[comp.sys.mac] LaserWriter

joseph@cooper.UUCP (Joe Giannuzzi) (09/15/87)

I posted a similar article last Thursday but have no idea if it went out or
if anyone responded to it since our system was done from Thursday @ 4pm to
Monday @ 4pm due to some damn IOA errors.  (we're talking dead folks)

Anyway, I read about a week ago that it was possible to burn a password into
the LaserWriter.  How is this done?  I've combed through the docs with no
luck.  Also, once this is done, how and when do you enter the password so
that the LaserWriter can be used.

The whole idea here is that we would like to have people input a password
before they are able to print things out.  We need to do this because all
kinds of pages are being printed out by everyone who shouldn't be using it
at all.  (especially for draft copies and 50 copies of a resume!)

Is there an alternative method of doing this?  Maybe Chooser could have a
password that must be entered before the LaserWriter can be selected.

We had been remove LaserPrep from our HD so that it would ask for the
Printer Installer disk before it could print.  Unfortunately some people
caught on and made copies of this disk that they use.

Someone help, please!!!

Thanx in advance (if anyone had enough patience to read this verbosity)

Joe Gunoz	cmcl2!phri!cooper!joseph

"The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe,
 and everything is ... forty two."

zwicky@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Elizabeth Zwicky) (09/21/87)

In article <1013@cooper.UUCP> joseph@cooper.UUCP (Joe Giannuzzi) writes:
>
>Anyway, I read about a week ago that it was possible to burn a password into
>the LaserWriter.  How is this done?  I've combed through the docs with no
>luck.  Also, once this is done, how and when do you enter the password so
>that the LaserWriter can be used.
>
>Joe Gunoz	cmcl2!phri!cooper!joseph
>
>"The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe,
> and everything is ... forty two."

There is already a password in your LaserWriter; it's 0.
It is mentioned in the documentation, in the LaserWriter
appendix to the PostScript docs. It is a persistent parameter
in the EEROM. To change it, you can download a PostScript
program that looks something like this:
serverdict begin 0 exitserver
0 NEWPASSWORDHERE setpassword

where NEWPASSWORDHERE is replaced by the new password.

WARNING!!!!: in order to start the printer, the printer driver
must know the printer password. IF YOU DO THIS, NOBODY WILL BE
ABLE TO PRINT UNTIL YOU CHANGE THE PRINTER DRIVERS. (You will also
not be able to change the password unless you know it) Therefore,
changing the password is not a good ides unless you know how
to change the software - which I don't. Even so, everybody after
the first user will be able to print - the password is only necessary
to install the quickdraw compatibility stuff. All in all, changing
the passowrd is not a bright idea.

A hint: If you do this (or some clever soul does it to you), and you
don't know what the password is to fix it, remove the EEROM, and you
will be able to print again. Of course, if you don't send it back to
Adobe to be reprogrammed, you'll never be able to change any of its
parameters from their defaults. This can be a real annoyance if, like
us, you want new values of all sorts of things. (The printer name is
in the EEROM, for instance)

	Elizabeth Zwicky