[comp.protocols.tcp-ip] TCP-IP Print Spooler

munjal@hpccc.HP.COM (Deepak Munjal) (06/05/90)

Does anyone know of a box that will take TCP/IP based Unix spooled 
printer output and convert it something an RS-232 printer can understand?

This is basically a network printer, but all the products I've seen in 
this area are on the Novell architecture.

Any info would be appreciated.

Deepak

BILLW@MATHOM.CISCO.COM (William "Chops" Westfield) (06/06/90)

Any number of tcp terminal servers can be configured in various ways
to allow rs232 printers to talk to unix spooling systems.  The three
common ways are:

	1)  hack lpd to know about tcp connections.

	2) hack the printcap files so that the appropriate filters
	   do the actual data transmission instead of lpd.  This is
	   probably the easiest.

	3) various utilities will create a /dev/foo type device which opens
	   a tcp connection to an appropriate destination when accessed.


Bill Westfield
cisco Systems.
-------

chad@anasaz.UUCP (Chad R. Larson) (06/08/90)

In article <7290002@hpccc.HP.COM> munjal@hpccc.HP.COM (Deepak Munjal) writes:
+---------------
| Does anyone know of a box that will take TCP/IP based Unix spooled 
| printer output and convert it something an RS-232 printer can understand?
+---------------
    Microtest
    3519 East Shea Boulevard
    Suite 134
    Phoenix, Az 85028
    (800) 526-9675

They have a product called LANPORT which does exactly what you want,
but for a Novel network.  Call 'em anyway.  If enough people express
interest, they may make it.  They're a small company and after all,
"it's only software".  New ROMs should do it.
	-crl
-- 
Chad R. Larson          ...{mcdphx,asuvax}!anasaz!chad or chad@anasaz.UUCP
Anasazi, Inc. - 7500 North Dreamy Draw Drive, Suite 120, Phoenix, Az 85020
(602) 870-3330            "I read the news today, oh boy!"  -- John Lennon

jim@syteke.be (Jim Sanchez) (06/08/90)

There is a product called lanpr from an outfit called nexus in Sweden
that sends print jobs to an ip address and port number.  The idea is
that a printer can be connected to a terminal server port.  The newest
version also works with printers attaced to pcs and also lets pcs use
the unix system printers.  Sounds like a good product but I only
played around with the earlier version.  They company is on the net at
lanpr@nexus.se so you can "ring them up" if you like.

I have NO relationship with them except as a one-time user.
Good luck
-- 
Jim Sanchez          | jim@syteke.be (PREFERRED)
                     | OR {sun,hplabs}!sytek!syteke!jim
Hughes LAN Systems   | OR uunet!mcsun!ub4b!syteke!jim 
Brussels  
-- 
Jim Sanchez          | jim@syteke.be (PREFERRED)
                     | OR {sun,hplabs}!sytek!syteke!jim
Hughes LAN Systems   | OR uunet!mcsun!ub4b!syteke!jim 
Brussels  

hagan@DCCS.UPENN.EDU (John Dotts Hagan) (06/13/90)

Does anyone have a version of Transcript that uses IP/TCP to open a connection
to a postscript device and then do the print thing?

The problem with most of the other mentioned methods is that they are one way
connections - that is, the connection is opened and data is dumped from the
host to the printer.  Some (maybe all) of them can deal with flow control by
not acking TCP frames, or such, but all the methods seem to not be able to read
data from the printer.

Postscript printers like to talk back (error messages, other stuff?) that lets
you know what is going on.

Anyone changed all the open's in the transcript package to be network
connections?

--Kid.