Adding Printers with JetDirect

[E. Wong]

Server runs HPUX 10.20
Jetdirect (Rev. E.10.05)
All printer servers are HP Jetdirect
All printer models are HP LaserJet 4000 Series

Symptoms:

When running /opt/hpnpl/admin/hppi to add printer the menu pops ups asking for IP, model, and when ready to add, output error:

Addprinter error: can't find /etc/lp/interface/OPSprinter

In addition, when lpstat -t all other JetDirect Printers I have shows error
disabled by scheduler: can't write to /dev/null
fence priority : 0

Any hints, ideas will be appreciated.

[Cheryl Griffin]

Go into Jetadmin
Select the option for Configuration
Then Add Printer giving it the IP Address of your printer.
Select the model that is closest to your printer.

Add the printer to your /etc/hosts.
The test to see if you can ping the printer.

[doug mielke]

No OPSprinter interface, but as Cheryl said, pick the one closest.
Easier said than done. There are only a few different drivers actually used, you can look in the interfaces directory and see what driver each printer is using, and if there is another printer like the one you are using, choose that driver. Otherwise, It can become trial and error.
Laserjet 4 has been a good 'generic' first guess for me in the past.

[doug mielke]

my mistake here. disregard my previous, it referrs to missing models, not the interface directory.

I'd lool at permissions in the interface directory, look for an OPSprinter file there. If so, try to remove OPSprinter through hppi and add it again.

The file for the type of printer in the model directory is modified with your parameters and then written to the interface dir. If hppi cant find it, at could be a path or perms/ownership issue.

[E. Wong]

I have removed a printer using the Jetdirect software and it wouldn't allow me to add any other printers. The Addprinter error is the one I got.

On the other hand, all other Jetdirect printers are not printing (see lpstat -t).

Now, I 've checked the /etc/lp/interface dir and only see files for the printers that can't print. Is that normal? Am I supposed to see "all" printer model there are for HPUX 10.2?

[doug mielke · Accepted solution]

There should be a file for each printer name in the interface dir.

There are links to this dir, presumably for backward compatability.

If these links we to be broken, you could end up with more than one interface dir.

Is there another system that you can look at?

also,
ls /dev/null to make sure it's a still a device filr ( i.e. 0xsomething) and not a file size, as if it's been overwritten

[E. Wong]

Doug

you've got a point /dev/null on my server looks corrupted! file size=0. Do you know how to restore it w/o backups? Of course I already tried the backup file, but all the tapes have the same file corrupted, which gives me the impression that this problem happened quite some time ago and went by unnoticed!

[E. Wong]

OK, I found this thread:

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/parseCurl.do?CURL=%2Fcm%2FQuestionAnswer%2F1%2C%2C0x64eec6af36b7d5118ff10090279cd0f9%2C00.html&admit=716493758+1066423551829+28353475

and courtesy of Mr. Clayson, I borrowed his tip on recreating /dev/null as follow:

rm /dev/null
mknod /dev/null c 0 0x000002
chown bin:bin /dev/null
chmod 666 /dev/null

and voila! printers are back.

Thanks Doug for pinpointing the problem!