[comp.windows.ms.programmer] Printer sharing with Windows

mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) (03/18/91)

We have a printer sharing box that uses lines 5 and 6 (DSR and CTS)
for handshaking. Several PCs are connected to this via their serial
ports. 

With ordinary PC software this works fine (including software running
under Windows, provided it is ordinary DOS software).  WinApps, however,
can't print. Apparently, Print Manager thinks it's OK to print all the
time, regardless of the status of the handshaking lines.

We've checked the Windows setup and the handshaking apparently is set
as near as we can get to the correct value. EXACTLY how does Print Manager
handshake, if it's told to use hardware control lines rather than X-on?
Is it perchance looking for activity on CD, which is left floating with
our equipment?

One of my lab assistants called Microsoft a while back and was told that
it's next to impossible to get Windows to work with a printer sharing
box, period. 
  
  Can someone shed more light on the question?  I have yet to take a
  breakout box to it and see *exactly* what's happening, but maybe
  someone has already been through this and can tell me.

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Michael A. Covington | Artificial Intelligence Programs
The University of Georgia  |  Athens, GA 30602   U.S.A.
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