Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!uwvax!umn-d-ub!umn-cs!attila!papowell
From: papowell@attila.uucp (Patrick Powell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sequent
Subject: Re: Problem(?) with lp
Keywords: sysV lp BUG?
Message-ID: <7369@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu>
Date: 8 Sep 88 13:52:23 GMT
References: <147@pbseps.UUCP> <929@cerebus.UUCP>
Sender: news@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu
Reply-To: papowell@attila.UUCP (Patrick Powell)
Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Lines: 56

In article <929@cerebus.UUCP> ronc@cerebus.UUCP (Ronald O. Christian) writes:
>
>We have seen all these problems on a Vax running SysV from
>AT&T, and have seen them also on the Dynix SysV emulation.

Have you tried PLP, my reverse engineered version of the Berkeley LPD,
available using anonymous FTP from julius.cs.umn.edu, pub/PLP.tar.Z,
and pub/PLP.mods.Z?

              PLP - The Public Line Printer Spooler
               A Portable UNIX Line Printer Spooler
                     Release 2.0, 1 June 1988
                       Prof. Patrick Powell
                    Dept. of Computer Science
         University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
     PLP  is  a  reverse  engineered  version of the Berkeley LPD
software.   The functional resemblance between PLP and the Berke-
ley  Line  Printer  Spooler (LPD) is intentional; the source code
was  written  without  reference  to  the  original  Berkeley LPD
software, except for some very small sections concerned with net-
working  and  the large characters used for banner printing.  The
PLP software has the following features:
1).The  PLP  software is intended to be  used in a Networked File
   System  (NFS)  environment,  in which there is a common set of
   spool  queues,  as well as in a loosely coupled environment in
   which  each  host transfers print jobs to a host which has the
   printer.
2).Access  and  permission  to use PLP functions is controlled by
   entries      in      a      printer      permissions      file
   (/usr/spool/lpd/printer_perms.<hostname>)  which  can restrict
   use  by  user  name, host, spooler, page useage, and a host of
   other         factors.         The        printcap        file
   (/usr/spool/lpd/printcap.<hostname>)  is  used  to specify the
   printer queues and their operation.
3).Jobs  can now be prioritized.  The maximum priority a user can
   specify is set in the printer permissions file.
4).In  addition  to  the  general  printer permissions file, each
   spool  queue  can  have  its  own addition printer permissions
   file.
5).Line  printer control functions can be exercised from a remote
   host.   Hosts  and  users  with  remote control permission are
   specified by entries in the printer permissions file.
6).Unspooling  of  jobs  can be performed by a printcap specified
   program, rather than by the PLP unspooler.  This allows PLP to
   be used as a spooler and to have spool queues used for various
   purposes.
7).Extremely  verbose  and chatty error messages have been added.
   These  greatly  ease debugging and installation.  In addition,
   the  checkpc  utility  can be used to set file permissions and
   other items for use by the PLP software.
8).The code is quite portable, with as few system dependencies in
   it as possible.  It has run on a VAX 4.2, 4.3, and ULTRIX, SUN
   3.0, DG-UX, and DYNIX.
                        September 8, 1988
Prof. Patrick Powell, Dept. Computer Science, 136 Lind Hall, 207 Church St. SE,
University of Minnesota,  Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612)625-3543/625-4002