agq@itd1.dsto.oz (Ashley Quick) (02/27/91)
We have a few new 400t's here, - the ones with the build in parallel port. How does it work? I have connected a normal Centronics printer from a PC, with the same cable used from the PC. IT DOES NOT WORK. It seems like the 400 wants the handshake lines inverted - cos the printer prints one single char whenever you hit the online / offline button on the printer. I have read the stuff in the SR10.3 release notes and created the configuration file. The release notes say nice things like "make sure the config file is set up to suit the printer you have." Pity they dont tell us HOW TO SET IT UP. They give an example - so I used this and have spent nearly a whole day trying different combinations of things (I dumped the type manager to find the various options). So far, all I have found is that the type manager is VERY BUGGY, and does not seem to work. Crazy thing is, some other people have a DATAPRODUCTS laser printer hooked up with the config file containing utter rubbish - and theirs works fine. I beleive that DataProducts use a Parallel interface with most of the control signals the inverse of Centronics. Is the 400t only capable of driving the DataProducts mode????? FLAME ON>>>>>>>> Furthermore, the type manager EXPLICITLY reads the config file from "/sys/node_data/etc/pio1.conf" - this means that on a 400t running diskless, the config file is stored in the partners node_data directory, rather than the diskless nodes. If the file was `node_data/etc/pio1.conf there would be no problem. I KNOW that the release notes say the path is /sys/node_data/...... so this might not be considered a bug. IT IS A BUG. PLEASE, Mr HP, FIX THIS!!!!! FLAME OFF>>>>>>>>> Any help with documentation about the use of this port would be greatly appreciated. Regards, and thanks in advance.... Ashleigh Quick Ashleigh Quick | ACSnet: AGQ@dstos3.dsto.oz Defence Science and Technology Organisation| Internet: AGQ@dstos3.dsto.oz.au PO Box 1600 | Phone: (Intl) (+61 8) 259 6975 Salisbury 5108 AUSTRALIA | (Local) (08) 259 6975
mandler@apollo.HP.COM (John Mandler) (02/28/91)
< agq@itd1.dsto.oz (Ashley Quick) writes > >> We have a few new 400t's here, - the ones with the build in >> parallel port. >> >> How does it work? The parallel port is a *standard* centronics port with bi-directional capabilities. The output data lines are active high; strobe and acknowledge are active low; busy, paper empty, and online are active high and fault is active low. The output protocol operates as follows : ws (workstation) places data on lines, lowers strobe, and waits for busy high from external device. ws then rasies strobe, and waits for busy == false and acknowledge pulse before begining next cycle. Since not every device drives every status line, you must use the configuration file, pio1.conf, to tell the kernel which status lines are active and how to handle events on them. Best bet to hook up a new printer is to set all the status lines to ignore, then cat a file to the /dev/pio1. Once that works, you must read the printer manual to determine which status lines are active, and set them to either wait or fatal. There are 2 handshake modes in the standard software, BNACK or BONLY. Since sr10.3 we have discovered some printers do not raise busy in response to the leading edge of strobe. A patch will be available next month to support these devices. My guess is this is the solution to your problem. >> >> Crazy thing is, some other people have a DATAPRODUCTS laser printer >> hooked up with the config file containing utter rubbish - and theirs >> works fine. >> >> I beleive that DataProducts use a Parallel interface with most of the >> control signals the inverse of Centronics. Is the 400t only capable >> of driving the DataProducts mode????? I think you are confused. The Dataproducts printer that connects to dsp80's and dn4/6xx machines uses an inverted dataproducts interface. This is nothing like the centronics interface, and will never work. I suspect the laser printer you refer to works because the pio driver is using the default status and handshake settings which match this particular printer. >> Furthermore, the type manager EXPLICITLY reads the config >> file from "/sys/node_data/etc/pio1.conf" - this means that on >> a 400t running diskless, the config file is stored in the >> partners node_data directory, rather than the diskless nodes. >> >> If the file was `node_data/etc/pio1.conf there would be no >> problem. Good point. This will be fixed in sr10.4 . John Mandler mandler@apollo.hp.com Hewlett-Packard Company Chelmsford, MA ----------------------------------------------