Chapter 13 - LexLink Bridge Printing
Introduction to LexLink Bridge Printing
LexLink is a network printer protocol developed by Lexmark International that allows a printer to communicate directly with a LAN. Banyan's LexLink Bridge service enables network users to access printers connected to a Lexmark printer adapter.
Using a Lexmark adapter, you can hook printers directly onto a LAN instead of connecting them to a server or a PC (using PCPrint). When a user sends print jobs to a printer attached to Lexmark adapter, the jobs travel over the network to the print service where they are queued. The jobs are then routed back over the network to the printer attached to the Lexmark adapter.
The LexLink Bridge service supports the following Lexmark printer adapters:
Internal adapters: Models for the 4039 series of printers External adapters: Model 4033-001
Note: The LexLink Bridge service supports only Token-Ring adapters.
Configuring the LexLink Bridge Service
You must configure the LexLink Bridge service on a 6.xx server that has the Network Printing option installed. To run the configuration software, you must configure the client software for the English language. You cannot configure the service in non-English environments.
To print to a Lexmark printer adapter from the network, you need to perform these steps:
1. Install the Lexmark adapter.
2. If you have not already done so, add a print service with PCPrint. The print service can be anywhere on the network; it does not have to be on a 6.0 server.
3. Add and configure a LexLink Bridge service.
Each of these tasks is described in this section.
Installing the Lexmark Printer Adapter
There are two types of Lexmark adapters:
External Network Adapters (ENA) - These adapters work with any parallel or serial printer. You must configure a port connection before using this type of adapter.
Internal Network Adapters (INA) - These adapters must be compatible with the printer to which they connect. Refer to the documentation provided with the adapter for the printers this adapter supports.
Install the adapter according to the instructions included with it.
If a print service with a PCPrint destination already exists on your network, go to "Adding a LexLink Bridge Service" later in this chapter.
If you do not have a print service with a PCPrint destination, you must:
1. Add a print service. See "To Add a Print Service" in Chapter 8.
2. Add a PCPrint destination. See "To Add a PCPrint Destination" in Chapter 12.
Adding a LexLink Bridge Service
This section describes how to add a LexLink Bridge service to a server. The server where the LexLink Bridge service resides must be on the same Token-Ring path - no more than seven hops (a hop is a step in the the transmission of data) - as the Lexmark ENA or INA adapter.
The LexLink Bridge service requires very little disk space - a maximum of 200,000 bytes to store log files and approximately 150 bytes per connection to store configuration data.
Before performing the following procedure, check that the drive Z you connect to is running VINES 6.0 by typing WHATZ at the command line.
To Add a LexLink Bridge Service
1. From a PC on the network, enter MSERVICE at the system prompt. The Manage Services menu appears.
2. Choose ADD a server-based service. The Add A Service screen appears.
3. Enter the StreetTalk name and description of the new service.
4. Do one of the following:
If your network has only one server, the Select Type of Service menu appears. To continue, go to step 5.
If your network has more than one server, the Select A Server menu appears. Choose the server to which to add the new service. The Select Type of Service menu appears.
5. Choose VINES LexLink Bridge service. You are prompted to select a disk.
Note: If the system prompts you to specify up to 13 parameters, the drive Z you connect to is on a server that is not running VINES 6.0. Use the NEWREV command upgrade your client software to 6.0 and return to step 1. See Managing Workstations for information on the NEWREV command.
6. Choose the disk the service will use. The system prompts you to start the service immediately.
Note: The LexLink Bridge service requires very little disk space - a maximum of 200,000 bytes to store log files and approximately 150 bytes per connection to store configuration data.
7. Choose YES to start the service. You must start the service in order to add connections. The system informs you that the service is created.
Before you use the LexLink Bridge service, you need to define printer connections for the ports on the Lexmark printer adapter. The following section contains instructions for adding a LexLink Bridge connection.
Adding a LexLink Bridge Connection
To configure a LexLink Bridge service, you add connections. A connection is an association between a port on the printer adapter and a print service. You need to define a connection for each adapter port that you plan to use. For example, to use both the serial and the parallel port, you must add two connections when you configure the server - one connection for each port.
Each connection needs its own print service. If you configure multiple connections to use a single print service, only the first connection initializes. Subsequent connections receive a SrcFailed error.
The LexLink Bridge service and its associated print service can exist on separate servers. However, if you choose this configuration, both servers must be running for printing to work.
To Add a LexLink Bridge Connection
1. Access the Control A Service menu for the service by using either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
3. Choose ADD connection. The Connection Information screen appears.
4. Enter the 12-character hexadecimal adapter address in the AdaptAddr field. You can find the adapter address on the adapter itself, listed as the LAN Address.
5. Enter the appropriate value in the Port field:
- Enter 0 for the serial port or for an INA.
- Enter 1 for the parallel port.
6. Press ENTER to skip the Media field. (Currently, only Token-Ring is supported.)
7. Use the right and left arrow keys to choose a setting for the State field:
- Choose Enable to enable the adapter for immediate use.
- Choose Disable to disable the adapter for immediate use.
8. In the PrintService field, enter the name of the print service to associate with this adapter. Press F2 to display a list of available print services.
9. Enter an optional description for this connection in the Description field. Adding a description helps users to distinguish between different connections.
10. When you are finished entering information, press F10 to save the configuration. The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
If the printer adapter is an external model, you must configure the adapter ports. See the following section for instructions.
Configuring Ports for External Adapters
If the printer adapter is an external model (such as the Lexmark 4033-001 adapter), you need to configure the adapter port that corresponds to the connection. You do not need to configure the ports for internal adapters.
The configuration procedure differs for serial ports and parallel ports. Before you can configure a port, a connection to the port must exist. If you have not added a connection to the port, see "To Add a LexLink Bridge Connection" earlier in this chapter.
When you configure the adapter ports, make sure the values you enter are appropriate for the type of printer attached to the port. See your printer documentation for the correct values.
To Configure a Serial Port
1. Access the Control A Service menu for the service by using either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
3. Choose CONFIGURE port. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
4. Choose the port you want to configure. A port type of 0 indicates a serial port.
5. When prompted, fill in the following information:
Note: Make sure the values you enter are the appropriate values for the attached printer. If you do not know the correct values, consult the documentation that came with your printer.
Baud - Use the arrow keys to view the line speeds. These line speeds are available: 110, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, and 38400.
DataBits - Use the arrow keys to view the available values for number of data bits per frame transmitted. These values are available: 8, 7, 6, and 5.
StopBits - Use the arrow keys to view the available values for number of stop bits per frame transmitted. These values are available: 1, 1.5, and 2.
Parity - Use the arrow keys to view the available values for parity. These values are available: None (no parity), Space, Mark, Odd, and Even.
Protocol - Use the arrow keys to view the available values for protocol. These values are available: DTR (Data Terminal Ready) or XonXoff (Transmitter On/Transmitter Off).
Timeout - Enter in seconds the time that elapses before the LexLink Bridge service receives a message from the adapter informing it that a printer is offline and no longer receiving data.
To Configure a Parallel Port
1. Access the Control A Service menu for the service by using either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
3. Choose CONFIGURE port. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
4. Select the port you want to configure and press ENTER. A port type of 1 indicates a parallel port.
5. Use the right or left arrow key to choose the appropriate printer mode:
- Choose Standard for an IBM PC parallel printer interface. This type of interface is sometimes referred to as a Centronics type of interface.
- Choose Enhanced for an IBM PS/2 enhanced version of the Standard parallel printer interface that uses direct memory access (DMA). The Enhanced version can sometimes provide a faster throughput, depending on the type of printer.
- Choose Fastbytes for the IBM LaserPrinter 4029. The Fastbytes mode provides the best throughput for those printers that support the Fastbytes parallel interface.
6. In the Timeout field, enter in seconds the time that elapses before the LexLink Bridge service receives a message from the adapter informing it that a printer is offline and no longer receiving data.
Managing the LexLink Bridge Service
This section explains how to manage a LexLink Bridge service.
Changing a LexLink Bridge Connection
This section explains how to modify, delete, enable, and disable a LexLink Bridge connection. You may need to perform some of these tasks if you start, restart, or relocate a LexLink Bridge service.
To Modify a LexLink Bridge Connection
1. Access the Control A Service menu for the service by using either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
3. Choose MODIFY connection. The Connection Information screen appears.
4. Modify the desired fields by following the procedures in "To Add a LexLink Bridge Connection" earlier in this chapter.
5. Press F10 to save the changes. The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
To Enable or Disable a Connection
1. Access the Control A Service menu for the service by using either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
3. Choose MODIFY connection. The Connection Information screen appears.
4. Press ENTER or DOWN ARROW until the cursor is on the State field.
5. Choose either Enable or Disable. The left and right arrow keys toggle between the choices.
6. Press F10 to save the changes. The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
To Delete a LexLink Bridge Connection
1. Access the Control A Service menu for the service by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose CONFIGURE service. The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
3. Choose DELETE connection. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
4. Select the connection you want to delete and press ENTER. The system asks you to confirm the deletion:
- Choose YES to delete the connection.
- Choose NO to retain the connection.
The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
Changing a LexLink Bridge Service
This section explains how to start, stop, delete, and relocate a LexLink Bridge service. You need to enable connections any time you start or restart a LexLink Bridge service. You need to disable connections before you relocate a LexLink Bridge service. See "To Enable or Disable a Connection" earlier in this chapter for instructions.
To Start or Stop a LexLink Bridge Service
1. Access the Control A Service menu for the service by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
2. Choose either START service or STOP service.
3. If you started the service, you need to enable connections. See "To Enable or Disable a Connection" earlier in this chapter.
To Delete a LexLink Bridge Service
1. Disable all connections. See "To Enable or Disable a Connection" earlier in this chapter.
2. Delete all connections. See "To Delete a LexLink Bridge Connection" earlier in this chapter for instructions.
Note: Steps 1 and 2 are necessary to release the adapter ports. If you skip steps 1 and 2, you need to manually reset the adapter ports. See "Resetting Adapter Ports" later in this chapter.
3. From the Manage A Service menu for the LexLink Bridge service, choose DELETE Service. The system prompts you to confirm the deletion:
- Choose YES to delete the service.
- Choose NO to retain the service.
Relocating the LexLink Bridge Service
You can relocate a LexLink Bridge service from one server to another. Before you attempt to relocate the service, verify that the destination server meets the following conditions:
The server has the Network Printing option installed. The server has the appropriate media (at this time, only Token-Ring is supported). The server does not have an existing LexLink Bridge service.
If all of these conditions are met, read the following instructions first before attempting to relocate the server. It is important that you perform the following steps in order.
To Relocate the LexLink Bridge Service
1. Disable all connections. See "To Enable or Disable a Connection" earlier in this chapter for instructions.
2. Stop the LexLink Bridge service. See "To Start or Stop a LexLink Bridge Service" earlier in this chapter for instructions.
3. Back up the LexLink Bridge service. For information on performing backups, see the Banyan Server Operations Guide.
4. Relocate the service. See "To Relocate a Service - Method 2" in Chapter 2 for instructions.
5. Restore the service from the backup tapes. For instructions on restoring services from backups, see the Banyan Server Operations Guide.
6. Enable the connections. See "To Enable or Disable a Connection" earlier in this chapter for instructions.
7. Start the service. See "To Start or Stop a LexLink Bridge Service" earlier in this chapter for instructions.
Note: If you forget to disable the connections before you backup and restore the service, you must reset the adapter ports after you restore the service. See "To Reset the Adapter" for instructions.
When a server sends a print job to an adapter, the server captures the adapter port. The adapter remembers the address of the server that captured it and only that server may print jobs or configure ports on the adapter. When the server releases the adapter, another server may then capture it.
Occasionally, a server fails to release the adapter after a print job. If this occurs, you need to manually release the adapter. This process is called resetting the adapter.
1. Depending on your adapter type, physically reset the adapter by doing one of the following:
- For external adapters, press the RESET button. See your adapter manufacturer's documentation if you have trouble finding the RESET button.
- For internal adapters, power the printer off and then on again.
2. Access the Control A Service menu for the service by running either MSERVICE or OPERATE. See "Accessing the Service Menus" in Chapter 2 for detailed instructions.
3. Choose CONFIGURE service The Manage Lexmark Adapter screen appears.
4. Choose RESET port access. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
5. Choose the port to which the adapter is connected. The system prompts you to confirm the reset:
- Choose YES to reset the port.
- Choose NO to skip resetting the port.
When you reset an adapter port, all connections to that port are reset. They are automatically disabled and then enabled.
Troubleshooting LexLink Bridge Printing
If you cannot print, verify the following:
The print service is running. The LexLink Bridge service is running. A connection has been configured and is enabled.
If you have recently relocated or deleted a LexLink Bridge service, review "To Relocate the LexLink Bridge Service" or "To Delete a LexLink Bridge Connection" earlier in this chapter, to ensure that you properly relocated or deleted the service.
If the following options do not appear on the Manage Lexmark Adapter menu, your drive Z is not from a 6.00 server. Run NEWREV to upgrade your client software. See Managing Workstations for information about the NEWREV command.
The Manage Lexmark Adapter menu should contain these options:
ADD connection CONFIGURE port MODIFY connection RESET port access DELETE connection
If you disconnect the Token-Ring cable from one MAU (Multistation Access Unit) and attach it to a new MAU, and reset the 4033 adapter, you will receive an error message on the Manage Lexmark Adapter menu. Reset the adapter and the port. See "Resetting Adapter Ports" earlier in this chapter.
The Manage Lexmark Adapter menu provides information on the LexLink Bridge service and the status of the Lexmark adapter. Table 13-1 describes the fields shown on the Manage Lexmark Adapter menu.
Determining Print Queue Status with SETPRINT
You can use the SETPRINT command to display the status of jobs in the print queue. For information on using SETPRINT, see "To Access the Print Queue Command Menu" in Chapter 11.
A status of Printer Busy means that the job is ready to print, but the printer is unavailable. If you try to print to a LexLink Bridge service that is not running, the print queue displays the status "Printer Busy."
You need to verify the following:
The LexLink Bridge service is running. The connection is enabled.
Most connection activity generates a log message that is stored in the log file. This log file contains other messages, including error messages. One important error message to look for in the log is DestFailed. This can indicate a problem with a connection.
To generate a log file, you use MSERVICE. You can find information on generating log files in the Banyan Server Operations Guide. For information on reading and interpreting the log file, see Appendix D.
