Help getting a serial printer to work plugged into DigiChannel board

[stilley]

Hi, I am trying to get a serial printer to work in SCO openserver Unix 5.05. We have others that are currently working but I am not sure where to look to duplicate the configuration. The printer is plugged into port TTYB13 of the Digi channel board thats hooked up to my Unix server. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

 

[edfair]

when logged as root, mpi. Should bring up several screens where you config the ports.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[stanhubble]

As far as current port parameters, lets say you have a working serial printer on ttyb12 (and yes case matters)

ditty -a /dev/ttyb12
will list all parameter on the port.
if you want to duplicate the settings of one port onto another:
ditty -n /dev/ttyb13 `ditty /dev/ttyb12 | tr \( " " | tr \) " " | head -4`

if you wish to set the port for each print job you will need to modify the /usr/spool/lp/admins/lp/interfaces/nameofprinter to include either the stty settings or the ditty settings.

 

[antix]

If given that the digiboard is already configured... you could easily set this up in SCOADMIN. The "standard" driver works in most all cases for the model.

Set your printer parameters to 8,n,1 and 9600B XON/XOFF..

 

[REdward]

In setting your printer up with a digi portserver, the first thing you need to do is check the /etc/inittab file for an entry for the port device tty13b and make sure that that port is set for the same baud rate that your printer is set for. While editing /etc/inittab, look for a single character (l, m, n) at the end of the entry for tty13b. This character sets the baud rate on the port. l=4800 baud, m=9600 baud, n=19200 baud. If you have to change the baud rate on tty13b in the inittab file, you must also change the baud rate on the tty13b entry in the /etc/conf/init.d/ncxa file to match or the next time the server is booted, the baud rate will revert to its previous value and the printer will cease to work.
Next, while logged in as root, disable the port with the disable command............# disable tty13b
Next, still logged in as root, run scoadmin and select printers then the standard print server (I think the last line on the list). Now cursor right one selection over and open the pull down menu with the down cursor key and select 'add local printer'. Fill in the requested info like printer name and filter model name and the device (/dev/tty13b) that it is attached to. Then tab down to OK and hit the enter key. All this will set the printer up to function with the spooler. Now you should be able to send a file to the printer and have it print. Logged in as root, send a file directly to the printer with the 'cat' command. At the pound sign# type cat /etc/rc > /dev/tty13b and hit the enter key. This will send the rc file (a short available file actually any text file will do) to the printer testing the printer, printer's serial port, cable in the wall and both patch cables at once. If this works then try to print using the spooler. Assuming you are using the lp spooler the command is:
# lp -dprintername /etc/rc if this prints you are in good shape. Now try printing from your application software.

 

[stilley]

Thanks for all your help! I did as you said but still no go. I am missing something. Its configured right in the digi board and in scoadmin. What does this line mean?

Eb07:23:respawn:/etc/getty ttyb07 m
EB07:23ff:/etc/getty ttyB07 2

sorry, I said it was ttyb13 earlier but I was wrong, its device ttyb07.

 

[edfair]

respawn is the instruction to give the login prompt when someone logs out.
The port is still enabled as a login port. Disable ttyixx. Or better yet, get to mpi and set the port up as a prn device rather than term device. And I assume you want to use b13 rather than B13 as the port.

If the cables are in place try cat /etc/default/tar > /dev/ttyixx and see if you get 1/2 page of the file.

Until you can dump to the port that way nothing else is going to work either. Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[stilley]

Thanks guys, I got it to work, I did have it set up right but my cabling was wrong. I wired the connectors wrong and didn't cross over pins 2 and 3. After fixing that it now works when I print cat /etc/default/tar > /dev/ttyixx. Thanks again for all your help!

 

[stilley]

I do have one problem, however...

The printer is working and configured the same way as my other ones. But,

Whenever I print anything, whether it is from Unix logged on as root or from my application software, I get this heading that prints everytime at the top that says:

##### User: root
#####
##### Printed: Fri 10:41 Mar 21, 2003
#####
#####
##### Job number: ep8701-96726
#####
#####
#####
#####
#####

I don't want this stuff to print, so how can I fix this problem? Thanks again.

 

[edfair]

In printer manager turn off the banner. In /etc/default/lpd tell it banners =0

The more significant question is why don't the other printers print a banner. Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[stilley]

Thanks, that worked when I went into print manager and changed banners to 0. But the other printers listed in there still have banners = 1 and so does /etc/default/lpd banners = 1 as well. Thats very strange that they don't print the banners.

 

[stilley]

I wonder if these settings are getting overridden by another file somewhere else...?

 

[edfair]

Depends on whether somebody modified the interface scripts for starters. Banner printing is covered about two thirds of the way down in the script. I'm not a script guy, but I have modified them where neccessary to eliminate the banners on some older releases.

Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[davehunter]

under
/usr/spool/lp/admins/lp/interfaces/printername

change the value of nobanner="no" to a "yes"

PS you may want to add the following line to the first line of
/usr/spool/lp/admins/lp/interfaces/printername

ditty ixon ixoff -ixany 0<&1

when printing long reports, this holds the communication better.