[comp.unix.aux] Accessing a LaserWriter from A/UX *and* MacOS

alanlb@csgrad.cs.vt.edu (06/04/91)

I have a LaserWriter which needs to be accessible from A/UX, MacOS,
an Amiga running SVR4, and a NeXT machine.  How do I hook things
up?  The Amiga and NeXT machines are both capable of BSD 'lpr' style
printing.  Thanks!

-alan l. batongbacal

steveg@melmac.umd.edu (Steve Green) (06/04/91)

In article <1285@creatures.cs.vt.edu> alanlb@csgrad.cs.vt.edu (Alan L. Batongbacal) writes:
>I have a LaserWriter which needs to be accessible from A/UX, MacOS,
>an Amiga running SVR4, and a NeXT machine.  How do I hook things
>up?  The Amiga and NeXT machines are both capable of BSD 'lpr' style
>printing.  Thanks!
>
>-alan l. batongbacal

	1.  The best way to do it is to put the laserwriter on localtalk
	    with the MacOS machines.  Then, the AUX machine and run an lpr
	    server for itself and the other UNIX machines.  If your MacOS
	    macs have ethernet, then you will need a router of some sort
	    for the printer.

	2.  Wolongong sells an lpr server for the MacOS.  1 of the macs
	    could run an lpr server for the UNIX machines.  The other macs
	    would just use ethertalk.  (This would work with localtalk
	    if you had a router as well, but why would you want to..)

	3.  Use CAP as a printer "gateway".  1 AUX machine runs cap and
	    makes lpr printers available to MacOS machines.

Thats about all I can think of.  There may be an lpr driver for the MacOS
but I dont know of any.

--
Silica gel -- Do not eat.				steveg@melmac.umd.edu

Disclaimer:  If anything I said above is incorrect, never mind.

tony@tui.marcam.dsir.govt.nz (Tony Cooper) (06/04/91)

|> In article <1285@creatures.cs.vt.edu> alanlb@csgrad.cs.vt.edu (Alan
L. Batongbacal) writes:
|> >I have a LaserWriter which needs to be accessible from A/UX, MacOS,
|> >an Amiga running SVR4, and a NeXT machine.  How do I hook things
|> >up?  The Amiga and NeXT machines are both capable of BSD 'lpr' style
|> >printing.  Thanks!

I think there is a product called etherprint which lets you put the printer
on the ethernet. Then the printer is available all the time to all the
machines. I don't want to say any more. I don't know much about this sort
of thing. 

(Well half a word more: The Next is the only machine which runs only one
operating system. It should be your printer machine if you attach the
printer to a machine. Then use lpr clients on the other machines. Lpr clients
are available for all the operating systems involved.

lrm3@ellis.uchicago.edu (Lawrence Reed Miller) (06/05/91)

In article <1285@creatures.cs.vt.edu> alanlb@csgrad.cs.vt.edu (Alan L. Batongbacal) writes:
>I have a LaserWriter which needs to be accessible from A/UX, MacOS,
>an Amiga running SVR4, and a NeXT machine.  How do I hook things
>up?  The Amiga and NeXT machines are both capable of BSD 'lpr' style
>printing.  Thanks!

Well, I don't know exactly how you have your computers networked, but
I have gotten a LaserWriter to work with Mac OS (LocalTalk), an
A/UX Mac (on LocalTalk and EtherNet) and a NeXT (on EtherNet).  It's
pretty simple; just set up the LaserWriter like you normally would on
LocalTalk, and set up the A/UX machine to print to it.  This is
explained in the documentation that comes with A/UX.  So far the
LaserWriter will work with other Macs on LocalTalk, and through lpd
on the A/UX machine (as well as the Mac OS under A/UX).  Then add the
the A/UX computer's LaserWriter as a remote printer to the NeXT.
The printer type should be LaserWriter.  This is explained in the NeXT
online Admin docs in the file 10_MixedNet/_UsingNetInfoData.rtf.
Add the NeXT to the /etc/hosts.lpd file on the A/UX machine, and
Ta Dah!  You can now print from the NeXT _through_ the A/UX machine
to the LaserWriter.  There should be instructions in your Amiga Unix
docs on how to use a remote printer; I haven't got an Amiga, so I
can't say for sure, though.

There are other ways to set this up if you have different network
hardware setups (i.e. CAP with routers, etc.), however this is a
pretty simple way which works for me.  Without more specifics on
your networking hardware it is difficult to make suggestions.

If you don't have the instructions for the NeXT, email me & I'll send
'em to you.  I doubt they would be of much interest in this group.

Lawrence Miller

demarsee@deadhead.syr.EDU (Darryl E. Marsee) (06/06/91)

In article <9106040115.AA14683@melmac.umd.edu> steveg@melmac.umd.edu (Steve Green) writes:

>	   1.  The best way to do it is to put the laserwriter on localtalk
>	       with the MacOS machines.  Then, the AUX machine and run an lpr
>	       server for itself and the other UNIX machines.  If your MacOS
>	       macs have ethernet, then you will need a router of some sort
>	       for the printer.

I've tried this, and it works fine ... however, you are tied to whatever
printer has been chosen by the Chooser/at_cho_prn.  Is there a way that an
AUX box can spool to an appletalk-based laserwriter by bypassing the Chooser?
Maybe with an entry in the printcap file for zone and printer name, such as
zn=OtherZone and pn=OtherLaserWriter?  I'd like to be free to choose whatever
device *I* want to print to from AUX while machines that spool through AUX can
still print to whatever other devices are out there.

Many Thanks & Regards,

Darryl E. Marsee
Syracuse University
demarsee@gamera.cns.syr.edu