Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tellab5!wheaton!stefan From: stefan@wheaton.UUCP (Stefan Brandle ) Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec Subject: Re: DEC Letterwriter 100UP Message-ID: <1918@wheaton.UUCP> Date: 7 Mar 90 05:14:20 GMT References: <610.25ed456b@tacvax.mdcbbs.com> Reply-To: stefan@wheaton.UUCP (Stefan Brandle ) Organization: Wheaton College, IL Lines: 59 In article <610.25ed456b@tacvax.mdcbbs.com> wright@tacvax.mdcbbs.com writes: > 1) We have connected to tty01 port on the back, is this correct? You can generally attach it to any serial port. You just have to tell the system in /etc/printcap which tty you are attaching it to. > 2) What is the correct DECconnect adapter to use H-8571-? I am using > an H-8571-A. I'll pass on this one. > 3) Are there any special considerations for this type of printer? > a) I have the getty set at "std.9600" dw2 (Decwriter II). > b) The printer is set at 9600 baud, 7/Space. Not sure what the correct option is for telling the printer capability database (/etc/printcap what filters to use -- the manual sections referenced below do discuss this). > 4) I can login to the system from the printer as a hardcopy unit with > no problem. > 5) When I try "cat /xxx/xxx > /dev/tty01", I do not get a standard > output, is becomes stairstep. (it also fills the buffer and craps > out) That's because the serial lines are in different character-handling modes when you log in as opposed to when you just redirect stuff there. When you are logged in it puts the line into `COOKED' mode and does mapping of line-feeds to carriage-return+line-feed. When you are not logged in, it is probably in `RAW' mode where flow control is disabled and no filtering (including LF->LF+CR) happens. Normally `cat /xxx/xxx > /dev/ttyxx' will not work quite the way you intended if nobody is logged in on the line. You can either write a program that will open that line, put it into the correct modes and send the file to the printer, or if you're trying to set this up as a printer (you don't actually say in the posting--if you are, this is probably a much better way) make the necessary changes to /etc/printcap. Ultrix has a program (/etc/lprsetup) that will help you set up the printer correctly. You need to pay attention to the `fs' and `fc' fields, since that is where bits/char and parity are handled. Refer to tty (manual section 4) for a more in-depth and confusing list of the values for these fields. We use :fc#044:\ <- turn off raw & mapping of uppercase to lower case :fs#023:\ <- turn on echo LF or CR as CR-LF, return each char as soon as it is typed, and enable auto flow control as the appropriate fields for fc (flag clear) and fs (flag set). This was for 7 bits (the Ultrix default--8-bit stuff seems to be available only in RAW mode). I don't find any reference to either space or mark parity, so chances are it's ignoring it. You can set odd parity by adding 0100 (octal 100) to the fs# or even by adding 0200 to the fs# (ie., :fs#0223:\ ). You'll probably want to do some reading on printers in the `Setting Up the Environment' section of the Administrative Guides. Hope this helps, -stefan Default disclaimer about my being hopelessly muddled on most issues and perhaps wrong on some of the above. -- ---------------------------------------------- MA Bell: (708) 260-5019 --------- Stefan Brandle UUCP: ...!{obdient,uunet!tellab5}!wheaton!stefan Wheaton College or stefan@wheaton.UUCP Wheaton, IL 60187 "But I never claimed to be sane!"