Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!bloom-beacon!think!ames!lll-winken!csustan!koko!rayz
From: rayz@CSUStan.EDU (Ray Zarling)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Amiga networking puzzle
Message-ID: <1081@koko.CSUStan.EDU>
Date: 26 May 89 20:44:29 GMT
References: <88G002rZ2c1g01@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> <8198@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>
Reply-To: rayz@koko.UUCP (Ray Zarling)
Distribution: na
Organization: Calif. State Univ., Stanislaus, Turlock, Ca
Lines: 33

In article <8198@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> elg@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Eric Green) writes:
>> In article <808@helios.toronto.edu> dooley@helios.physics.utoronto.ca (Kevin Dooley) writes:
>>>The problem, then is how can we all live in peace and harmony sharing
>>>a single (PostScript) laser printer?  I have heard that the answer
>>>is TOPS, but my local Amiga dealer says that it doesn't exist for the
>>>Amiga.
>
>That's probably because most Amigans came from "real" computer systems
>(i.e. not single-tasking PC's), where network print daemons are a way
>of life. Ameristar's Ethernet hardware works just great if you have a
>Unix computer somewhere around running the Internet suite and NFS.

I'll second that--it's a *great* way to configure Amigas and other
computers to a LaserWriter.  Unfortunately, it's a little on the
expensive side unless you have some of the pieces already on hand.

We use a Sun connected to the LaserWriter via EtherNet and a Kinetics
Fast Path.  The LaserWriter looks just like any other printer to the
Sun, and print spooling is handled normally via lpr.  On my Amiga I use
the AmeriStar card and their NFS software.  I "mount" the Sun as a device
on the amiga, and generate any postscript output to file Sun:blah, which
of course lives on the Sun.  Then a simple rsh command (which I have
embedded in an Amiga shell script so I can forget the details) invokes
the Sun lpr to print the file on the LaserWriter.  No physical switches;
other computers including pc's and other Unix boxes route their
printouts through lpr similarly.

BTW the AmeriStar rlogin software is a *far* superior way to read news
than my previous 2400 baud serial line!

--Ray Zarling
  Calif. State Univ. Stanislaus
  rayz@koko.csustan.edu