printing via TCPIP LPD

[Pippo_17]

Scenario:

printer: HP4650-dtn
server: HP TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS Alpha Version V5.4 - ECO 5
on a COMPAQ AlphaServer DS20E 833 MHz running OpenVMS V7.3-2

The problem (described by an example):
printing from a PC/Windows via LPR/LPD to a queue defined on the VMS server requires about 13 minutes for a 5 MByte file.
13 minutes is the time to transfer the file
from the PC to the server (LPD/VMS).

The same file if printed directly to the
HP4650 from the PC or MACintosh or from the VMS server (via DCPS) requires a reasonable time (few seconds).

On the PC and MAC are installed the most recent HP4650 Postscript drivers.

Where/what I should investigate to reduce
the time that the LPD server requires to receive the file ?
I think that I can exclude networks problems
because such problems should affect also the
path between the server and the printer
and because the test has been done from
different clients (pc/macintosh).

(please consider that I have no experience in LPD, printing services).

Thanks,
Francesco

[Bojan Nemec]

Francesco,


13 minutes is the time to transfer the file
from the PC to the server (LPD/VMS).


This seems much to long. Can you try to transfer the file from the PC to VMS using FTP ore some other product, and see the time.
If the time is also so long I will suspect a network problem (probably the speed/mode settings of the PC or Alpha or one of the network components which betwen them).

Bojan

[Joseph Huber_1]

I don't believe this is the transfer time,
but rather some user or job timeout value in the LPD setup, either on the client (MAC,PC) side or on the VMS LPD.
How is the printer connected to VMS ? If via LPD protocol (the LPD server port inside the printer), then there are timeouts in the printer setup involved.

[Antoniov.]

Ciao Francesco,
benvenuto in VMS forum.

Francesco,
nice to meet you and welcome.

At first glance it's no possible help you.
How printer is connected to server (via network, serial cable, parallel cable)?
Can you download a file via ftp (as Bojan suggested) and measure time?
If your printer queue, via DCPS works fine, why do you want to use LPR/LPD?

Antonio Vigliotti

[Andy Bustamante]

If I understand correctly, network traffic from one system to your printer works as expected. Traffic going into the Alpha and out of the Alpha at the same time creates the slow response. So, check the network interface configuration. Are you connected to a managed switch?

I prefer to have the Alpha and the switch "hard set" with the connection speed and duplex defined at both ends. HP tells me there have been improvements in auto negotiation in recent versions of OpenVMS.

Try

$ mcr lancp show dev /count

before and after your print job and check for network line counter errors.

Andy

[Willem Grooters]

First, a question:
Why use LPR/LPD since all systems can access the printer directly?

Second:
Since printing directly has no notible delay, it's obvious that copying the file to VMS is indeed be the problem. It can be cause by the network. Have you tried to copy the file to VMS using FTP? It can also be that the protocol is slow in itself copying the file; writing to disk can slow it down as well. It might do some processing in between.

Willem

[Pippo_17]

Thank you to all.

Here are some more details.

The HP4650 is connected via an ethernet card.

The time required for a file transfer (FTP)
of a big file (5MByte) between the clients (PC or MAC) and the VMS server is good.
A FTP file transfer of a 5MB file between
the client and the sys$specific:[tcpip$lpd.hp4650] directory
take few seconds.

So we can exclude any network problem.

Could be due to some process or system quota ?
or some parameter in the LPD configuration taht make LPD very slow ?

Regards,
Francesco

[Joseph Huber_1]

So the problem must be located in the VMS incoming LPD queue: did You check the LPD_IN log ?
TCPIP$LPD_ROOT:[000000]TCPIP$LPD_IN_node_n.LOG


Eventually add the system logical TCPIP$LPD_RCV with a content "15" prior to LPD startup to get more debugging.

[Pippo_17]

I have done some more tests.

If I disable the "LPR byte count" option in the windows LPR port control panel,
the transfer speed of a big file appear good, but the LPD link
is disconnected before the transfer has completed.

Here are few lines from the log file with the LPR byte count is ENABLED:

PCB for printer hp4650
LP: HP4650
RP: lp
SD: /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650
BP: HP4650
P1: data_type=postscript
PA: FALSE
ND: FALSE
CR: FALSE
SN: FALSE


(lpd$recvjob.c/972) Entering readjob
(lpd$recvjob.c/1112) Receive control file cfA016PC-FILETST (107)
(lpd$recvjob.c/1121) CF first
(lpd$recvjob.c/1469) getfilename /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650/cfA016PC-FILETST.DAT
(lpd$recvjob.c/1364) Reading file /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650/cfA016PC-FILETST.DAT off the net
(lpd$recvjob.c/1263) Receive data file dfA016PC-FILETST (75497)
(lpd$recvjob.c/1284) DF last
(lpd$recvjob.c/1469) getfilename /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650/dfA016PC-FILETST.DAT
(lpd$recvjob.c/1364) Reading file /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650/dfA016PC-FILETST.DAT off the net
(lpd$recvjob.c/1001) Link down. recv st: 0 vaxc$errno: 8428
(lpd$recvjob.c/1040) CF first, Submitting last job before exiting. CFNAME: /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650/cfA016PC-FILETST.DAT
(lpd$util.c/1451) entering qfile
(lpd$recvjob.c/1053) Normal CF first termination.
(lpd$recvjob.c/1056) Number of jobs in this session: 1
(lpd$recvjob.c/516) About to exit...

*****
and here are from the log file when the
LPR byte count is DISABLED:

PCB for printer hp4650
LP: HP4650
RP: lp
SD: /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650
BP: HP4650
P1: data_type=postscript
PA: FALSE
ND: FALSE
CR: FALSE
SN: FALSE


(lpd$recvjob.c/972) Entering readjob
(lpd$recvjob.c/1112) Receive control file cfA015PC-FILETST (107)
(lpd$recvjob.c/1121) CF first
(lpd$recvjob.c/1469) getfilename /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650/cfA015PC-FILETST.DAT
(lpd$recvjob.c/1364) Reading file /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650/cfA015PC-FILETST.DAT off the net
(lpd$recvjob.c/1263) Receive data file dfA015PC-FILETST (1530495352)
(lpd$recvjob.c/1284) DF last
(lpd$recvjob.c/1469) getfilename /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650/dfA015PC-FILETST.DAT
(lpd$recvjob.c/1364) Reading file /TCPIP$LPD_ROOT/HP4650/dfA015PC-FILETST.DAT off the net
(lpd$recvjob.c/1375) Lost connection st:8428

%%%%%%%%%%%% 15-SEP-2005 14:25:55.45 %%%%%%%%%%%%
%TCPIP-E-LPD_UNREACHABLE, lost connection to host !AS-SYSTEM-F-LINKDISCON, network partner disconnected logical link


/Francesco

[Antoniov.]

Hi Francesco,
did we meet at HP OpenVMS Technical Update Days in Milan?

Antonio