Changing IP address on printers

[desbo]

AIX version 5.2
Is there any way of changing an IP address on an existing AIX network printer. The printers were originally set up using smit but there seems no way to change the address using smit. I guess there must be some way of doing this.

The ones we need to change are all created as an HP Jet Direct printer?

We are changing an IP address range of one our remote companies and have about 30 printers to change.

Thanks

 

[psi07004]

If the queues were set up using a hostname (in /etc/hosts) instead of an ip address, simply stop the queue, change the ip address in /etc/hosts, then start the queue.

If they were set up with an ip address it is easier just to delete the queue and recreate it. If you have to do this I suggest you name all the printers and enter their ip address in /etc/hosts, then refer to the name when you set up the queue.

 

[desbo]

When the queue is set up in smit both the hostname and IP address are required fields and the command generated looks like this example

/usr/lib/lpd/pio/etc/piomkjetd mkpq_jetdirect -p 'hplj-5siMopier' -D pcl -q 'test' -h 'EXEC-MTMS-JD94' -e '111.111.111.111' -n 'ether' -x '9100' -m '255.255.248.0'

I assume that if just changed the IP address in the hostfile the 111.111.111.111 in this example would still be held against the printer somewhere.

 

[khalidaaa]

where do you go within the smit menu to create the Q?

From smit mkpq i see the following command being used which doesn't need the IP address! All you need is the printer name as specified in the DNS (or /etc/hosts)!

/usr/lib/lpd/pio/etc/piomkjetd mkpq_jetdirect -p 'hplj-3' -D pcl -q 'test' -h 'myDNSq' -x '9100'

Regards,
Khalid

 

[psi07004]

Are you setting up the printer as a spooled device with an lpd? Otherwise you don't need both. If not then...

Try this...
First give the printer a name and ip address in the /etc/hosts file. Then...

SMIT->Print Spooling->AIX Print Spooling->Add a Print Queue
->hpJetDirect->Hewlett-Packard->hplj-4000(or whatever)->
2 Do NOT make this system a BOOTP/TFTP server->
Then on the PCL line put in the queue name (arbitrary, you assign, or make it match the one you are replacing)and on the Postscript line as well if you are going to use that.
Then on the "HOSTNAME of the JetDirect Card" put in the name you entered in the hosts file. Hit enter and you should be done.

Note that this assumes that each printer has a jetdirect (lan) card in it, and you are not using an external jetdirect box. If you are using an external device, then you will need to increment the port number for each interface on the box.

 

[desbo]

There are 2 options that come up

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

You suggest that we should take option 2
We always set up ours with option 1. The reason why is lost in the mists of time.

I can see when using option 2 that no IP address is required. However when we use option 2 both a host name and IP address are required fields.

What is the difference between the 2 options

Thanks

 

[khalidaaa]

Select appropriate connection type: 

This is used if you have an external jetdirect card. Or if you wish to use bootp to give your internal jetdirect card its IP address. 
This is used if you have programmed your internal jetdirect card's IP address from the front panel of the printer. It can also be used if you have already set up a queue using selection number 1, or if another system on your network is providing bootp service to the jetdirect card. The best way to test if you can use this selection is if you can ping the printer by hostname. If so, select option 2. 
If you select option 2, the last three fields (HW addr, GW addr, SUBNET) will not be present, as in the example below:

Have a look here:

http://bio.gsi.de/DOCS/AIX/www.coredumps.de/doc/ibm/aix/aix_hints_and_tips/7114716.htm

http://www.unix.com/unix-dummies-questions-answers/4992-bootp-tftp.html

http://www4.infoprintsolutionscompa...com.ibm.printers.aixprocedures/iprx4mst23.htm

Regards,
Khalid

 

[psi07004]

The assumption is that since you said you wanted to change the ip address, that you have an assigned fixed ip address for each printer. Given this, the bootp option would not be correct, and you should choose "DO NOT...." as above. When you do this you are prompted for...
Add a Print Queue

Type or select values in entry fields.
Press Enter AFTER making all desired changes.
[Entry Fields]
Description Hewlett-Packard Laser>

Names of NEW print queues to add
PCL(Hangeul Character printing as image) []
PCL(Hangeul Character printing as code) []
PCL []
HP-GL/2 []
PostScript []

Printer connection characteristics
* HOSTNAME of the JetDirect Card []
* PORT [9100]

From here you would fill in as many NEW print queue names
as desired in the first part. On the second "Printer Connection..." just fill in the host name of the printer that you put in the /etc/hosts file. Do not change the PORT unless this is a JetDirect box with multiple interfaces. There is no where on this screen that requires both an ip and hostname.

However, if you really are using BOOTP and have a bootp server on the network, then see the following document which should answer your configuration questions.

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docvi...e&uid=isg3T1000229&loc=en_US&cs=UTF-8&lang=en

 

[desbo]

As I said before, the reason why we set them up with the BOOTP option is lost in the mists of time.

Know I know how they should be set up but that does not help me change the IP address on over 30 printers we have currently defined. Is there a way to change what we have set up now or will I have to recreate all 30+ printers this time without the BOOTp option of course.

Thanks

 

[khalidaaa]

desbo,

30 Qs are not much if you are going to do them in a script!

All you have to remember is this line:

/usr/lib/lpd/pio/etc/piomkjetd mkpq_jetdirect -p 'hplj-3' -D pcl -q 'test' -h 'myDNSq' -x '9100'

You will have a system by then without BOOTP!

Regards,
Khalid

 

[desbo]

It's not the basic setting up that is the problem. All the time is taken getting the seetings right so that the correct paper trays are used which in our experience is a bit hit and miss and requires each printer to be tested with a user (it is an offsite location) on the phone telling us what the printer is doing.

If there is still a way to change the IP address without losing all these settings then that is the route we would like to go. Obviously the IP address changes will happen at a point in time and we would like all the printers to be working ASAP after the address change has been done

Thanks

 

[psi07004]

With the printers configured as BOOTP (older version of DHCP) they obtain an ip address from the bootp server. Your printer configuration for BOOTP is based upon the mac address of the printer lan/jetdirect card, the given network parameters, and the ip address range assigned to the bootp server. Given this, you should be able to go to the bootp and dhc config files and change this. Don't know you version of AIX, but go to /etc and do "ls bootp*" and "ls dhc*". Look into these config files until you find the current ip address range assignment you are now using. You should then be able to change this. Then stop and start the server to use the new range.

 

[desbo]

sorry to keep on about this but I am out of my comfort zone here.

AIX 5.2 by the way.

I have looked at the /etc/bootptab file and not all the printers are in that file. Some are but by no means all.

Also how do I identify if the bootp process is running on the AIX server. ps command does not show anything that looks like it.

 

[psi07004]

Take a look at this example for setting up a printer using bootp. It should answer your questions.

http://www4.infoprintsolutionscompa...com.ibm.printers.aixprocedures/iprx4mst23.htm

 

[desbo]

Hmmmmm....the bootp daemon is not running on any of our 3 AIX servers.

 

[psi07004]

It does not have to be running on an AIX system, but could be running somewhere else. Look at where the printer config points to (ip) for this info.