AIX Printer Tips: Creating New Virtual Printer predef Files

Contents

About This Document
Procedure

About This Document

Virtual printers are built based on templates or predef colon files. These are located in /usr/lib/lpd/pio/predef. If you make extensive changes to a virtual printer you may want to save your changes in a way that would make it easy to add identical virtual printers across your company or customer set. With piopredef this is fairly easy to do.  This document describes the process for creating a new predef file for AIX.

This information applies to AIX Versions 3.2.5 and 4.x.

Procedure

For the following example we will make a new PCL virtual printer from queue pcl4039 and queue device lp0.
  1. Modify the virtual printer using lsvirprt.
  2. Create a new predef file from the existing virtual printer.


    3. Make sure that the name for the new file is unique. This means that you need to give a new type to the printer or a new datastream. Which you do depends on how you want the printer to show up when you add a new virtual printer.

    The command to create the new predef file is:
    New data stream
    The predef file will end in the name you give it for the data stream. This new virtual printer will come up as one of the options when adding the parent data type. For example 'ps', 'pcl', and 'gl' are all data streams for a 4039 printer. You are asked to give a name to each one. You could add 'lan' for a landscape virtual printer you might build. The printer type in AIX 4.1 begins with the printer company identifier.
    piopredef -q ps4039 -d lp0 -t 4039 -s lan (AIX 3)
    piopredef -q ps4039 -d lp0 -t ibm4039 -s lan (AIX 4)
    New printer type
    The predef file will begin with the new name you give it. This new virtual printer will come up as one of the printers you select when adding a new printer. Start the new name with the printer manufacturer name like hp, lex or ibm so that it will show in that group of printer.  Call the new type checks
    piopredef -q ps4039 -d lp0 -t check -s pcl (AIX 3)
    piopredef -q ps4039 -d lp0 -t ibmcheck -s pcl (AIX 4)

  3. Edit the predef file to change the appropriate text.
    4. New data stream
    Change to mA attribute. This is the attribute used for specifying the data stream type when adding a virtual printer.
    :330:mA::PCL 2UP Landscape queue
    New description
    Change to mL attribute. This is the attribute used for specifing the description fo the printer type in the mkvirprt list.
    :331:mL::IBM 4039 Check Printer
    Change the mN attribute to the newtype.
    :295:mN::check

  4. Add a virtual printer with mkvirprt or smit mkpq. Select the new printer you have chosen.
Example of new printer option created: 
     ibm6400      IBM 6400 Printer                                   
     ibm7372      IBM 7372 Color Plotter                              
     ibmcheck     IBM 4039 Check Printer             
     Other (Select this if your printer type is not listed above)
Later when adding queues you will see: 
                                                        [Entry Fields]        
  Description                                         IBM Check Printer 
  Printer name                                        lpx
  
* Name of new PRINT QUEUE to add                     []
Creating New Virtual Printer predef Files: AIX Printer Tips: vppredef.html ITEM: FAX
Dated: 99/02/12~00:00 Category: zap
This HTML file was generated 99/06/24~12:42:06
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