ted@mbunix.mitre.org (Ede) (07/06/90)
In article <1981@aurora.cs.athabascau.ca> lyndon@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Lyndon Nerenberg) writes: >amanda@mermaid.intercon.com (Amanda Walker) writes: > >>Now, what I think >>would be ideal for higher-end stuff like Linos or Varitypers would be >>to use TCP/IP over Ethernet. > >A great transport, but it still doesn't address the problem of what >protocol to run over it. Since I don't want Joe_Randomn_User dumping >jobs to the Linotron, you're going to need something that implements >reasonable amounts of security. Hooks for job accounting would also >be looked upon with favour. Ahem, do you have an appletalk network anywhere? Let's talk about little security and no accounting. We have a corporate appletalk with 110 zones, thousands of macs, and three linos. Spurious jobs to the linos really haven't been a problem. >If you invent a new protocol, no existing systems will speak it. Therefore >you are pretty well stuck distributing source for the printer driver. Given >wide variety of OSs you'll have to support, the code will have to be pretty >damned generic. Well, just to put in a plug for QMS, they do support printing via TCP/IP over Ethernet with their Imagen product line. The protocol is fairly straightforward, and is documented. I never bothered to code up a print symbiont/daemon for it. You can get one for cheap from QMS for Un*x, cheap for VMS from Northlake software (providing you already have IP for VMS [it supports CMU's PD product]), or free from Columbia for VM and I think MVS. Combined with remote lpr/lpd capabilities, it's pretty tough not to get to one of these printers if you really want to. And yes, they support accounting. No alliance here to QMS, just a relatively happy customer. |Ted Ede -- ted@mbunix.mitre.org -- The MITRE Corporation -- Burlington Road| | linus!mbunix!ted -- Bedford MA, 01730 -- Mail Stop B090 -- (617) 271-7465 | | - this line intentionally left blank - | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
hascall@cs.iastate.edu (John Hascall) (07/10/90)
ted@mbunix.mitre.org (Ede) writes: }lyndon@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Lyndon Nerenberg) writes: }>amanda@mermaid.intercon.com (Amanda Walker) writes: }> }>>Now, what I think }>>would be ideal for higher-end stuff like Linos or Varitypers would be }>>to use TCP/IP over Ethernet. }Well, just to put in a plug for QMS, they do support printing via }TCP/IP over Ethernet with their Imagen product line. Well, how about a plug for DEC? They also make a couple of Ethernet (TCP/IP &| DECnet) printers--the LPS20 which we have (it's great!) and the LPS40. Are there any others? John Hascall ISU Comp Center, Ames IA
prc@erbe.se (Robert Claeson) (07/10/90)
In article <2187@dino.cs.iastate.edu>, hascall@cs.iastate.edu (John Hascall) writes: > Well, how about a plug for DEC? They also make a couple of Ethernet > (TCP/IP &| DECnet) printers--the LPS20 which we have (it's great!) and > the LPS40. > > Are there any others? Kodak has one or two, I believe. -- Robert Claeson |Reasonable mailers: rclaeson@erbe.se ERBE DATA AB | Dumb mailers: rclaeson%erbe.se@sunet.se | Perverse mailers: rclaeson%erbe.se@encore.com These opinions reflect my personal views and not those of my employer (ask him).
jos@ele.tue.nl (Jos van Eijndhoven) (07/10/90)
The QMS solution of hooking their printers on ethernet has been mentioned here by several before. However I recently looked into this option for our group, and decided that they did NOT really solve our connection problem. An important motivation for us to use direct ethernet connection in stead of the normal serial line was the high possible datarate to the printer, in particular for bitmap transmissions. In this respect the QMS ethernet option just cheets you. You will obtain some (closed) PC-box which hooks up to the ethernet, and then connects with a normal (serial) line to the printer. This will therefor not result in any speed improvements. === just to clarify some things === jos@es.ele.tue.nl
mark@imagen.UUCP (Mark Peek) (07/11/90)
In article <521@al.ele.tue.nl>, jos@ele.tue.nl (Jos van Eijndhoven) writes: > The QMS solution of hooking their printers on ethernet has been mentioned > here by several before. > However I recently looked into this option for our group, > and decided that they did NOT really solve our connection problem. > > An important motivation for us to use direct ethernet connection > in stead of the normal serial line was the high possible datarate > to the printer, in particular for bitmap transmissions. > > In this respect the QMS ethernet option just cheets you. > You will obtain some (closed) PC-box which hooks up to the > ethernet, and then connects with a normal (serial) line to the printer. > This will therefor not result in any speed improvements. > > === just to clarify some things === Just to *really* clarify things: There are two ethernet (TCP/IP) products available from QMS. The one you mentioned above is called "PrintLink" it is really just a PC that will accept FTP'ed files and print them out to a connected serial/parallel printer. This does have speed limitations. The other product is the ImageServer line (from Imagen) which accepts a direct TCP connection and the printer is connected via a high speed video cable. For your uses, the ImageServer will do the job. For customers with an existing printer who wants TCP connectivity, PrintLink will work just fine. Mark ---- Name: Mark Peek Mail: Imagen Corp. 2650 San Tomas Expressway, P.O. Box 58101 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8101 AT&T: (408) 986-9400 UUCP: mark@imagen.com or ...{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!imagen!mark
ted@mbunix.mitre.org (Ede) (07/11/90)
In article <521@al.ele.tue.nl> jos@es.ele.tue.nl writes: >The QMS solution of hooking their printers on ethernet has been mentioned >here by several before. They have multiple solutions, just call a QMS salesperson. They'll be happy to tell you all about them :-). >In this respect the QMS ethernet option just cheets you. >You will obtain some (closed) PC-box which hooks up to the >ethernet, and then connects with a normal (serial) line to the printer. >This will therefor not result in any speed improvements. >=== just to clarify some things === yeah, right. I referred to QMS's *Imagen* line, which has a ethernet controller on the same bus a the printer controller/interpreter. So there's no async bottleneck in the path. I wouldn't call the QMS printcontroller a "cheat". It just doesn't do *exactly* what you want it to do. It does appear to have some worthwhile features though. (I don't have one.) BTW, We do have a PrintServer 40. And when the Ricoh engine is working, the printer really runs well. Personally, I prefer the Cannon engines. |Ted Ede -- ted@mbunix.mitre.org -- The MITRE Corporation -- Burlington Road| | linus!mbunix!ted -- Bedford MA, 01730 -- Mail Stop B090 -- (617) 271-7465 | | - this line intentionally left blank - | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
capslock@wet.UUCP (Allen Crider) (07/12/90)
In article <521@al.ele.tue.nl> jos@es.ele.tue.nl writes: >In this respect the QMS ethernet option just cheets you. >You will obtain some (closed) PC-box which hooks up to the >ethernet, and then connects with a normal (serial) line to the printer. >This will therefor not result in any speed improvements. > The ethernet option for Linotype's interpreters also has a 'problem'. They merely feed the data from ethernet to the RIPs parallel port. I would only consider buying this option for the convenience--not the speed.