[comp.sys.sun] alm2 and printer problems

monty@delphi.bsd.uchicago.edu (Monty Mullig) (04/05/89)

we're having a problem with printers on our alm2 ports that is just
driving us (and the people at sun) crazy.  the preliminaries:

environment:

an alm2 on a sun 4/280S running sunOS 4.0.1.  printers being used: several
hp laserjets and an ibm 3812.

problem:

laserjets hooked up to the alm2 serial ports get error messages after one
or two pages of output (the error in hp error #22, which the hp manual
describes as a communication/xon/off error).  

remarks:

Sure looks like the tty/serial bugs from the original 4.0.  unfortunately,
we have applied the patches for 4.0.1 without any improvement.  so we're
thinking, okay, the patches don't work--try the work around (from bug
report 1011358, sun-spots v6n204): 

	cp /dev/ttyh1 /dev/null  

no luck here either; we get the same error.  we also have an hp hooked up
to the cpu port ttyb and it works beuatifully, so we know that hps can
work with suns.  also, our ibm 3812 pageprinter is hooked up to one of the
alm ports and it works fine too, although i should note that it is a
considerably faster printer than the hp laserjet.  finally, i should note
that we checked the cables (by swapping) and printers (by swapping) and
alm port (again, swapping) and the only consistent item was that none of
hps would work on any alm port with any cable.  they all work fine on ttya
with any cable.  the ibm works anywhere.  we're preparing lambs and
firewood at our altar behind the console now...

here's our printcap for those of you who are interested:

>----------------------------------------------------------<

#
#	ibm = IBM 3812 Pageprinter
#	hp1 = HP LaserJet II in S144
#	hp2 = HP LaserJet IID in S144
#	hp3 = hpp = HP LaserJet II in S138
#
0|lp|ibm|3812:lp=/dev/ttyh1:tc=s:
hp1:lp=/dev/ttyb:sd=/var/spool/lpdhp1:tc=ljs:
#hp2:lp=/dev/ttyh3:sd=/var/spool/lpdhp2:tc=ljs:
hp3|hpp:lp=/dev/mcpp0:sd=/var/spool/lpdhp3:tc=ljp:
hp4|test alm2:lp=/dev/ttyh2:sd=/var/spool/lpdhp4:tc=ljs:
#
#  EROFF printers
#  use this setting when submitting jobs to the HP via lpr
#
elj1:lp=/dev/ttyb:sd=/var/spool/lpdhp1:lf=/var/adm/lpderrs.elj1:tc=eljs:
#elj2:lp=/dev/ttyh3:sd=/var/spool/lpdhp2:lf=/var/adm/lpderrs.elj2:tc=eljs:
elj3:lp=/dev/mcpp0:sd=/var/spool/lpdhp3:lf=/var/adm/lpderrs.elj3:tc=eljp:
elj4|test alm2:lp=/dev/ttyh2:sd=/var/spool/lpdhp4:lf=/var/adm/lpderrs.elj4:tc=eljs:
#
#  generic settings
#	eljs = EROFF LaserJet serial
#	eljp = EROFF LaserJet parallel
#	ljs  = LaserJet serial
#	ljp  = LaserJet parallel
#	s    = serial
#	com  = common denominator
#
eljs:of=/usr/local/bin/eroff/eljfilter:ff=\EE\E&k2G\E(8U\E(sp10h12vsb3T:\
	:sf:tc=ljs:
eljp:of=/usr/local/bin/eroff/eljfilter:ff=\EE\E&k2G\E(8U\E(sp10h12vsb3T:\
	:sf:tc=ljp:
#
s:br#9600:ms=-parenb,-cstopb:tc=com:
ljs:tr=\EE:br#9600:ms=-parenb,-cstopb,crtscts:xs#040040:fc#074:fs#02:tc=com:
ljp:tr=\EE:tc=com:
#
com:du=1:mx#0:rs:sh:rf=/usr/local/lib/ibmcc:

>--------------------------------------------------------<

hp4 is the only hp printer hooked up to the alm ports now, and its only
there so that we can have something to screw around with while we're
working on this.

we might try to tone down the baud rate to 4800 on the hps hooked up to
the alms, but we not too optimistic.

you might want to email me direct if you have any clues on this one and
i'll post the winners.

thanks in advance,

--monty mullig
  univ of chicago
  biological sciences division
  monty@delphi.bsd.uchicago.edu