HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation

HP DECprint Supervisor (DCPS) for OpenVMS
System Manager's Guide

If you are installing DECprint Supervisor for the first time, or installing new printers, read this chapter. You may also find this chapter useful if you are changing the setup of an existing printer. The following sections describe how to set up your printers to work with DECprint Supervisor software.

The devices that can be used with DECprint Supervisor software are listed in the Software Product Description (SPD).

2.1 Networked Printers

Your printer may contain a network interface card (NIC) or may be accessable to the network via a print server of a terminal server.

Printers can be configured as network printers if:

• The printer is connected to a NIC, print server, or terminal server.
• Every host system using the printer is running DECprint Supervisor software. If any host system accesses the printer by any other means, the printer system may fail.

Network printing has the following implications:

• The printer may be used from multiple systems.
• There is no centralized accounting for the printer. Each system maintains separate accounting information for the printing performed by that system.
• Multiple systems running DECprint Supervisor software contend for the same printer.
• There is no centralized print queue for the printer, which means:
  • The SHOW QUEUE command does not display the queues located on other nodes in the network.
  • The system does not provide print job scheduling or load balancing among printers or nodes in the network.

Except for LPD connections, DCPS requires that the entire communication path between your OpenVMS system and your printer be bi-directional. For a networked printer, this communication path includes the connection between the printer and the network device as well as the connection between the network device and your OpenVMS system.

LAT and AppleTalk network devices, and serial interfaces, usually provide bi-directional communication. Raw TCP/IP network devices, and parallel ports on a printer, terminal server, or print server, may not satisfy this requirement. Except for LPD connections, the DCPS software will not work with a connection that does not allow status messages and other information to be sent from the printer to your OpenVMS system.

2.1.1 TCP/IP Printers

Printer protocols that layer upon TCP/IP are Raw TCP, LPD, Telnet and CPAP. DCPS uses CPAP to communicate with DIGITAL PrintServer printers. DCPS does not support the Telnet protocol.

Before you can communicate with your printer via TCP/IP, you must define an IP address for it. You may also assign a name to the address. Refer to the printer documentation for information on setting the printer's IP address. Refer to HP TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS, Process Software MultiNet for OpenVMS, or Process Software TCPware documentation for information on configuring your OpenVMS system's TCP/IP environment.

If your printer is connected through a print server or terminal server, you must configure the IP address of the server. You also need to configure the connection between the printer and the server (for example, you may need to perform actions similar to those described in Section 2.1.2.2 for LAT printers). Refer to documentation for your terminal server or printer server for information on configuring its network and printer interfaces.

2.1.1.1 Raw TCP/IP Printers

Raw TCP/IP is a network protocol that utilizes the TCP/IP protocol directly without any additional interpretation of the TCP data stream. It is supported by many printer Network Interface Cards (NICs), print servers and terminal servers.

To communicate with your printer using Raw TCP/IP, the NIC, print server or terminal server that you use to connect your printer to the network must provide a Raw TCP/IP port. Further, this Raw TCP/IP port must support bi-directional communication between the printer and your OpenVMS system. DCPS does not work with unidirectional Raw TCP/IP ports, such as those found on the NICs for the DEClaser 3500 and 5100 printers, the RapidPrint 200, and Hewlett-Packard JetDirect cards that interface with the printer via its XIO (versus MIO) slot.

2.1.1.2 LPD Printers

LPD is a network protocol that is supported by many printer Network Interface Cards (NICs), print servers, terminal servers and PrintServer printers. Unlike the other protocols that DCPS supports, LPD is unidirectional. This provides support for more printers but provides fewer features that rely on information returned from the printer, such as error and status messages.

2.1.1.3 CPAP Printers

CPAP (Common Printer Access Protocol) is a network protocol that is supported by DIGITAL PrintServer printers. CPAP is the preferred protocol for printing to PrintServer printers over TCP/IP and the required protocol for DECnet.

2.1.2 LAT Printers

To configure serial printers as network printers through a LAT connection to the Ethernet, change the following:

1. If you are using a serial printer connected via a terminal server, set the necessary port and server characteristics for the printer (see Section 2.1.2.2 for DECserver devices).
2. Make the necessary changes to SYS$STARTUP:LAT$SYSTARTUP.COM (see Section 2.1.2.3).
3. Set the communications speed (see Section 2.1.2.4).

You can also change the printer password and printer name. These changes are optional and explained in Section 2.3.3 and Section 2.3.4.

2.1.2.2 Setting DECserver LAT Port Characteristics

To change DECserver port characteristics, you need privileged status on the DECserver device. Once you have privileged status, use the DEFINE PORT and SET PORT commands.

The DEFINE command changes the port's characteristics in the server's permanent database. These changes do not take effect until the next login for the port.

SET commands take effect immediately, but only alter the port's characteristics for the current session. For example, to change the INPUT SPEED and OUTPUT SPEED values on PORT_6 to 19200 baud (on a DECserver 200), issue the following commands from the console server manager:

LOCAL> SET PRIVILEGED
PASSWORD> password

LOCAL> SET PORT 6 SPEED 19200
LOCAL> DEFINE PORT 6 SPEED 19200

SYS$COMMON:[SYSHLP.EXAMPLES.DCPS]DCPS$CONFIG-PRINTER-PORT.COM

For information about the commands and procedures for your DECserver device, refer to your DECserver management guide.

Make sure the DECserver port characteristics match the settings on your printer. Table 2-1 and Table 2-2 list DECserver port characteristics that must match the settings on your printer.

Make sure the queue limit is not set to 0, which disables queuing.

The LAT configuration file (SYS$STARTUP:LAT$SYSTARTUP.COM) defines host node service characteristics. Before you start the print queues, make sure the LAT driver is running and ports are available.

1. Edit LAT$SYSTARTUP.COM and add the following command to create an applications port on the host node (service node) that will support your printer:

   $ CREATE PORT LTAd:/NOLOG/APPLICATION

   
   In this command format, you supply the number of the applications port for d, which must be a unique number from 1-9999.

   Note LTA devices are not always dedicated to printers; they may be shared with other devices. Connections to the LTA device from the other devices are established dynamically among the lowest available ports. If you assign a higher port number to the printer, you can help secure the port for the printer and prevent interference from connections to other devices.

   
   
2. In LAT$SYSTARTUP.COM, add the following command to associate the applications port with a remote port on a server:

   $ SET PORT LTAd:/NODE=server_name/PORT=port_name/QUEUE/APPLICATION

   
   In the command format, you supply the following values:

   LTAd:	Name of the application port
   server_name	Name assigned to the LAT device
   port_name	LAT device's port name

   
   The following example associates application port LTA9000: with port PORT_7 on a remote DECserver 200 named LN03RDS:

   $ SET PORT LTA9000:/NODE=LN03RDS/PORT=PORT_7/QUEUE/APPLICATION

   
   If the LAT device is dedicated to printing services, you can define the LAT connection for the printer in the DCPS$STARTUP.COM file. This makes it easier for you to solve configuration problems because all the information is in one file. However, if the LAT device also supports devices other than printers, you should define the port in the LAT$SYSTARTUP.COM file.
3. To make a successful LAT connection, you must make sure the following lists of groups have at least one LAT group in common:
   • On the LAT port, authorized groups and current groups
   • On the service node, enabled groups
   
   If you did not set up these groups correctly, you receive the following error message when a print job is submitted:

   %DCPS-E-LRJACCESSDENIED, Access denied

   
   You can use LATCP commands to include the necessary LAT group designations. For additional information, refer to the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.

   Note This information is not required for the DECserver 90L device.

Make sure the serial printer communications speed is set to the default (9600 baud). If you want the printer to run at a different baud rate, use the following procedure.

If the printer is on a DECserver device, use the following steps:

1. Set the printer to the appropriate baud rate (see your printer hardware installation guide).
2. Set the DECserver communications speed (see your terminal server installation guide).
3. Power on the printer. Wait for the printer to eject the power-up test page, and then check the test page to ensure that the desired settings are indicated on the test page.

DCPS uses CPAP over DECnet only to print to DIGITAL PrintServer printers.

Before you can communicate with your DIGITAL PrintServer printer via DECnet, you must assign a DECnet address to it. You may also associate a name with the address.

Refer to the PrintServer documentation for information on setting the printer's DECnet address.

To associate a DECnet node name name with the printer's DECnet address, use the NCP command if you are running DECnet Phase IV software, or the DECNET_REGISTER command if you are running DECnet-Plus (formerly DECnet/OSI) software. Refer to the DECnet documentation for more information about node names and these commands.

2.1.4 AppleTalk Printers

If you use your printer in an AppleTalk network, the address of the printer in the AppleTalk network is normally the printer's PostScript printername. If two or more printers have the same printer name and are on the same zone of the AppleTalk network, the actual node names for these printers will be depend on the order in which the printers are powered up. Printers of the same product type will have the same printername until it is explicity changed. Therefore, it is necessary to change a printer's printer name to ensure the printer is uniquely and consistently identified on the network. Use the tools provided with your printer, and/or your Macintosh to change the name of your printer.

2.2 Directly-Connected Serial Printers

For your printer and OpenVMS system to be able to communicate, you must set the baud rate of your printer and system's serial interfaces to the same values. Also, your printer should be set for eight-bit characters with no parity.

Refer to your printer's hardware installation guide for information on configuring its serial interface. After you have made the necessary changes, turn the printer off and back on. Then manually print a test page and verify that the reported settings are as desired.

Set the baud rate of your OpenVMS system's serial interface by specifying a value for P6 when setting up the corresponding DCPS print queue, as described in Section 3.3.6.

You can use DCPS with many PostScript printers. Consult the SPD for the list of supported printers. You may also be able to use DCPS in an unsupported fashion with printers not listed in the SPD (see Section 7.12).

Before installing a printer, perform the following:

• Install a PostScript option if your printer requires one.
• Install at least the minimum amount of memory for PostScript printing.

Printing legal size paper or printing duplex requires more memory than the base configuration. Consult your printer manual for your minimum requirements.

2.3.2 Setting the printer timeout

The printer may abort a print job if it does not receive data for a specified period of time. HP recommends that you change the timeout value to zero (0), which means no timeout.

You may be able to set the timeout value through the front panel, as documented in the operator's guide for your printer.

You can also change the printer timeout value with the setdefaulttimeouts PostScript operator. Modify the standard file SYS$COMMON:[SYSHLP.EXAMPLES.DCPS]LPS$SET_TIMEOUT.PS to change the timeout value to 0. Print the file using the DATA_TYPE=POSTSCRIPT parameter to change the timeout value in the printer's nonvolatile memory to 0, thus preventing timeout conditions on the printer.

To submit the file for printing as a PostScript job, use the following command:

    $ PRINT /QUEUE=queue-name /PARAMETERS=(DATA_TYPE=POSTSCRIPT)
    _$ LPS$SET_TIMEOUT.PS

When the print job is processed, a page is printed to indicate that the timeout was successfully changed.

2.3.3 Changing the Printer Password

PostScript printers have passwords that restrict access to certain functions. You can change the password for your printer from the default value. For serial printers, submit a print job that includes the current password as well as the new password. Refer to the PostScript Printers Programmer's Supplement for information about changing your printer's password.

The default password for ScriptPrinters is (LN03R), with the parentheses required. The default password for DEClaser printers is 0 (the number zero), without parentheses. If you change the printer password from the default, print jobs may take longer to print, because the printer password is required to persistently load PostScript prologues for ANSI files and separation pages.

2.3.4 Setting the Printer Name

Some system messages include the printer name. If you have not set a unique printer name, these messages contain the default printer name. The default printer name is the model name of the printer. For example, on an HP LaserJet 9000 printer where the name has not been changed, the following message reflects the default printer name:

%DCPS-I-TRAYSUBST, Output will be delivered to the only tray on HP LaserJet 9000

If you change the DEClaser printer name to "Office Printer", the same error message reflects the unique new printer name:

    %DCPS-I-TRAYSUBST, Output will be delivered to the only tray on Office Printer

For non-PrintServer printers, the printer name is stored in the printer's nonvolatile memory. To set the printer name, edit a copy of the file LPS$SET_PRINTER_NAME.PS found in SYS$COMMON:[SYSHLP.EXAMPLES.DCPS]) to include the desired name and password. Select a printer name of 31 characters or less.

Then submit the file for printing as a PostScript job:

    $ PRINT /QUEUE=queue-name /PARAMETERS=(DATA_TYPE=POSTSCRIPT) - 
    _$ LPS$SET_PRINTER_NAME.PS

Edit and submit a copy of LPS$SET_PRINTER_NAME.PS for each printer that requires a unique name.