Will PSM work in an IPX environment?

ITEM: RTA000151663



Q:                                                                              
Topic thread:                                                                   
Printer Systems (PRINT - NA/ATS)                                                
 Printing Systems Manager (PSM)                                                 
                                                                                
Hello,                                                                          
I have a customer that has multiple-vendor environment and he is                
interested in having a print server (we would propose Printing Systems          
Manager with PSF for AIX) that receives print jobs from all his                 
platforms and send them to a 3160 printer.                                      
The operating systems the customer has are the following:                       
                                                                                
*UNIX:                                                                          
   - HP-UX version 9.X and 10.X                                                 
   - Sun Solaris                                                               
   - Unix from Santa Cruz Operation                                             
   - DYNIX, a UNIX version for Intel Parallel Processors System called          
Syquent                                                                         
                                                                                
*Novell Netware                                                                 
                                                                                
And the workstations (the clients) run Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and              
Windows NT.                                                                     
                                                                                
Again, the idea is that users from all these platform could share the           
printer's capabilities through the PSM server.                                  
                                                                                
I need you help in knowing if it is possible or the kind of limitations         
this solution has. E.g. how to implement the lprafp command on the UNIX         
environments, I know that this can be done on the HP-UX but, what about        
the other UNIX versions?                                                        
I Know this solution is TCP/IP oriented but, is there anything that can         
be done to implement it on IPX?                                                 
The other question that I have is if PSM supports the InfoPrint 60,             
that has a higher resolution that the 3160-001.                                 
The opportunity is important because if we could implement this                 
solution meeting all the printing requirements mentioned the customer           
will replicate it for the rest of his branches.                                 
Thank you in advance for your guidance.                                         
Regards.                                                                        
A:                                                                              
As we discussed, the lprafp is supplied as sample code.  It has only            
been tested on the platforms listed in the PSF Print Administration             
Guide:  AIX, HP-UX 9.0, SunOS 5.1.1, Solaris 1.1.1, and DEC:ULTRIX              
V4.3A.  The other platforms you have listed have not been tested.              
You will just need to compile it on those machines and try it.                  
Again, lprafp is supplied only as sample code.  Feel free to modify it          
as needed on the other platforms to get it to work.                             
                                                                                
As for the IPX, it has not been tested nor is it supported with PSM.            
IPX on AIX would require AIX Connections.  The AIX Connections requires         
an AIX "virtual printer" in order to communicate.  Since PSM doesn't            
use virtual printers (i.e. an entry in /etc/qconfig), then AIX                  
Connections wouldn't be able to find the PSM logical printers.                  
You would need to create a "dummy" AIX queue, one that uses /dev/null           
or other "empty" file in the /dev directory.  Change the "mo" attribute         
on the virtual printer to the pdpr command needed (pdpr -p log_prtname).        
I'm not sure if you will need to replace the "mo" attribute completely,         
or pipe the append the pdpr command on the end of the existing "mo"             
command by piping ( | ) the output to pdpr.                                    
(ex: mo=xxxxxxx | prpr -p logprt).                                              
                                                                                
PSM does support the InfoPrint 60 printer, as it does the 3160-001, as          
long as the fonts being specified are available in the correct                  
resolution (240 / 300).                                                         
                                                                                
Thank you for using WWQ&A.                                                      
                                                                                
S e a r c h - k e y w o r d s:                                                  
lprafp unix ipx aix connections psm                                             
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                               


WWQA: ITEM: RTA000151663 ITEM: RTA000151663
Dated: 07/1998 Category: PSMAIX
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