Print job - No output & no error, but lpc removes failed job

[Joseph P. Smith]

Good Morning,
Essentials:
Alphaserver ES45
T64 V5.1B-3

- User sends files to printer
- No error message
- Spool directory empty
- No failure message in event log
- No output at printer
- Then execute
lpc clean
lpc abort < printer>
lpc start

Print jobs then queue & print successfully.

After lpc commands event log contains several "LPD job remove completed" entries.

So there are jobs queued somewhere, but not printing, but with no error status/condition evident.

Is "lpc status or start " in order before cleaning the queue or aborting it.

Thank-you all very much. ,,, Joe S.

[Mark Poeschl_2]

Is there a remote print server involved or is the printer network-attached? Can you send the 'printcap' entry for this printer? That would help in troubleshooting...

[Joseph P. Smith]

Hi Mark,

The printer is a "Netjet"ed printer accessed by individual Windows & Tru64 systems.

On the Tru64 system the printer served several queues, each providing different widths (158, 198, 233 cols at landscape orientation and 80 cols portrait). Each queue had different "if" and "of" params, but all were the same printer. Here's a sample:

cha2dc2158|lp1:\
:ct=tcp:\
:dt#1:\
:if=/usr/lbin/pcfof +Chplj4mplus_158.pcf:\
:lf=/usr/adm/lperr:\
:lp=@cha2dc2/hpjet:\
:mx#0:\
:sh#0:\
:of=/usr/lbin/pcfof +Chplj4mplus_158.pcf:\
:pl#66:\
:pw#158:\
:rw:\
:sd=/usr/spool/lpd1:\
:xf=/usr/lbin/xf:

[Mark Poeschl_2]

Can you please post the output of the following series of commands:

# lpc status cha2dc2158
# echo "ABCD1234567890" > file.txt
# lpr -h -Pcha2dc2158 file.txt
# ls -lLR /usr/spool/lpd
# lpc status cha2dc2158

[Joseph P. Smith]

Mark,

Attached is output from commands in previous post. The file printed correctly. (I'm 7.5 miles from physical printer, but trusted operator veried output). Thanks again.
Joe S.

[Mark Poeschl_2]

So it's all consistently working now?

[Joseph P. Smith]

Mark,

Thanks for your persistence and quick reply. To answer your question yes - the print queues work correctly now. So I guess all's well that ends well, and this is what we'll do in the future, no questions asked.
"Why" and "how" are irrelevant, or not worth the time.

I did not really did not ask the correct questions that were on my mind. So here they are:
Given:
- A user prints to a queue using a 3rd party software (Lawson) printer interface,
- and the printer produces no output and has no error status on its control panel
- and"lpc status ) shows no jobs in the queue,
- and the spool directory is empty
- but "lpc clean", and "lpc abort" post system events after the system removes pending jobs to the queue
-and then "lpc start" allows jobs to print correctly from the same third party software
then:
What indeterminate state was the queue in?
What conditions exist that caused this to happen?
What can be done to prevent this from occurring?

If a well-know bug or patch is available, then I'll apply. Again, thanks for any info that I may have missed. ,,, Joe S.