runyan@edsews.eds.com (David Runyan) (03/30/89)
(This may be the second posting of this question. If so, please excuse
our posting problems.)
Several weeks ago, Brent Chapman posted a reply in comp.sys.sun to a laser
printer question which pointed to the LaserWriter II Owner's Guide for
instructions on how to increase the printer's baud rate to 38.4K. We
followed the owner's guide, and sure enough, our LaserWriter was changed
to accept 38.4K.
There was one major problem with changing the printer speed. We could not
get our Sun 3/50 (OS 3.5) print server to communicate with a 38.4K printer
(rats!). We tried tweeking /etc/gettytab and ttys to reference the new
speed, but nothing seem to work.
Please help me with these questions:
Is it possible to drive a PostScript printer from a Sun 3/50 3.5 at speeds
greater than 9600 baud? If so, can anyone explain, or point me to some
documentation which describes, the setup required to drive a printer at
38.4 (or even 19.2)?
Email your response please.
thanks
--
David Runyan
EDS - Technical Systems Development
runyan@eds.com
UUCP: {uunet|sun|sharkey}!edsews!runyanchuck@trantor.harris-atd.com (Chuck Musciano) (04/07/89)
> Is it possible to drive a PostScript printer from a Sun 3/50 3.5 at speeds > greater than 9600 baud? If so, can anyone explain, or point me to some > documentation which describes, the setup required to drive a printer at > 38.4 (or even 19.2)? No need to mess with the gettytab or ttys. Just set the "br" parameter in the printcap entry to the desired baud rate. We run our LaserWriter at 19.2 KBaud. We never could get reliable operation at 38.4. Chuck Musciano ARPA : chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com Harris Corporation Usenet: ...!uunet!x102a!trantor!chuck PO Box 37, MS 3A/1912 AT&T : (407) 727-6131 Melbourne, FL 32902 FAX : (407) 727-{5118,5227,4004}
miker@central.sun.com (Mike Raffety) (04/21/89)
We run several of our LaserWriters at 19,200 baud; if you've succeeded with changing the printer itself to a higher baud rate, all you need to do is set the "br" parameter in your printcap to indicate the different speed (e.g., "...:br#19200:..."). You do NOT need to do anything with /etc/ttys or /etc/gettytab, except to make sure that that port is DISABLED (i.e., no getty running on it); they are ignored by the printing subsystem. Sun-3s support speeds up to 38,400 baud; even if Sun won't say so, they wrote the software (stty, lpd, getty, etc.) to allow it.
richard%aiai.edinburgh.ac.uk@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) (04/22/89)
> There was one major problem with changing the printer speed. We could not > get our Sun 3/50 (OS 3.5) print server to communicate with a 38.4K printer > (rats!). We tried tweeking /etc/gettytab and ttys to reference the new > speed, but nothing seem to work. I just tried this for our new laser printer. The way it's supposed to work is that you change the "br" entry in /etc/printcap to 38400, and restart the daemon (actually I think it should happen for the next job anyway). Well, it didn't work. Stty revealed that the speed was still 9600. Speeds of 1200 and 19200 worked however. An ugly suspicion crossed my mind... Yes, the baud rate variable is declared as a short. (Actually, it would probably not matter if it didn't explicitly check for the variable being greater than zero.) I don't have Sun sources (I was looking at 4.2 sources on a Vax - it still appears to be a short in 4.3), so rather than hope that the Vax sources would work I patched the binary. The table looks like this: struct bauds { int baud; int speed; } bauds[] = { 50, B50, ... 19200, EXTA, 38400, EXTB, 0, 0 }; Since the binary is stripped (boo! hiss!) you'll need a good text editor. EXTB is defined to be 15, so look for the string \0 \0 \226 \0 \0 \0 \0 \017. I changed it to \0 \0 \0 \046 \0 \0 \0 \0 \017, so that setting a baud rate of 38 in /etc/printcap will do the trick. BTW, this speeded up printing a 256x256 bitmap from 2:41 to 1:48. -- Richard
rclaeson%ERBE.SE@uunet.UU.NET (Robert Claeson) (04/25/89)
chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com (Chuck Musciano) writes: > We run our LaserWriter at 19.2 KBaud. We never could get reliable > operation at 38.4. This is probably more due to something in the Sun than in the laserwriter. We run all our printers at 38.4 Kbps off an Annex terminal server and have never had any problems with that. -- Robert Claeson, ERBE DATA AB, P.O. Box 77, S-175 22 Jarfalla, Sweden Tel: +46 (0)758-202 50 Fax: +46 (0)758-197 20 EUnet: rclaeson@ERBE.SE uucp: {uunet,enea}!erbe.se!rclaeson ARPAnet: rclaeson%ERBE.SE@uunet.UU.NET BITNET: rclaeson@ERBE.SE
guy@uunet.uu.net (Guy Harris) (05/05/89)
>Sun-3s support speeds up to 38,400 baud; even if Sun won't say so, The SunOS 4.0 documentation does indicate that 38.4KB is supported on the CPU serial ports and on ALM-2 ports (no ALM-1/Systech/MTI ports, the serial port chip there doesn't support 38.4). This means "the hardware can be run up to that speed"; you can probably find circumstances that choke it when running 38.4KB input (as with lots of other boxes), and I don't know if it'll run full-tilt 38.4KB on output. >they wrote the software (stty, lpd, getty, etc.) to allow it. The folks at Berkeley wrote "lpd" and "getty" (well, actually, "getty" was, I think, in part done at Melbourne); Sun made some additions (like making "lpd" use "statfs" instead of groveling over the superblock to find out how full a file system is - the latter doesn't work very well over NFS [[ So *that's* what they changed to make it work! --wnl ]]). "stty" is basically Berkeley+AT&T work, with some amount of Sun work added in (more in 4.0). [[ Regarding lpd: note that if you take the 4.3BSD source for lpd and friends, recompile it and install it on a Sun running 4.0.x, you can not make a Sun client be the server for a print queue. Why? Because everything is NFS, and lpd wants to muck around in the superblock to (I believe) find out how much space is left on the device. How did I discover this? The hard way. --wnl ]]
dove@uunet.uu.net (Webster Dove) (05/08/89)
We run our printer at 38400 off ttyb without problems using xon-xoff. To do this I had to edit the transcript package psint.sh cmd file to do stty 38400, since lpd under 3.5 cannot do this.
drl@kodak.com (Daniel R Lance) (05/10/89)
In article <1492@auspex.auspex.com> auspex!guy@uunet.uu.net (Guy Harris) writes: > >The SunOS 4.0 documentation does indicate that 38.4KB is supported on the >CPU serial ports and on ALM-2 ports (no ALM-1/Systech/MTI ports, the >serial port chip there doesn't support 38.4). This means "the hardware >can be run up to that speed"; you can probably find circumstances that >choke it when running 38.4KB input (as with lots of other boxes), and I >don't know if it'll run full-tilt 38.4KB on output. I have had my LaserWriterIINTX running reliably on /dev/ttya of a 3/260, OS 4.0.1, at 38,400 baud for the last week. It's easy to do: 1) Stop the line printer queue. 2) Send the following PostScript code to the printer. (using cat or kermit). This is documented in the LaserWriter IINTX manual from Apple. --cut here-- statusdict begin 25 sccbatch exch pop 0 eq {stop} if serverdict begin 0 exitserver statusdict begin 25 38400 64 setsccbatch --cut here-- 3) Change the entry in /etc/termcap to read :br#38400: 4) Kill -HUP the lpd process. 5) Restart the line printer queue. I timed some large jobs and saw an effective throughput of about 16,000 baud when printing 1K x 1K black and white rasterfiles; the printer's PostScript interpreter is not be able to handle data at 38,400 baud in all cases. However, I have noted that normal text-based printing jobs run significantly faster at 38400 baud than at 9600 baud. At the higher baud rate the speed of the print engine is more likely to limit overall printing speed. If you can't use 38,400 baud due to cabling cosiderations, you can use the above procedure to change your LaserWriter's speed to 19,200 baud, which will still afford a significant performance improvement. I haven't tried this with other printers, so I can't vouch that it works with older LaserWriters or other PostScript printers. However, a little poking around in your printer's manual should point you in the right direction. --drl Daniel R. Lance / Federal Systems Division, Eastman Kodak Company drl@kodak.com / ..!rochester!kodak!lance
henkel%nepjt@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Chuck Henkel) (05/17/89)
In article <1875@kodak.UUCP> drl@kodak.com (Daniel R Lance) writes: >X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 7, Issue 280, message 4 of 18 > >I have had my LaserWriterIINTX running reliably on /dev/ttya of a 3/260, >OS 4.0.1, at 38,400 baud for the last week. It's easy to do: > > [...deleted...] > >2) Send the following PostScript code to the printer. (using cat or >kermit). This is documented in the LaserWriter IINTX manual from Apple. > >--cut here-- >statusdict begin 25 sccbatch exch pop >0 eq {stop} if >serverdict begin 0 exitserver >statusdict begin 25 38400 64 setsccbatch ^^ Be careful here. Here's another version of this same program: statusdict begin 25 sccbatch exch pop OPTIONS eq {stop} if serverdict begin 0 exitserver statusdict begin 25 BAUD OPTIONS setsccbatch where OPTIONS and BAUD are replaced with the desired values (see manual). Note that if the OPTIONS parameter is not different from the current value stored in the printer, this program exits without setting the baud rate! This bit me. Here's the program for determining the current value of OPTIONS, (it's straight out of the manual) /Helvetica findfont 14 scalefont setfont 30 500 moveto (Options: ) show statusdict begin 25 sccbatch 10 string cvs show pop showpage By the way, what happens if you set the printer to 38400 baud, and then find that your Sun can't talk to it? How do you reset the printer to the old baud rate? Sounds like something that could catch someone. (Me, I also have a mac hooked up to the printer through the other port, so I can change it that way.) Also, I didn't even try to use 38400 baud because some guy had posted saying there was a bug in lpr that prevented its use. (Something about using a short to store the baud rate, and 38400 won't fit in a short.) I did get it to work at 19200 though. | Chuck Henkel | Support nuclear power: Each year | | N.C. State University | the combustion of fossil fuels | | Department of Nuclear Engineering | dumps 5 billion tons of greenhouse | | henkel%nepjt@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu | gases into our atmosphere. |
rfinch@caldwr.UUCP (Ralph Finch) (05/17/89)
In article <1875@kodak.UUCP>, drl@kodak.com (Daniel R Lance) writes: . . . > I have had my LaserWriterIINTX running reliably on /dev/ttya of a 3/260, > OS 4.0.1, at 38,400 baud for the last week. It's easy to do: I called Daniel on the phone and clarified some points: > 1) Stop the line printer queue. I.E. type: lpc disable lw stop lw quit <substitute your printer name for lw above> > 2) Send the following PostScript code to the printer. (using cat or > kermit). This is documented in the LaserWriter IINTX manual from Apple. . . . Sort of documented. I used the following csh script file: ____cut here____ # # set the Laserwriter IINTX baud rate cat << EOF | lpr %! serverdict begin 0 exitserver statusdict begin 25 38400 64 setsccbatch EOF ____cut here____ Cut the above to a file by the name of, say, set_rate. Then type: chmod +x set_rate set_rate > 3) Change the entry in /etc/termcap to read :br#38400: /etc/printcap > 4) Kill -HUP the lpd process. Sometimes this was necessary, sometimes step 5) alone did the trick. > 5) Restart the line printer queue. I.E. type: lpc restart lw enable lw quit If you used the kill -HUP <lpd process #> in step 4), to restart type: /usr/lib/lpd Here is a file to check your current settings (Postscript material taken from the Apple LaserWriter IINTX guide, p. 123-124). ____cut here____ # # get the current settings (status) of the LaserWriterIINTX. cat << EOF | lpr %! /Helvetica findfont 14 scalefont setfont /cr{show 182 currentpoint 20 sub exch pop moveto}def /tb{show 300 currentpoint exch pop moveto}def /Which{5 -1 roll 4 exch sub -1 roll cr 3{pop}repeat}def statusdict begin 25 sccbatch end 182 650 moveto exch (Baud :)tb 10 string cvs cr (Parity:)tb dup 30 bitshift -30 bitshift (none-space) (odd) (even) (none-mark) Which (Handshake:)tb dup 27 bitshift -29 bitshift (XON/XOFF) (DSR/DTR) (ETX/ACK) (bad value) Which (Data bits:)tb dup 25 bitshift -30 bitshift (standard)(7)(8)(bad value) Which (Stop bits:)tb -7 bitshift 0 eq{(1)}{(2)}ifelse show showpage EOF ____cut here____ Treat this in a similar fashion as the set_rate program above. Ralph Finch ...ucbvax!ucdavis!caldwr!rfinch
Svante.Lindahl@front.se (Svante Lindahl) (05/18/89)
In Sun-Spots v7n290 henkel%nepjt@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Chuck Henkel) writes: > By the way, what happens if you set the printer to 38400 baud, and then > find that your Sun can't talk to it? How do you reset the printer to the > old baud rate? You write a small program that opens the line to the LW, sets the speed to 38400, and sends some PostScript code to the printer to set the speed back to 19200 (or 9600 or whatever). If anyone needs it, I have such a program. Svante.Lindahl@front.se (!-net: ...!uunet!front.se!svante) (non-mx: Svante.Lindahl%front.se@uunet.uu.net)
dav@hplabs.hp.com (David L. Markowitz) (05/20/89)
In article <2968@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>, henkel%nepjt@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Chuck Henkel) writes: > By the way, what happens if you set the printer to 38400 baud, and then > find that your Sun can't talk to it? How do you reset the printer to the > old baud rate? Sounds like something that could catch someone. (Me, I also > have a mac hooked up to the printer through the other port, so I can > change it that way.) I had this problem, but careful perusal of the manual showed that the printer can be reset to 9600 by toggling a switch off, wait a few seconds, toggling it on again, and cycling power. > Also, I didn't even try to use 38400 baud because some guy had posted > saying there was a bug in lpr that prevented its use. (Something about > using a short to store the baud rate, and 38400 won't fit in a short.) I > did get it to work at 19200 though. 38400 will work under 4.0.1 (get the serial patch tape), but not 3.X. 19200 is the maximum speed that lpd understands in 3.X. They fixed lpd in 4.0, but unfortunately they forgot to fix "tip" (Hello? Sun? Hello?). It still maxes out at 19200. I have one system running 4.0.1 that has an NTXII, so I tried to set it up at 38400. After ten minutes of lpd using 9600 anyway, I was about to pull out some hair when I remembered that this system supported Interleaf TPS 3.X, and they had required replacing the 4.0 lpd with the 3.X one to work around a bug. (*sigh*) It does work at 19200, though. David L. Markowitz Rockwell International ...!sun!sunkist!arcturus!dav dav@arcturus.UUCP The above opinions are merely that, and only mine.
bruce@diamond (Bruce D. Wright) (05/24/89)
In Sun-Spots v7n290 henkel%nepjt@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Chuck Henkel) writes: > By the way, what happens if you set the printer to 38400 baud, and then > find that your Sun can't talk to it? How do you reset the printer to the > old baud rate? Our LaserWriter manual says on p. 123: You can override the PostScript-specified data transfer rate and, on the LaserWriter IINTX, the handshake setting, by resetting the LaserWriter II switches that normally govern those settings. This returns control over those printer settings to the switches, unless you reset them again by sending a PostScript program. To reset a switch, move it to the opposite position, wait 30 seconds, and then return it to the desired postion. The manual has all kinds of little tricks and programs for managing the printer. It is worthwhile to take a hour and carefully read through all the non-Mac and PC stuff. Bruce Wright Agricultural Engineering Texas A&M University bruce@diamond.tamu.edu
davecb@nexus.yorku.ca (David Collier-Brown) (06/06/89)
In article <3397@kalliope.rice.edu> felix!arcturus!dav@hplabs.hp.com (David L. Markowitz) writes: | X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 8, Issue 2, message 1 of 9 | 38400 will work under 4.0.1 (get the serial patch tape), but not 3.X. | 19200 is the maximum speed that lpd understands in 3.X. They fixed lpd in | 4.0, but unfortunately they forgot to fix "tip" (Hello? Sun? Hello?). | It still maxes out at 19200. | | I have one system running 4.0.1 that has an NTXII, so I tried to set it up | at 38400. After ten minutes of lpd using 9600 anyway, I was about to pull | out some hair when I remembered that this system supported Interleaf TPS | 3.X, and they had required replacing the 4.0 lpd with the 3.X one to work | around a bug. (*sigh*) It does work at 19200, though. Now that's **odd**. I used to work for Interleaf Canada, and did find that LaserWriter IInx's could be connected at 38400 under 3.4 (and 3.5) using either the 3.4 (bug-free) or 3.5 (spurious-out-of-space-on "lpr -s") lpd's. Mind you, I won't INSTALL one at anything but 9600, but that's because the sites are "turnkey", and tend to wedge their LaserWriters real good if you leave them at anything but the default speed. dave David Collier-Brown, | davecb@yunexus, ...!yunexus!davecb or 72 Abitibi Ave., | {toronto area...}lethe!dave Willowdale, Ontario, | Joyce C-B: CANADA. 223-8968 | He's so smart he's dumb.