Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!ucbvax!sunybcs.UUCP!bowen
From: bowen@sunybcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.laser-printers
Subject: LaserWriter buffers
Message-ID: <8804151923.AA28948@brillig.umd.edu>
Date: 10 Apr 88 20:51:35 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: sunybcs!bowen@rutgers.edu (Devon E Bowen)
Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science
Lines: 25
Approved: laser-lovers@brillig.umd.edu


Does anyone have any idea on the size of the i/o buffer on an ntx? I know
it's gotta have some since printing a banner page from an idle printer
takes longer than from a printer that is currently processing. It must be
due to the computer loading the buffer while the printer is finishing the
last job.

Basically what I'm doing is re-writing BSD lpd to recognize when a printer
is a LaserWriter and when it is, it'll ask it if it has various data in
it's dictionaries. If the data is there, it can just print normally, and
otherwise it'll upload a file to install the needed data. This data can
be something like local fonts or a banner page. Something that's used
often enough that should only be uploaded once. The problem with this
is that since the daemon is asking a question, it can't start filling the
buffer until it gets an answer. I want to know if the lost time will be
made up in not loading the data with every print job.

				    Devon Bowen (KA2NRC)
				    University at Buffalo

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