printer management under HPUX

[Rick Garland]

Hi all:

Got thousands of printers hooked to hundreds of HPUX systems on a global scale.

I am looking for a web-based printer management utility that help desk personnel can invoke. If a printer is disabled then the help desk can enable the printer through the web-interface for any printer, anywhere.

I have downloaded the Web JetAdmin and installed on a WinBlows system (this is what the help desk would be using) and I have been exploring.

My question, can this tool remotely enable a printer? Or is there something else that would do a better job?

[TwoProc]

For the right amount of $$$ - I can write that Java/MYSQL app for you! :-)

I know you're looking for THE answer ready to go - but if it doesn't exist:

Have you got any Java or C Developers ? Or any experience with SNMP functionality - say with OpenView ? I'd think that this could be done with a programmer and some time and without TOO much difficulty. Compared to some projects that departments take up, the project size of this is pretty small and the goals are pretty tight and easy to define.

This could be a fun one if you've got a language you've been hankering to learn (Java, Perl)... if full functioned it could be database driven, a basic model one could be something smaller and data file driven.

[Rick Garland]

John:

Don't have the $$$ but I can throw some points at ya!

[TwoProc]

I didn't answer that for points (thanks though) - it's just that it struck me that I often look for small, well defined projects to learn new stuff with - and that one looks like it would fit the bill nicely.

[Geoff Wild]

You might be able to use Webmin:

http://www.webmin.com/index.html

They have modules that may work for printing...

Rgds...Geoff

[Bill Hassell]

WebAdmin has nothing to do with HP-UX, it is a JetDirect tool that lets you look at printers, change their addresses, in some cases look at toner levels, etc. If the printer is offline, someone must go to the printer to put it back online or load more paper, etc.

However, if the printer becomes disabled in HP-UX, the solution is easy: anyone can enable a printer. You do it with the enable command. Of course, this is not a GUI, it is a command-line program.

Now WebJetAdmin does run on HP-UX but most sysadmins won't install it because it requires a web server too. Installing or deleting a JetDirect printer is as easy as a 1-line command (addqueue or removequeue) in HP-UX. But the real problem with the helpdesk is determining whether the problem is with the HP-UX spooler or the printer or both.

There are some commercial programs that can be pricey but most of them are strongly oriented towards one flavor of Unix, usually BSD (rather than SysV which is HP-UX) and are awkward to use, especially if they don't incorporate JetDirect support. Try before you buy...

[Rick Garland]

Thanks Geoff - looked at the webmin package but it doesn't list support for HPUX 11i. (the highest it goes is 11.00).

I may have an answer. Using the Web JetAdmin the helpdesk personnel can query a printer to see if it offline/online, out of paper, jammed, etc. This would not need to setup on a webserver, can run on a winblows PC.

Create an account to login to the system and get the CDE screen. Using the print management icon from the CDE desktop the helpdesk can see if a printer is rejecting/disabled. All that would need to be done is accept/enable the printer.

Once the helpdesk personnel see that the enable/accept command(s) needs to be run then that is all that is required. This should let us sysadmins sleep more though the night instead of pages at oh-GOD-thirty to enable a printer.

2 things I see is needed. An X-emulator and placement of this account in the 'lp' group or setup of 'sudo' to allow the non-root users the ability to execute the specific lp commands.

These printers are not on winblows systems, they are networked printers from HPUX systems. As such the helpdesk would not have the ability to add/delete printers from an HPUX system. The helpdesk would be talking to the printers via their local winblows system. This would NOT be installed on HPUX.

If there is another idea out there, please let me hear it...

Thanks

[TwoProc]

Rick,
For free Xwindows emulations (with ssh I might add) - search for cygwin - cygwin.org maybe?

[Dwyane Everts_1]

Rick,

I saw in one of the above postings that you don't have the money to spend; however, I highly recommend you reseach Rhapsody (Formerly EasySpooler). We are in the process of purchasing this product. It can be as centralized or as distributed as you want it to be. Redundant servers for failover, easy reprints, all sorts of great stuff. And the price is awesome for all the things your get with it.

http://www.rocsoftware.com/documents/04.05.05-ROC-Rhapsodyv2.pdf

Dwyane