pcasey@inmet.inmet.com (01/26/91)
Hello, I need some system administration type help. I am trying to set up a laser printer connected to a 3b2 as a shared resource so another 3b2 on the network can use it. From what I have read, the Remote File Sharing Utilities (RFS) are what is needed to accomplish this. Unfortunately, the documentation is pretty vague if you aren't using STARLAN as your "transport provider", which I'm not. Our 3b2s have Wollongong TCP/IP WIN3B networking software, which I assume would be considered the machines transport provider. Where I am getting stuck is in setting up the Network Listener Service, which RFS requires to be up and running. A call to nlsadmin shows no listener service existing, and I'm not sure what to specify as the network specifier in /dev, since it isn't starlan. Also, I am not sure what to specify as the network address for my network, as the documentation is again vague outside of the STARLAN format. ( I have come across a routine in the Wollongong package called rfsaddr which converts an ip address to rfs format, is this it?). The 3b2s are networked on a standard ethernet LAN, and the Wollongong TCP/IP software is up and running correctly, if this information is any help. The 3b2s are running System V 3.1.x. If anyone can shed some light on my problem, it would be greatly appreciated. Paul Casey pcasey@inmet.inmet.com Intermetrics, Inc. Cambridge, MA
woods@eci386.uucp (Greg A. Woods) (01/31/91)
In article <30300001@inmet> pcasey@inmet.inmet.com writes: > I am trying to set up a laser printer connected to a 3b2 as > a shared resource so another 3b2 on the network can use it. > From what I have read, the Remote File Sharing Utilities (RFS) are > what is needed to accomplish this. Unfortunately, the documentation > is pretty vague if you aren't using STARLAN as your "transport > provider", which I'm not. Our 3b2s have Wollongong TCP/IP WIN3B > networking software, which I assume would be considered the machines > transport provider. If you can run UUCP over WIN3b, I'd suggest using one of the many remote_lp scripts which uux lp on the remote system. You could also use remsh if it works. RFS for this purpose is over-kill. -- Greg A. Woods woods@{eci386,gate,robohack,ontmoh,tmsoft}.UUCP ECI and UniForum Canada +1-416-443-1734 [h] +1-416-595-5425 [w] VE3TCP Toronto, Ontario CANADA Political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible-ORWELL
bill@ssbn.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy) (02/01/91)
> pcasey@inmet.inmet.com writes: [ Paul Casey is trying to print across the network... ] > woods@eci386.UUCP (Greg A. Woods) replies: > >If you can run UUCP over WIN3b, I'd suggest using one of the many >remote_lp scripts which uux lp on the remote system. You could also >use remsh if it works. RFS for this purpose is over-kill. >-- > Greg A. Woods It's not overkill if it works IMHO. I have both of my system printers on an NCR Tower and both 386en and the Tower do just fine locally or with remsh. They also worked OK with the script I sent Paul using uux, but the 3B2 (also WIN-TCP) refuses to cooperate. If I run, by hand, the same commands in my lp interface script, everything is hunky dory. If I try it through lp it claims to print but doesn't. I also have TLI uucp working just fine among everyone but the 3B2. The NLS listener is OK because (other than what I complained about yesterday) RFS works. If I try to uucico -r1 I get an immediate EMT trap and any inbound uucicos just fill the (remote) screen with imsg>'s. I'm no ethernet wizard, but the 3B2 is the least cooperative machine on the network. I'm doubtful that I have made some really bone headed mistake because most everything else seems to be working OK. I think I need some email hand holding if anyone has the time/patience. -- Bill Kennedy usenet {att,cs.utexas.edu,pyramid!daver}!ssbn.wlk.com!bill internet bill@ssbn.WLK.COM or attmail!ssbn!bill
rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil (LCDR Michael E. Dobson) (02/01/91)
In article <1991Jan31.020837.15416@eci386.uucp> woods@eci386.UUCP (Greg A. Woods) writes: >In article <30300001@inmet> pcasey@inmet.inmet.com writes: >> I am trying to set up a laser printer connected to a 3b2 as >> a shared resource so another 3b2 on the network can use it. >> From what I have read, the Remote File Sharing Utilities (RFS) are >> what is needed to accomplish this. Unfortunately, the documentation >> is pretty vague if you aren't using STARLAN as your "transport >> provider", which I'm not. Our 3b2s have Wollongong TCP/IP WIN3B >> networking software, which I assume would be considered the machines >> transport provider. > >If you can run UUCP over WIN3b, I'd suggest using one of the many >remote_lp scripts which uux lp on the remote system. You could also >use remsh if it works. RFS for this purpose is over-kill. This may be true for occaisional jobs, but for production use, RFS is better. We have several laser printers mounted on RFS for remote sharing on our WIN/TCP LAN. On top of that, they are also advertised as netbios resources so from my PC I can say "use lpt3: \\host\rmtprint1" and print from my PC to a printer on another 3B2 across campus that is mounted via RFS on my 3B2. We couldn't do this via UUCP over WIN3b. I can also print to that printer from applications on the local 3B2. Very useful for sending finished documents across campus ;-). -- Mike Dobson, Sys Admin for | Internet: rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil | UUCP: ...uunet!mimsy!nmrdc1!rdc30 AT&T 3B2/600G Sys V R 3.2.2 | BITNET: dobson@usuhsb or nrd0mxd@vmnmdsc WIN/TCP for 3B2 | MCI-Mail: 377-2719 or 0003772719@mcimail.com
woods@eci386.uucp (Greg A. Woods) (02/04/91)
In article <2003@ssbn.WLK.COM> bill@ssbn.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy) writes: > >If you can run UUCP over WIN3b, I'd suggest using one of the many > >remote_lp scripts which uux lp on the remote system. You could also > >use remsh if it works. RFS for this purpose is over-kill. > > It's not overkill if it works IMHO. I have both of my system printers Well, I suppose I should have qualified that: Implementing RFS for remote printing alone, when UUCP or remsh work, is over-kill. :-) > ethernet wizard, but the 3B2 is the least cooperative machine on the network. > I'm doubtful that I have made some really bone headed mistake because most > everything else seems to be working OK. I think I need some email hand > holding if anyone has the time/patience. Unfortunately, since we only run Starlan here, I can do no more than suggest looking for Bill Kennedy's posting to comp.unix.sysv386 titled "uucp using TLI" <1861@ssbn.WLK.COM>. If you can't find a copy, I'll e-mail you one. -- Greg A. Woods woods@{eci386,gate,robohack,ontmoh,tmsoft}.UUCP ECI and UniForum Canada +1-416-443-1734 [h] +1-416-595-5425 [w] VE3TCP Toronto, Ontario CANADA Political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible-ORWELL
les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) (02/05/91)
In article <1991Feb1.142335.19594@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil> rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil (LCDR Michael E. Dobson) writes: >In article <1991Jan31.020837.15416@eci386.uucp> woods@eci386.UUCP (Greg A. Woods) writes: >>In article <30300001@inmet> pcasey@inmet.inmet.com writes: >This may be true for occaisional jobs, but for production use, RFS is better. >We have several laser printers mounted on RFS for remote sharing on our >WIN/TCP LAN. In what way are you using RFS to access the printers? Are you writing to the remote-mounted device from a different machine or writing to a remote spool directory or something else? In what way is it better than uux'ing to the remote machine? >On top of that, they are also advertised as netbios resources so >from my PC I can say "use lpt3: \\host\rmtprint1" and print from my PC to >a printer on another 3B2 across campus that is mounted via RFS on my 3B2. We >couldn't do this via UUCP over WIN3b. Why not? You should be able to send your PC printouts to an arbitrary program or shell script (at least you can in the previous DOS SERVER release - I hope this hasn't gone away in the LM/X upgrade). In any case you could set up an lp queue on the local machine whose interface program actually executes uux to the destination machine. >I can also print to that printer from >applications on the local 3B2. Very useful for sending finished documents >across campus ;-). Again, I don't see that RFS is needed for this. I do it with uux, sometimes over a network, sometimes over dialup links. There is perhaps a bit more overhead this way but it will work even when you can't get an immediate connection to the destination machine. Les Mikesell les@chinet.il.us
rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil (LCDR Michael E. Dobson) (02/05/91)
In article <1991Feb04.165638.3212@chinet.chi.il.us> les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) writes: >In article <1991Feb1.142335.19594@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil> rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil (LCDR Michael E. Dobson) writes: >>In article <1991Jan31.020837.15416@eci386.uucp> woods@eci386.UUCP (Greg A. Woods) writes: >>>In article <30300001@inmet> pcasey@inmet.inmet.com writes: > [my original comment deleted] > >In what way are you using RFS to access the printers? Are you writing >to the remote-mounted device from a different machine or writing to >a remote spool directory or something else? In what way is it better >than uux'ing to the remote machine? We write to the spool directory on the remote machine(s) since otherwise there would be device contention problems. To the applications, the printers appear to be just like any local printer. Data throughput is much faster (but yes, mostly irrelavent with a spool) since we use Ethernet speeds. But mostly it is better because it was the easiest to implement, no special shell scripts, no uucp over TCP/IP or setting up a uucp connection, everything was done via the sysadm rfsmgmt scripts. > >>On top of that, they are also advertised as netbios resources so >>from my PC I can say "use lpt3: \\host\rmtprint1" and print from my PC to >>a printer on another 3B2 across campus that is mounted via RFS on my 3B2. We >>couldn't do this via UUCP over WIN3b. > >Why not? You should be able to send your PC printouts to an arbitrary program >or shell script (at least you can in the previous DOS SERVER release - I hope >this hasn't gone away in the LM/X upgrade). In any case you could set up >an lp queue on the local machine whose interface program actually executes >uux to the destination machine. How do you advertise a shell script or program as a netbios shared resource easily? Yes it can be done with custom scripts and hacks but why go to the effort when the RFS solution is (for me at least) much easier to implement? > >>I can also print to that printer from >>applications on the local 3B2. Very useful for sending finished documents >>across campus ;-). > >Again, I don't see that RFS is needed for this. I do it with uux, sometimes It isn't really needed, just perhaps easier to implment for us. >over a network, sometimes over dialup links. There is perhaps a bit >more overhead this way but it will work even when you can't get an >immediate connection to the destination machine. Now this is a reason to use uux versus RFS, at least with uux, if the job fails, it just stays in the queue, with RFS when the link goes down things can get rather unpleasant. Les, I'd like to carry this on further in e-mail because I am really not to clear on the how's of the uux implementation for all the above and I don't want to put out bad information to the net. THe RFS solution works very well in our environment, but I am always interested in viable alternatives. -- Mike Dobson, Sys Admin for | Internet: rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil | UUCP: ...uunet!mimsy!nmrdc1!rdc30 AT&T 3B2/600G Sys V R 3.2.2 | BITNET: dobson@usuhsb or nrd0mxd@vmnmdsc WIN/TCP for 3B2 | MCI-Mail: 377-2719 or 0003772719@mcimail.com