AIX Printer Tips: Printing to JetDirect Attached Printers: AIX 3.2.5 to 4.2.0

AIX Printer Tips: Printing to JetDirect Attached Printers: AIX 3.2.5 to 4.2.0

Contents

About This Document

This document discusses configuring and troubleshooting related to printing to JetDirect attached printers. This information applies to AIX Version 3.2.5 through Version 4.2.0.

Prerequisites to Configuring

Overview of Configuration

To communicate with the host system over the network, the JetDirect card requires network configuration data (such as the card's IP address and subnet mask) each time the printer is powered on.

The card can get this data either from a BOOTP/TFTP server on the network or from parameters entered manually from the front panel on the printer and saved in nonvolatile memory on the card. The method of attaining IP address for the card is dependent on type of card (external box, like the EX model, or internal card) and the type of printer. When shipped from the factory, the card is set to get network configuration data from the network (BOOTP/TFTP server).

The method of setting the IP addresses is described in the technical document AIX Printing Tips: Setting the IP address for HP Printers.

If you cannot manually configure the card to accept the IP address from the front panel of the printer, then to get configuration data from the network, the BOOTP/TFTP server must be configured. When BOOTP/TFTP is configured on the RS/6000, the RS/6000 server will recognize the network query (hardware address broadcast) generated by the card and will send the appropriate data to the card.

Important Notes

Steps to Configure Server

Follow these steps on the RS/6000. These steps will configure the RS/6000 to use the JetDirect printer and will, if necessary, make the RS/6000 a BOOTP/TFTP server.

Have the following data written down and available prior to beginning (get this information NOW):

Some of this data might or might not be used depending on your particular network set up and whether or not you want to set up your RS/6000 as a BOOTP/TFTP server. For instance, you might not be going through a gateway, in which case you will not have an entry for the gateway address.

For demonstration purposes, we will use the following set up (refer to the letters in the preceding list for references to the following items):

NOTE: The hardware address may be attained by printing out a test page on your printer once the JetDirect card is connected to your printer. Check the printer and JetDirect card manual for instructions on how to do this. The entry on the test page should look something like this: "LAN HW Address". Usually, the JetDirect card will also have the hardware address written on it. Make a note of the fact that the test page will also indicate that there is NOT an IP address presently on the card unless you have already entered one through the front panel.

STEP 1. To BOOTP/TFTP or not: deciding whether or not to make the RS/6000 a BOOTP/TFTP server. Some things to consider at this point:

STEP 2. Make sure the printer has a valid hostname and IP address: STEP 3. Enter the following at the AIX command line:
   ----------------------------------------------------------------
         No.    Description                                                     
   
         1      Printer or Plotter Attached to Host  
         2      Printer or Plotter Attached to Xstation  
         3      Printer or Plotter Attached to ASCII Terminal  
         4      Network Printer (Hewlett-Packard JetDirect)    

   Enter number from list above (press Enter to terminate):  -> 
   ----------------------------------------------------------------

STEP 4. Select No. 4 from the menu screen for "Network Printer (Hewlett-Packard JetDirect)" and press the "enter" key.

STEP 5. The following prompt will appear on the screen once you have chosen No. 4 and press the Enter key:

   ----------------------------------------------------------------
         Enter the printer hostname: --->
   ---------------------------------------------------------------- 

STEP 6. The following menu will then be displayed:

   ----------------------------------------------------------------
        No.    BOOTP/TFTP Server 
        1      Make this system a BOOTP/TFTP server  
        2      Do NOT make this system a BOOTP/TFTP server  

   Enter number from list above (press Enter to terminate):  ->
   ---------------------------------------------------------------- 
STEP 7. After you choose option No. 2 and press the Enter key, the following prompt will appear:
           ----------------------------------------------------------------     
      
           Enter the hardware address for the JetDirect Card:   ->
           ----------------------------------------------------------------
STEP 8. You should then see the following prompt:
           ----------------------------------------------------------------
           Enter the gateway ip address (or Enter for none):   ->
           ----------------------------------------------------------------

STEP 9. You should then be prompted to enter the subnet mask:

           ----------------------------------------------------------------
           Enter the subnet mask (or Enter for none):   ->
           ----------------------------------------------------------------

STEP 10. A menu should appear prompting for you to input the printer type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to scroll through the selections to find your particular type of printer. The menu screen will look something like this:

----------------------------------------------------------------           
     No.    Description                                                        
     1      IBM 2380 Personal Printer II  
     2      IBM 2381 Personal Printer II  
     3      IBM 2390 Personal Printer II  
     .      ...
     .      ...
     .      ...
     19     IBM 4212 Proprinter 24P  
     20     IBM 4216 Personal Page Printer, Model 031  
     21     IBM 4224 Printer, Models 301,302,3C2,3E3     [ 42 more ]

     Enter number from list above (press Enter to terminate):  ->
     ---------------------------------------------------------------- 
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
         No.    Description                                                     
   
         28     IBM 6184 Color Plotter                       [ 27 more ]
         29     IBM 6185-1 Color Plotter  
         30     IBM 6185-2 Color Plotter  
         .      ...
         .      ...
         .      ...
         38     Hewlett-Packard LaserJet III
         39     Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIISi  
         40     Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4  
         41     IBM 3930 Page Printer  
         42     Printronix P9012 Line Printer  
         43     Plotter  
         .      ...
         .      ...
         .      ...

    Enter number from list above (press Enter to terminate):  ->
    ----------------------------------------------------------------           
STEP 11. The rest is just as if you were normally entering a virtual printer. With the preceding example, the following would occur (you would get something different depending on the printer type that you chose above in STEP 10):
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
                Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4                         

    Header pages wanted?  (n=none; a=each file; g=each job):  -> (n)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    ----------------------------------------------------------------            
    Trailer pages wanted? (n=none; a=each file; g=each job):  -> (n)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------           
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    NOTE:   The hplj-4 printer supports multiple print data streams.
            Each of the data streams will now be configured individually.
    --------------------  PostScript  --------------------
    Enter print queue name (or, ! to bypass configuration):   -> (ps)
    Should this queue be the default queue? -> (y)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------           

Troubleshooting Tips / Diagnostics

Caveats

JetDirect Card Resets Printer Between Jobs

A customer did the following:
  1. sent a control setup file to the printer
  2. sent a file to use the control file settings

The file didn't use the control file settings.

This is caused because the HP JetDirect card resets between each job. This is necessary because the card is multiprotocol and must reset to be ready for the next job.

Token Ring Setting

       ---------------------------------------------------------------- 
  hp4:ht=tr:ha=080109463974:ip=150.1.1.4:sm=255.255.255.0:gw=150.1.1.1:
       ----------------------------------------------------------------

Legend For /etc/bootptab File


Printing to JetDirect Attached Printers: AIX 3.2.5 to 4.2.0: AIX Printer Tips: jetdirz.html ITEM: FAX
Dated: 99/03/04~00:00 Category: zap
This HTML file was generated 99/06/24~12:42:13
Comments or suggestions? Contact us