configuring a hpux server to spool to another server running easyspooler

[leesk]

hi,

I am setting up a easyspooler enviroment in my work place. I am facing 2 problems which need some enlightenment.

i) We had a Server A (hpux11.11) with easyspooler installed with print queue set up using it. No printer device is set up using the 'lpadmin'.

We want to print from Server B printing to the print queue set up using easyspooler. The manual from easyspooler says it support 'lpd', but i could not find any '/etc/lpd' directory. Where can I find 'lpd' or what must i do to make server B recognise the print queue of easyspooler. I tried to setup a remote printer using sam, but it is not possible as 'lpstat' could not recognise print queue of easyspooler.

ii) how can i print pdf file using easyspooler? I tried to configure easyspooler to print using PDF, but always give me a data type mismatch error.

thanks alot.

[Robert-Jan Goossens]

Hi,

Here are some docs from the www.easyspool.com

http://www.easyspooler.com/winter00review.html

http://www.easyspooler.com/fall03review.html

Hope it helps,

Robert-Jan.

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi,
lpd is the Berkely (BSD) spooler. To set up a printer on server B, use sam, add a remote printer and select the option "Remote printer is on a BSD system".

[leesk]

hi Leif,

Tried that. It just doesnt allow me to add printer server B, the 'lpadmin' command will just died, saying the 'lpstat' could not find any printer.

thxs

[Steven E. Protter · Accepted solution]

Allow me to introduce myself.

I am an easypooler admin.

I can't believe I missed this question.

Let me help you with some of your issues.

1) To get easyspooler to do pdf, you need to do a few things. The first is to download and install ghostscript, which converts docs to pdf.

Link:
http://hpux.connect.org.uk/hppd/hpux/PostScript/ghostscript-7.05/

This tool will convert pcl or postscript docs to pdf and let the spooler spool them correctly.

To get this to completely work, I had to have easpooler do a modification to the spooler which they did for a one time fee of under $1,000. That and a couple of soft links handled pdf.

You have a number of methods of getting server b to print on the easyspooler server:

1) Install another copy of easyspooler, port the config file from the working server and you're done. Check your license and see if its okay, we licensed two production servers and they don't have a problem with me running easyspooler on my sandbox for development reasons. There is no reason two servers can't print to easyspooler so long at its not simultaneous. Its just an IP address.

2) You can write a script for submitting jobs directly on the spooler server.

The script will go like this:

scp -p sourcefile desthost://destdir
ssh user@desthost "lpd filetoprint"

You'll need a full path on that lpd command.

This script essentially transfers the file to be printed to the easyspoool server. To make it work, you need secure shell.

http://www.software.hp.com/cgi-bin/swdepot_parser.cgi/cgi/displayProductInfo.pl?productNumber=T1471AA

I am attaching a document to help you make the ssh and scp command work without passwords.

Need more: Just post.

SEP

[leesk]

SEP,

Our easyspooler version is 6.4.2. Is this the version you are using? According to the developer manual, we could include the option '-odatat=d' when using 'llp' command. We had setup the print queue to include datatype 'd' too. We tried to print, but keep having data conflict error.

Have you ever tried to log into easyspooler's support central? I tried to sign up but till now still could not log into it.

We had bought only one licence for the easyspooler server. But we could set another up with demo version to try your suggested way. On your 2nd suggestion, where could we find 'lpd', we could not find any 'etc/lpd' directory, does it come native with HPUX 11.11?

Really appreciate your help.

[Bill Hassell]

To answer your question about lpd, HP-US is based on SysV as far as spooling. That means lp, not lpr and no printcap file. In other words, if Easyspooler requires a BSD-style print subsystem in order to work, you're out of luck. Since Easyspooler is a replacement for the lp spooler, the local machine will need Easyspooler installed too (as SEP mentioned)