Print to a Windows Shared Printer from SCO5 2

[overdraft015]

Hello,

I am trying to add a shared printer (from a server 2003) to my sco unix box. but i cant seem to figure it out.

I have done some searching in the forums but the results i have found havent quite worked for me. maybe im missing something. I have to admit unix is not my thing but its something i have inherited for my company.

The sco box is Sco 5.0.7, the windows is server 2003, the printer is a multitude of printers but for the sake of this question lets says its a HP 4250 Printer. (i know this has it's own network port we can use but i have accounting software amongst other software that needs to know about the printout so that option isnt really suitable, and that is setup already)

i have tried using the scoadmin function but cant seem to find some of the fields the other posts have mentioned e.g queue, host. i can upload screen shots + copy of the host file. oh yeah i have also enabled tcp/ip printing for unix on the windows box.

Hope this is all clear and any help to fix this issue will be greatly appreciated, and for those in the UK as a thank you i can send some samples of glassware/tableware for you (if you would like i know its not much but its what we do)

Regards,

Michael

 

[edfair]

I've just battled through the same morass of issues with 5.0.5. Everybody says use netcat but I found issues every step of the way, from the simple netcat not working, to makefile errors, and to compiler errors on everything from the pcunix version to the other 2 versions available on the web, to socat, which is supposed to be the ultimate solution.

My solution was the unix printing on the windows box, rlpconf on the unix box pointing to the windows printer on the windows box, and a local printer using a modified pcunix simple script dumping $* through the cr on new line filter piped to the rlp printer.

For 5.0.6 and greater the interim step isn't required since you can append an output filter in the printcap file.

Most of this is on Tony Lawrence's site, but you have to query it correctly and read some between the lines and discard some that is not needed.



Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[motoslide]

Do you know if your SCO system is running either VisionFS or SAMBA? Either of these can be configured to use printers which are "SHARED" on the Windows box. In Win2003, you would likely run into authentication issues which might require you to lower the security a bit.

I haven't tried the "tcp/ip printing for unix" on the Windows box, but I assume this enables LPR/LPD. To enable that on your SCO box, you will need to run "mkdev rlp", then configure the first printer. There-after, you just run "rlpconf" to configure additional printers.
You might need to make changes to the /etc/printcap file to match the QUEUE names configured on the Windows box.

"Proof that there is intelligent life in Oregon. Well, Life anyway.

 

[overdraft015]

thank you edfair but i think all that is way over my head.

motoslide i have the following installed on the box:

Samba File and Print Server (ver 2.2.8Aa)

but im not sure how to configure this?

i also know we have some kind of vision installed but i think that might be just for SQL retrieval/file exploring for our windows machines.

sorry i am not much help but my unix skills are very limited and i am learning as/when i need to do something. e.g. this,

Regards,

Michael

 

[motoslide]

Since you've already installed the TCP/IP Printing for UNIX on your Win2003 box, that might be your best solution. Does that give you the option to define LPR print queues?
On the SCO box, you run "mkdev rlp" if this is the first LPR/LPD printer to be configured. If this has already been run once, subsequent printers are configured using "rlpconf" instead. In either case, the prompts will ask you to create the printer and specify the remote server. If you select to define a Remote printer named "bozo" on "winserver", the system will create (or append to) /etc/printcap. It will also create the queue directory in /usr/spool/lpd/bozo

In the /etc/printcap file are lines similar to this:

bozo:\
      :lp=:rm=winserver:rp=bozo:sd=/usr/spool/lpd/bozo:mx#0:

In that example,
UNIX spooled printer is named "bozo".
Remote server is named "winserver".
LPR Queue on that server named "bozo".

Make sure the SCO system can ping "winserver". You might need to add an entry to the /etc/hosts file.

If editing UNIX system files is beyond your comfort zone, you should probably seek support in your area.

If you wish to try SAMBA, you should first test authentication using this command:

# smbclient -L 192.168.1.100 -Uloginid%password

Where:
"192.168.1.100" is the Windows IP address.
"loginid" is a valid user on that server/domain.
"password" is the password for "loginid".

"Proof that there is intelligent life in Oregon. Well, Life anyway.

 

[edfair]

Does not actually require that you run mkdev rlp on the earlier systems.

Run rlpconf and create the printer by the correct name of the printer and the server. That should be simple enough as it prompts you for the info. But it is case sensitive on both names, look in the windows box for how they are named.

Edit a file in /usr/spool/lp/model by the name of simplenet containing:

shift :shift :shift: shift: shift
cat $* | /usr/lib/lponlcr | lp -dPRINTER

PRINTER being the name you gave in rlpconf

do a makedev lp and create a local printer using the model simplenet and /dev/null.

Add the ipaddress and name of the host system in /etc/hosts.

If things set up correctly you should be able to do a lpstat -t and get the remote and local printers to show.

There should be 2 printcap files in /etc. the first should show the name of the local name you are using, the rm remote machine name, the rp remote printer name, and the queue it is using.

If you fail to give the hosts info, lpstat won't report info about the printer.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[overdraft015]

Thank you to everyone who helped i have now managed to get this to work.

i think the problem was i was using the dns name and didnt add the entry in the host file. once i used the ip address it has worked (using the motoslide rlpconf method)

edfair - i didnt see that file you mentioned (simplenet) when i tried your method.

ok yes i can confirm that it was the unix box didnt know about the windows box. once i have added it using the hostname instead of the IP works.

Once again thank you

Does anyone want those free glassware/tableware samples for the trouble?

 

[edfair]

It was intended that you create the file simplenet. Sorry that I worded it that way.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[overdraft015]

no problems edfair

If my unix skills we're up to scratch i may have realised.

 

[utkuguney]

Hi all,

I am Utku from Turkey. Overdraft, do you have step by step instruction to share windoes printer to sco unix box.
thaks in advance for your help

 

[overdraft015]

Hi Utku,

I will have some documentation i created at work and should be able to upload this for you tommorow.

Regards,

Michael

 

[utkuguney]

good morning all,

overdraft015 I am still awaiting your documentation

Regards,

Utku.