mike@ut-emx.UUCP (Mike O'Donnell) (04/08/89)
We have a HP LaserJet II printer connected to a 386 running Microport SYS V 386 and DOS Merge. I am having difficulties getting this printer set up using lpset to turn the transparency mode on. I have verified that the printer is connected to /dev/lp1 and have set up a printer for spooling to without any problems. However when I use the lpset it messes up the lp output device. Even if you cat filename > /dev/lp1 , a 'can't create device' error message is displayed. What I eventually want to be able to do is let unix spool dos output files that use eight bit data. Any ideas? If you need more specific information please let me know. Oh, also, the printer is connected via the parallel port. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mike O'Donnell
plocher%sally@Sun.COM (John Plocher) (04/08/89)
In article <11828@ut-emx.UUCP> mike@ut-emx.UUCP (Mike O'Donnell) writes: >We have a HP LaserJet II printer connected to a 386 running >Microport SYS V 386 and DOS Merge. I am having difficulties >... cat filename > /dev/lp1 , a 'can't create device' error message... > >Thanks, Mike O'Donnell Try the following, in order to find out which port is used by the printer: (The ^L is formed by holding down the CONTROL key and pressing "L". It will NOT show up on the screen, though, so don't hold down the "L" key! Each ^L tells the printer to print another page ...) echo hello ^L > /dev/rlp0 echo hello ^L > /dev/rlp1 echo hello ^L > /dev/rlp2 and see which one works. Then do ln /dev/rlpX /dev/lp # where X is one of 0 1 2 (above) which worked. ________________ __________________ ___________________ If you don't have the /dev/rlp? device nodes you can create them yourself. Type in the command: ls -l /dev/lp0 which displays something like: crw-rw-rw- 1 root 7, 0 Apr 3 09:16 /dev/lp0 ^^^ where the "7" is the major number of the lp driver. If you get a different number then just substitute it for the "7"s I will use. Type the following commands: mknod /dev/rlp0 c 7 128 mknod /dev/rlp1 c 7 129 mknod /dev/rlp2 c 7 130 Thats all. The rlp device acts like the lp device with transparent mode always OFF. -John Plocher
bill@bilver.UUCP (bill vermillion) (04/09/89)
In article <11828@ut-emx.UUCP> mike@ut-emx.UUCP (Mike O'Donnell) writes: >We have a HP LaserJet II printer connected to a 386 running >Microport SYS V 386 and DOS Merge. I am having difficulties >getting this printer set up using lpset to turn the transparency >mode on. I have verified that the printer is connected to >/dev/lp1 and have set up a printer for spooling to without any >problems. However when I use the lpset it messes up the lp >output device. Even if you cat filename > /dev/lp1 , a 'can't >create device' error message is displayed. What I eventually >want to be able to do is let unix spool dos output files that >use eight bit data. Any ideas? If you need more specific information >please let me know. Oh, also, the printer is connected via the >parallel port. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Mike - if you figure it out let us all know! Seriously though. I have a client site with a IBM 80 386. Running an HP Laserjet Plus off the parallel port. It would sometimes go 'catatonic'. Output would change from continuous to 45 seconds to 2 minutes between each page. Reboots would cure it. I also got 'cant create ...' when trying to cat filename >/dev/lp0. And it was intermittent. Sometimes it would work fine and then seem to go bonkers at random. I finally used a converter and put it on a serial port and it flies - full speed - no problems. That was with SCO's 2.2.3. Earlier this week installing 2.3.1 on an AST I was doing multiple printouts. All of a sudden one file starting printing a line at a time, with about a second pause in-between each line. WHen the next file printed it cleared up. This was with an Okidata 320 connected. I have seen a report on the net with parallel printer problems on a 386 running Interactive. And now with yours on Uport I am beginning to think thee may be genetic damage to the 386 parallel port drivers. After all they did have the same parent. Anyone have any comments or thoughts. Why does the parallel on a 386 just slow down for no apparent reason? bill -- Bill Vermillion - UUCP: {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd}!peora!rtmvax!bilver!bill : bill@bilver.UUCP
zeeff@b-tech.ann-arbor.mi.us (Jon Zeeff) (04/11/89)
>I have seen a report on the net with parallel printer problems on a 386 >running Interactive. And now with yours on Uport I am beginning to think thee >may be genetic damage to the 386 parallel port drivers. After all they did >have the same parent. The uport parallel driver will hang up permanently if you ever try to print while the printer is off line or off. ddsw1!karl has a printer driver (by Stuart Lynne) that cured the problem. -- Jon Zeeff zeeff@b-tech.ann-arbor.mi.us Ann Arbor, MI mailrus!b-tech!zeeff
tneff@well.UUCP (Tom Neff) (04/11/89)
My heretical opinion is that for smallish 386 UNIX sites, the bleeping
print spooler is more trouble than it's worth. It interferes with
nearly everything some way or other, and generally isn't good for much
more than wasting an extra sheet of paper every time for the banner.
I suggest you don't even install it. Just pump to the device directly,
including in vpix.cnf. If Microport's parallel driver is hosed as
well, I can only offer my sympathies. Perhaps someone else's will work.
--
Tom Neff tneff@well.UUCP
or tneff@dasys1.UUCP