Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!mephisto!bbn!granite!crowley
From: crowley@granite.cr.bull.com (Brian Crowley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mips
Subject: Parallel Printing
Message-ID: <1990Feb16.163103.29362@granite.cr.bull.com>
Date: 16 Feb 90 16:31:03 GMT
Reply-To: crowley@granite.cr.bull.com (Brian Crowley)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Bull HN Information Systems Inc.
Lines: 32

I am working on both an M2000 high-boy and a low-boy as well and I am having
a problem getting some vanilla printers (almost) to work in parallel mode.
Here is how I configured them:

	- System V print spooler
	- Dumb interface script (modified to send the octal printer reset code)
	- Device file used is /dev/lp0 (There is only one parallel port)

It all looks fine until I try to print something.  The results can be placed
in one of three categories.  If I try printing the root login (/.login) file,
as root or a regular user, ten times, I could get the following:

	1)  A correct printout (about 1/2 to 2/3 of the time);
	2)  about 10 or so line feeds (and nothing else) interspersed with
	3)  a printout consisting of many pages containing about 15-20
	    characters from the extended character set and then a form feed.

Whenever we connect any printers to a serial port and use the same script,
we have no problems (a correct printout every time).  We know that the printer
is working and that the cable works.  Is it the way I'm looking at the
machine??  I really don't know what else to try.  Should I try BSD printing
or is there something else that I'm missing.  I have had other UN*X'ers check
the setup and they say it's right (evidenced by the correct printout we get
every now and then using the parallel port).

Thanx in advance...			(and possibly your friend for life)
			Brian Crowley
-- 
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Brian Crowley					\\|/	(Smiley of a
crowley@granite.cr.bull.com			--8-)	 person needing
BULL HN Information Systems			//|\	 a haircut or with