Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!jaeger
From: jaeger@madnix.UUCP (Jay Jaeger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: Need help with BSD4.3 printing through parallel port...
Message-ID: <974@madnix.UUCP>
Date: 30 Nov 89 03:11:38 GMT
References: <17339@netnews.upenn.edu>
Reply-To: jaeger@madnix.UUCP (Jay Jaeger)
Organization: State of WI, Dept. of Transportation
Lines: 25

In article <17339@netnews.upenn.edu> lau@kings.wharton.upenn.edu (Yan K. Lau) writes:
>
>Has anyone been able to get lpr printing to work with the
>parallel port on the Apollo SPE board?  I've setup /etc/printcap
>with /dev/pio.  Lpr queues jobs but nothing gets printed.  The
>jobs just sit in the queue.  Lpd is running.  I'm trying to hook
>up a HP Laserjet if this makes a difference.  Any ideas?
>
>

We at WI DOT also had tons of trouble trying to make parallel printers
work under SR9.7.  We finally gave up.  I think there are some very
basic problems involving parallel ports, interrupts and Apollo device
drivers (in the kernel, not the ones that are really just filters that
Apollo sometimes calls "drivers").  Basically, I think that /dev/pio is
being asked to do an impossible task - PC parallel ports do not do well
being interrupt driven - one look at all the trouble the MINIX folks
have had in that area should convincie you.  Very best of luck.

(Sorry I don't have a signature line yet, I am:

			Jay R. Jaeger
			State of Wisconsin, Dept. of Transportation
			email (for now): madnix!jaeger   (I HOPE)
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