SUMMARY/UPDATE: Local filtering for a remote printer

From: Cory Tsang (cory@fiu.edu)
Date: Tue Oct 04 1994 - 03:36:51 CDT


Dear sun-managers,

This is more of an update than a summary. The problem has not been resolved.

Problem:

        Printing to a VAX printer from a Sun Sparc 10/30 running SunOS 4.1.3.
        Have to filter text to ps on the Sun before it is sent to the
                remote printer.
        lpd does not allow filtering before sending to the remote host.

Suggestions:

        1. Set up a bogus queue that would process the job and then forward
            the job to another printcap entry that would then push the job
            to the remote host.
        2. Use an input filter in the bogus queue that would tee the job to
            a temporary file, filter the tmp file and pipe the output to an
            lpr command to the "real" print queue.
        3a. Use /dev/null or create a new /dev/null-xxx to be used as the lp:
            field of the bogus queue.
                -- This does not seem to work on SunOS 4.1.x. I have not
                   tested it on any other OS, though.
                   The job hangs on the queue and hence does not pass through
                   the input filter.
        3b. Don't specify an lp: for the bogus queue.
                -- This also fails. Lpr allows you to queue up the job.
                   The job still hangs on the queue, but lpq is unable to
                   report on the queue:
                        lpq: testpress: no remote host to connect to

At this juncture, I am stuck trying to find a device that will accept the
job (and not do anything) and allow the print job to pass through one of
the filters (if:, of:, vf:, etc.). For some reason, /dev/null or a clone
of it just doesn't work. Can anyone give me a reason why that might be?

Cory Tsang

Cory Tsang-------------------------------------------------------------------
Programmer/Analyst Researcher
School of Computer Science, MS ECS354 Visual Languages Laboratory
Florida International University Phone: (305) 348-2739/3739 office/lab
Miami, FL 33199 Fax : (305) 348-3549



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