is this?

regards Kalle

[Ian Miller.]

do the W2003 systems connect to the printer using telnet or LPD?

It may be the printer has the telnet connection from the alphaserver and also (incorrectly) accepts a connection from lpd.

[Rudolf Wingert]

Hello,
your problem looks like a printjob synchronization problem (CRL-D).
Normaly only the OpenVMS node should be printserver. In case of this we have an LPD incoming queue to support the printer for Windows.
In your case, you have to change the printer driver settings. Something with CTRL-D. I am not a Windows man, so you have to ask some one of the Windowsw specialists.
Hope this help. Best regards Rudolf Wingert

[Sandy Rosenberg_2]

Thanks to all who answered. The printer is an HP LJ 4200. I am printing directly to the printer from the alpha rather than printing to the printer queue on the print server. I am going to try to change this and see if it fixes the problem.

[Thomas Ritter]

Drop the telnet printing and use LPD. We have hundreds of print queues all LPD printing to numerious Coporate and private Windows LANS. Telnet printing is firewall friendly but has the problem you are experiencing.
LPD printing is straight forward to configure.

[Karl Rohwedder]

To support the last reply: you can even use DCPS now with LPD to use all the nice features of the printers.

regards Kalle

[Rudolf Wingert]

Hello,
did you look at your Windows driver (Printers Properties). On our systems the Ctrl-D before printing is disabled and Ctrl-D after printing is enabled. AFAIK, the Ctrl-D before printing interrupts all active jobs, if it is enabled (on). If so set this feature to "off".
Best regards R. Wingert

[Sandy Rosenberg_2]

I am unable to find any printer property dealing with a Ctrl-D. Does this property have some other name?

[Ian Miller.]

may be called bi-directional printing.
Basically its getting the printer to respond