Re: NeXT non-printing... SUMMARY

From: Brian J. Kennedy (bjk@pecos.rc.arizona.edu)
Date: Tue Jan 22 1991 - 12:40:00 CST


Sun-Mangers,

    Thank you for the near instantaneous and illuminating replies! A
summary follows:

QUESTION:

> We moved a LaserWriter ntII, from an IDX line where it had been served by
> a remote VAX, to a local SparcStation. We then enabled Ethernet connections
> to the SparcStation to enable network printing to the (now) locally spooled
> LaserWriter.
>
> The problem is; NeXT machines (on our subnet) refuse to generate a
> single page on the LaserWriter. This seems just a little bizzare since
> other machines including; Ultrix, VAXen, Convexen and even an IBM 3090
> system seem quite content with the setup.
>
> Can anybody point me in the right direction?
>

ANSWER:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NeXT Technical Alert 90-2

Summary

Printing from NeXT computers to printers on non-NeXT machines doesn't work
with release 2.0.

Description

The lpr program puts print jobs into the spooling area, where they
are picked up and printed by the UNIX printing server. The lpr
program currently creates print command files that are incompatible
with the standard protocol, so a non-NeXT machine cannot handle
print jobs properly. The symptoms are that no print jobs to non-NeXT
machines print.

Workaround

Log in to the system using your personal account. Run the Terminal
application and type the following:

        hostname> dwrite System PrinterResolution 1

The above command sets the default printer resolution to a nonstandard
value. You can now spool print jobs to non-NeXT machines.

Note: Even after applying this workaround, you won't be able to
print to non-NeXT printers from the PrintManager application.
Also, if you're logged in as root, you won't be able to print to
non-NeXT printers from some applications (for example, Digital
Librarian). There is no workaround for these cases.

If after using this workaround you subsequently print to a NeXT
printer, the default resolution is reset and you cannot print to
non-NeXT hosts until you perform the workaround again.

For More Information

Contact your organization's support center, or NeXT Technical Support.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTES:
        
        1. The, "official", suggested fix appears to be an unworkable kludge
            which disables printing to a localy attached NeXT printer.

        2. The NeXT, OS 1.0 'lpr' binary does spool correctly to a remote
            printer AND preserves spooling to a local NeXT printer. Replace
            2.0 lpr binary with 1.0 version to maintain local print capability
            and obtain correct remote print functionality.

        3. There is some speculation that any working, staticly linked,
            Motorola, 'lpr' binary would also work (e.g., Sun OS 3.5)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

MOST SUCCINT STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: (Gene ...rackow@antares.mcs.anl.gov)

>The problem is that the NeXT is putting in a bogus (at least to most lpd's)
>line of R400 as the fisrt line of the cf info file for lpd. This is to
>define the resolution to be the "standard" of 400 dpi of a next printer.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

THANKS TO:

cdr@acc.stolaf.edu (Craig D. Rice)
leach@oce.orst.edu (Tom Leach)
mmikulska@UCSD.EDU (Margaret Mikulska)
battan@sequent.com (Jim Battan)
jmattson@UCSD.EDU (Jim Mattson)
karl@amaze.UUCP (Karl Sierka) 3 copies!
bb@math.ufl.edu (Brian Bartholomew)
rackow@antares.mcs.anl.gov (Gene )
jgreely@cis.ohio-state.edu; osu-cis!jgreely (J Greely)
rbc@math.arizona.edu (Bob Condon)
        

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