LPADMIN Questions -- MFP %^&*8$%#$&& non hp printers

[rmueller58]

With the flurry of MFP vendors beating our schools up for business, I need a down and dirty tutorial on how to use LPADMIN, for the longest time I've been able to force HPNPL without a problem. It allowed for a consistent setup.. If the printer wasn't recognized, it was refused. Now vendors from Minolta, Xerox, Ricoh, HP, are all wanting a piece of the pie. And it seems requesting 100% jet direct compliance is impossible.

I need to ask, some of the basics about where to put their provided scripts, syntax on ad naseum.

for example, I have an HP 5SI with hppi -s , is it pretty straight forward

1. add the IP, address, assign the model script, and define the quename.

Not so with non-jetdirect compliant devices.

Each year we have 3 or more schools districts go through a round of testing / purchasing and each time we have to define queues for vendors. it has been easy with HP.

I need a down and dirty run down on how to use LPADMIN or do so from SAM, How and where to place the vendor's model script files and how to point to them from either the lpadmin command line or from within SAM..

[A. Clay Stephenson · Accepted solution]

You know (or obviously you don't) all of your lpadmin questions (e.g location of model scripts) are answered in that obscure place known as the "lpadmin" man page. If you are going to do real UNIX admin then and absolute requirement is to be able to use the man pages --- including the "see also" section.

However, not all of your answers are in the man page because not all vendors use lpadmin. Many of them supply their own printer installation and networking utilities which ultimately use the lp subsystem transparently to the user. For those, the answer is "it depends".

Adding remote printers either from lpadmin or through SAM is generally easy -- by far, the most difficult aspect is knowing the queue name on the remote host (printer). For example, the same host (printer) may have a "TEXT" queue, a "RAW" queue, or some other obscure queue name with other properties. Only the printer's documentation can tell you that.

Sometimes, a Plan B that works well (in that it allows you full control from HP-UX) is to set up a Network printer through an external JetDirect to the printers USB or (rarely these days) to its parallel port. You then may have to customize an interface file but that shouldn't be too difficult.

With more and more MFP devices everyday there is just far less application for a cookie cutter approach to setting up printers.

[rmueller58]

Yes, Clay Cookie cutter would sure simplify things. this box is one of 15 boxes I admin, and scripted installers would help if the vendor would provide them. I will RTFM them man pages, as you suggest.

Defining a print queue with SAM is like shooting prairie dogs with an 50 Caliber Barrett, then putting the outcome in a blender.

Sam is not friendly for defining ques other then JD queues ..

[rmueller58]

I will figure it out. Never mind.

[Bill Hassell]

The lpadmin command line for setting up a remote printer is documented in the man page. However, your biggest challenge will be to find the remote printer name. Most manufacturers design their printers (and documentation) for PCs so finding this name may be difficult. But whether you use SAM or lpadmin, you must have the 3 items: local name of print queue, remote server IP address and remote printer name. All manufacturers have a remote name in their LAN card.

Note that SAM doesn't actually add HP JetDirect printers, it simply calls hppi which does the work.

One additional issue: EVERY remote printer (not JetDirect) will require ASCII files to be translated because all Unix systems store ASCII files with just LF at the end of every line. On the printer, you see this as a "stair-step" down the page right off the right edge. A few non-HP printers have the ability to perform this translation from the front panel but otherwise, you'll need to use ux2dos to filter each ASCII file.

MFP boxes are universally difficult to setup unless they are locally connected to a PeeCee. The Unix market, or more broadly, the non-PC market is so small that it is ignored by most vendors. From a decision maker's point of view, the true cost of ownership should be evaluated. You may have to purchase a printing subsystem for HP-UX that can handle non-HP printers. Almost no printer vendor supplies model scripts or other printing software for HP-UX.

[rmueller58]

Bill,

MFP have screwed the pooch. Every single copier company that has a vested interest in placating those who purchase printer devices need think through the business application of their devices.. I've informed the Xerox technician they need to provide a script that will perform queue creations with three parameters, IP address, Quename, and Model. They are working on it. We have 250 physical printers connected via HPNP and have not had to deviate from this until the MFP's showed up.

I will likely script something that I can run outside of SAM to perform this task as the writing is on the wall. The problem arises when lpadmin fails to send the OPTIONS "-o" assumed with an HPNP compliant device.

We have two districts that beat this horse dead every year.


Scripting lpadmin I am going to prompt for variables as follows:


-p queue name
-s what the printer is known as in the /etc/hosts file
-T interface file hplaser is standard for hp printers
-I font type


lpadmin -p $quename -s $printerhostfilename -T $vendorinterfacefile -I pcl

From looking at man pages I could get by with this, it does require inserting a record in the /etc/hosts but is doable.