Chapter 8 - Creating Print Services
Introduction to Creating Print Services
Print services allow users to access and use printers on your network. To manage printers across the network, you first create a print service on a server and then add the printers to the service.
Before you begin, read the chapters on print services in Planning a Banyan Network. In addition, read "Recommendations for Print Services" later in this chapter and compare it with your planned print services. Making adjustments before you create print services is easier than changing the configuration later.
Number of Print Services Per Server
A VINES 7.x server supports a maximum of 100 print services. This is especially useful for users who have printers in each of many offices. Administrators should realize that print services use resources and, if you configure many print services on a server, you should not have any other major resource-using services on that server. If you plan to have close to the limit for the number of print services, you should consider using that server for print services only.
The following guidelines present an upper bound of the resources required for each print service and associated print destinations:
432 KB of virtual memory per print service 22 sockets per print service plus 22 sockets for each print destination on the print service Communication buffer of 1760 bytes per print service plus 1760 bytes for each print destination on the print service
Tasks in Adding a Print Service
The major tasks in adding a print service are:
1. Adding and starting the service
2. Configuring the queue
3. Creating a list of paper formats
4. Setting up the access lists
5. Setting up the alert list
6. Adding the first destination
7. Adding other destinations
8. Changing the queue status
For many of the major tasks, this chapter provides some reference information, a quick start procedure, and a detailed procedure. The quick start procedures assume that you accept the default values in each configuration screen. The detailed procedures explain how to change the defaults.
To add a print service, you must be on the AdminList of the group in which you plan to create the service and the AdminList of the server where the print service will reside.
Table 8-1 describes the editing keys you can use in the configuration screens for a print service.
Adding and Starting the Service
You must add and start a print service before you can configure it.
1. From a PC on the network, enter MSERVICE at the system prompt. The Manage Services screen 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. If you loaded StreetTalk Directory Assistance, press ALT-N to view the names of other services.
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 on which to add the new service. The Select Type Of Service menu appears.
5. Choose VINES print service. The Choose Disk screen appears.
6. Choose the disk the service will use. The system creates and starts the service. The following message appears:
The service is running but not yet available to users.
For the service to be available to users, you must configure at least one destination.
7. Press F10. The system displays the first of a series of configuration screens - the Configure Queue screen.
To configure the new service by accepting the default configuration values, follow the procedures under the headings with the "Quick Start" designation.
A print service places print jobs in a queue where the jobs wait until a printer becomes available. To make the print service available to users, you must configure:
Maximum number of jobs the queue can accept Maximum size of any one job users can submit to the queue
You may choose the defaults or enter your own values. The Configure Queue screen in Figure 8-1 shows the default values.
To Configure the Queue - Quick Start
1. At the Configure Queue screen, press F10 to accept the default values. The Configure Paper Formats menu appears.
2. Go to "Creating the List of Paper Formats" later in this chapter.
To Change Default Queue Values
1. At the Configure Queue screen, move the cursor to the value you want to change.
2. Press CTRL-X to clear the default value.
3. Enter the numeric values you want to use (up to 65535 in either field). To reset to Unlimited, enter U.
4. Press F10 to save your changes. The Configure Paper Formats menu appears. Go to "Creating the List of Paper Formats."
Creating the List of Paper Formats
You must enter a list of paper formats for the print service. This list should contain all the formats available to the destinations that you add to the service. When you add destinations, you choose paper formats from this list.
The Configure Paper Formats menu contains two default paper formats: Standard and PostScript. Figure 8-2 shows the default paper formats.
If you plan to use the PostScript format, be sure to install the VINES POSTFILT print filter after adding the service. This filter converts DOS-formatted files to PostScript for printing on any PostScript printer, including Apple LaserWriter printers and HP LaserJet printers with PostScript cartridges. For more information on print filters, see Chapter 10.
To Add Paper Formats - Quick Start
1. At the Configure Paper Formats screen, press F10 to accept the default formats.
2. Go to "Setting Up the Access Lists" later in this chapter.
1. At the Configure Paper Formats menu, choose ADD. A data entry screen for paper formats appears.
2. Enter a name for the paper format in the Paper format name field. Use up to 15 alphanumeric characters.
3. Enter the appropriate page width, in characters per line.
4. Enter the appropriate page length, in lines per page.
5. Press F10 to save the new paper format. The Configure Paper Formats menu appears.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 to add all the paper formats required for the print service.
After configuring the paper formats for the service, you can change or delete the formats. To change or delete paper formats, see "To Change Paper Formats" and "To Delete Paper Formats" later in this chapter.
If you do not want to make changes, press F10. The Access List screen appears. Go to "Setting Up the Access Lists" later in this chapter.
1. At the Configure Paper Formats menu, choose CHANGE. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
2. Choose the format you want to change. A confirmation screen appears.
3. Choose YES.
The data entry screen displays the current information for the selected format. In Figure 8-3, the example format name is HP1-A4, with the same width and length as the Standard format (80 characters wide by 60 lines long).
4. Use the editing keys described in Table 8-1 to revise the format configuration.
5. Press F10 to save the new format configuration. The Configure Paper Formats menu appears.
6. If you are finished making changes, press F10 to continue. The Access Lists screen appears. Go to "Setting Up the Access Lists" later in this chapter.
1. At the Configure Paper Formats menu, choose DELETE. The cursor moves to the bottom half of the screen.
2. Choose the format you want to delete. The system prompts you to confirm the deletion.
3. Choose YES. The Configure Paper Formats menu appears.
After you delete a paper format, you must assign new paper formats to any of the service's destination printers that used the deleted format. You must also modify the job profiles that used the deleted format.
After configuring the paper formats for the service, the system prompts you to set up the access lists.
The next configuration screen in the sequence is the Access Lists screen. This screen allows you to set up the following access lists for the print service:
Operator List - Contains the StreetTalk names of operators of the print service.
User List - Contains the StreetTalk names of users of the print service.
To set up access lists, you enter the StreetTalk names of individuals or lists to specify the operators and users of the print service. Each access list can have up to five entries. If you need more than five, create a StreetTalk list for the entries and put that list name in the access list.
The Access Lists screen in Figure 8-4 shows the default entries.
You can keep or delete the default entries, and add other StreetTalk names. For example, you can enter the following:
*@Mkt@WCTUS
*@*@WCTUS or *@*@*
You can also enter patterns such as Bill Jones@*@WCTUS or Juan*@Mkt@WCTES.
Print operators have a subset of administrator privileges. They can perform all activities on any job listed in the Control Printer/Jobs screen of SETPRINT. Users designated as Operators cannot control the print service by using MSERVICE except to change the status of the print queue. Operators cannot add or delete destinations. You can designate any user as an operator.
The default entry is the AdminList of the group to which the service belongs. For example, if the service's group name is Mkt@WCTUS, the default entry in the Operator List is AdminList@Mkt@WCTUS. See "AdminList Requirements" in Chapter 1 for more information on AdminLists.
Users can perform most of the tasks in the Control Printer/Jobs menu displayed by the SETPRINT program, but only on their own jobs.
The default entry in the USERS list (*@*@*) allows all users logged in to the network, or other print services that use this print service as a destination, to access this print service. If you redirect other print services to this one, include the names of those print services in the User List if you change the default *@*@*.
Macintosh
All Macintosh users can access print services available to them through the Chooser accessory. You do not need to put the StreetTalk names of Macintosh users on the USERS list.
To Setup Access List - Quick Start
1. At the Access Lists screen, press F10 to accept the defaults. The Alert screen appears.
2. Go to "Setting Up the Alert List" later in this chapter.
1. At the Access Lists screen:
- Press CTRL-X to delete the default operator (AdminList@group@org).
- Move the cursor to the first blank field by pressing DOWN ARROW or ENTER and enter a StreetTalk name to add names to the OPERATORS list. Repeat this until you have entered all the names you want in the OPERATORS list.
2. Do one of the following:
- Move the cursor to the USERS list by pressing DOWN ARROW or ENTER to change the USERS list. Go to step 3.
- Go to step 4 to accept the USERS list default value.
3. At the USERS list section:
- Press CTRL-X to delete the default user (*@*@*).
- Move the cursor to the first blank field by pressing DOWN ARROW or ENTER and enter a StreetTalk name to add names to the USERS list. Repeat until you have entered all the names you want in the USERS list.
4. Press F10. The Alert Lists screen appears. Go to "Setting Up the Alert List" later in this chapter.
You cannot leave the Access Lists screen blank. If you leave a list blank, the system displays the following message when you save the lists:
List is blank. Reinstating defaults...
The Access Lists screen remains displayed, showing the default entry in the list. You can edit the list again or save the default lists.
If you leave a list blank and press ESC, the system reinstates the entries you originally put in the list. If you kept the default entries, the defaults are reinstated.
The print service generates alert messages about jobs sent to the service. These messages indicate successful job completion as well as error conditions. The print service includes the name of a print service in some of the alert messages. The print service displays alert messages on the 25th-line of a DOS workstation or in the VINES message box of OS/2, Windows, or Macintosh workstations.
At the Alert Lists screen, you enter StreetTalk names of individuals and lists to specify who should receive these alert messages. The list is optional and can be empty; however, you should have at least one entry.
The default entries for the Alert List are the entries in the Operator List. If you accepted the default entry in the Operator List (the AdminList of the group in which you created the service), that AdminList name appears in the Alert List. If you added entries to the Operator List, these entries become the default for the Alert List.
You can enter StreetTalk lists and StreetTalk names of individuals. Only StreetTalk patterns with leading asterisks are accepted. For example, you can enter the following:
*@Mkt@WCTUS
*@*@WCTUS or *@*@*
You cannot enter patterns such as Bill Jones@*@WCTUS or Juan*@Mkt@WCTES.
To Set Up the Alert List - Quick Start
1. At the Alert Lists screen, do one of the following:
- Press F10 to accept the default.
- Press ESC to continue without adding any entries, including the default.
2. Go to "Adding the First Destination" later in this chapter.
To Add Entries to the Alert List
1. In the first field of the Alert Lists screen, do one of the following:
- Press DOWN ARROW to keep the default entry and move to the second field.
- Press CTRL - X to delete the default entry. Enter a StreetTalk name.
2. In the second field, enter a StreetTalk name.
3. Enter any additional names you require.
4. Press F10. The Add a Destination screen appears.
5. Go to "Adding the First Destination" below.
This section provides information about the different destination types. You must specify at least one destination. If you do not, the print service cannot print jobs. Depending on the destination type, the procedure for adding the first destination varies.
The Add a Destination screen (Figure 8-5) lists all the possible destination types. This list varies depending on the server's communication cards and printer ports. The list of possible destinations in the Add a Destination screen includes:
All physical port types available in the server - parallel, serial, and ICA ports PAP-compatible PostScript printer - PAP printer PC-based network printer - PCPrint Alternate print services - print service
Figure 8-5 shows the various destination types. For a review of these destination types, see Table 8-2.
When you configure a destination type, the destination type is removed from the list in the Add a Destination screen.
Table 8-2 describes the different types of destinations.
When working with ICA lines, note that they are numbered 1 through 6 in the Manage Serial Lines menu and are labeled 1 through 6 on the RS232 connectors. However, these devices are assigned with a zero-indexed method, where line 1 appears as line 0 in the device driver name. The destination names shown in the Add a Destination screen reflect the device driver names. The destination names of the ICA ports could be anything from tty01 to tty86. The Add a Destination screen in Figure 8-5 shows tty12 and tty24.
Configuring Destinations in the Proper Order
If you configure multiple destinations with the same paper format, the order in which you configure destinations can be important. The print service matches incoming print jobs with available destinations. The service also checks the destinations in the order in which you configured them, which is the same order in which they appear in the Manage Print Service menu in MSERVICE.
Consequently, if you have jobs that are coming in more slowly than they are being printed, those jobs always print on the first destination in the list that has a compatible paper format. Consider the order in which you configure destinations before you begin.
Be careful when you select another print service as a destination. You must avoid creating a loop. For example, a loop is created when print service A has print service B as a destination, and print service B has print service A as a destination.
Caution: Redirecting print services to create a simple loop can stop the servers on which the print services reside. Complicated loops, such as A to B to C to D to B shown in Figure 8-6, will also bring down the servers on which B, C, and D reside.
The print service does not stop tracking a job that is redirected to another queue. A job coming in from another print service is handled as a new job. The print service does not recognize it as a job it sent out. Thus, if a job is redirected from print service A to B and then back to A, the job ends up in an infinite loop, creating hundreds of new jobs. The print services use memory as they keep track of all these jobs, and the servers on which the print services reside will come down relatively quickly.
Summary of Print Service Destinations
The different destination types have different configuration requirements. PAP printer and alternate print service destinations have only one configuration screen. Physical and PCPrint destinations have three screens. Figure 8-7 shows the configuration sequence for the different destination types.
To Add the First Destination - Quick Start
1. From the Add a Destination screen, choose a destination. The Destination Attributes screen appears.
2. Depending on the destination type, do one of the following:
- For physical destinations (serial, parallel, ICA), press F10 to accept the defaults.
- For PCPrint destinations, enter the StreetTalk name of the user who will login at the DOS or Windows workstation and invoke the PCPRINT command. To allow anyone to invoke the command, enter *@*@*.
- For PAP printer destinations, enter a printer name. Although the system does not force you to configure the other parameters, you may have to do so at some other time to make the PAP printer operational.
- For alternate print service destinations, enter the StreetTalk name of the service.
3. Depending on the destination type, do one of the following:
- For a PAP printer or alternate print service destination, the system prompts you to add another destination. Answer NO and go to "Changing the Queue Status" later in this chapter to complete the configuration of the service.
- For a physical or PCPrint destination, the Output Strings screen appears. Press F10 to accept the defaults. The Enable Strings screen appears.
4. Press F10. The system prompts you to add another destination.
5. Enter NO and go to "Changing the Queue Status" later in this chapter to complete the configuration of the service.
To Add the First Destination
1. From the Add a Destination screen, choose a destination. The Destination Attributes screen for the destination appears. The fields on this screen vary, depending on the destination type.
Note: If you press ESC without selecting a destination, you receive a warning message prompting you to continue. You cannot print jobs until you add at least one destination. Destinations can be added after you configure the print service. See "Changing the Configuration" in Chapter 9 for instructions on using the Manage Print Service menu.
2. Enter information for each field, except Paper Format. For help with setting parameters in the fields, press F1 to read the on-line help text.
3. Move the cursor to the Paper Format field and press F5. The Select a Paper Format screen appears.
4. Choose a paper format name. The Destination Attributes screen reflects your choice.
5. Press F10 when you are done entering information in the Destination Attributes screen. Depending on the type of destination chosen, the next step varies.
6. Take the appropriate action:
For a PAP printer or alternate print service destination, the system prompts you to add another destination:
- Choose YES to return to the Add a Destination screen and choose another destination. Go to "Adding Other Destinations" later in this chapter.
- Choose NO to continue to the next configuration step, changing the status of the print queue. Go to "Changing the Queue Status" later in this chapter.
For a physical or PCPrint destination, the Output Strings screen appears. Go to step 7.
Figure 8-8 shows a possible configuration for a laser printer connected to a serial port. The Output Strings screen for parallel, ICA, and PCPrint destinations show the same set of parameters.
7. Enter the output strings required for the printer. Consult your printer documentation for required strings. "Prefix and Suffix Fields" later in this chapter explains how to enter the required characters.
8. Press F10 to save the configuration. The Enable Strings screen for the destination appears.
Figure 8-9 continues the example in the Output Strings - a laser printer connected to a serial port. The Enable Strings screens for parallel, ICA, and PCPrint destinations show the same set of parameters. "Prefix and Suffix Fields" later in this chapter explains how to enter the required characters.
9. Press ENTER to enable (yes) or disable (no) the strings.
Note: By default, the banner page for a PAP-printer destination prints after the job is completed. You cannot change this default. In addition, the banner page for any other type of destination prints before the job is printed. Use the Enable Strings screen to change this default.
10. When finished changing strings, press F10 to save the configuration. The system prompts you to add another destination.
11. Do one of the following:
- Choose YES to add another destination. Go to "Adding Other Destinations" later in this chapter.
- Choose NO to skip adding another destination. Go to "Changing the Queue Status" later in this chapter.
The procedure for adding other destinations is the same as adding the first destination. However, the Add a Destination screen presents only the destination types that are still available after you added the first destination. This section provides the basic steps for adding another destination. It also provides the details on entering output strings for physical and PCPrint destinations.
To Add Other Print Destinations
1. From the Add a Destination screen, choose a destination type. The Destination Attributes screen appears.
2. Enter the information appropriate for the destination printer. Depending on the type of destination selected, the next step varies.
3. Take the appropriate action:
For a PAP printer or alternate print service destination, the system prompts you to add another destination:
- Choose YES to return to the Add a Destination screen and choose another destination.
- Choose NO to continue to the next configuration step. Go to "Changing the Queue Status" later in this chapter.
For a physical or PCPrint destination, the system displays the Output Strings screen. Go to step 4.
4. Enter the output strings required for the printer. Consult your printer documentation for required strings.
5. Press F10 to save the configuration. The Enable Strings screen appears.
6. Press ENTER to enable (yes) or disable (no) the strings.
7. Press F10 to save the configuration. The system prompts you to add another destination.
8. Do one of the following:
- Choose YES to add another destination and choose another destination. Return to step 3.
- Choose NO to skip adding another destination. Go to "Changing the Queue Status" later in this chapter.
The prefix fields have no default. The post-banner field has a default of \f. For descriptions of the prefix and suffix fields, see the help text for the Enable Strings screen.
If printing of the banner page is disabled, the Banner prefix and suffix fields as well as the banner page are not sent to the printer.
Printers often use non-printing characters (such as the printer control characters ESC, line feed, form feed, and so on). The prefix and suffix fields use a special syntax that allows you to send such characters. A backslash (\) in these fields indicates that the next character is a special character. For example, \E stands for ESC. Characters that are not preceded by a backslash or a caret (^) are interpreted as printable characters (except for the backslash and caret characters).
Numeric digits not preceded by the octal or hexadecimal indicators are sent as decimal numbers. All letters, except for the \E for ESC and *F*F for hexadecimal FF (255 decimal), must be lowercase.
Table 8-3 shows all the printer control characters and how to send them to the printer in the prefix and suffix fields.
Laser printers usually require a form feed after a job to force the last page of the job to print.
Example Specifying Printer Control Characters
\EE - Sends ESC E.
\r\n - Sends carriage return and line feed.
\124 - Sends 124 octal, equivalent to 84 decimal.
^c - Sends CTRL-C.
After you have added a destination, you can set up the print queue so that it is ready to accept and print jobs. By default, the queue does not accept or print jobs. Figure 8-10 shows the Print Queue Status screen with default values.
To Set the Print Queue Status - Quick Start
1. At the Print Queue Status screen, press F10 to accept the defaults. The system notifies you that the print service will not accept jobs.
2. Press F10. The Manage A Service screen appears.
To enable the print queue, follow the steps in "To Change the Queue Status."
1. At the Print Queue Status screen, move the cursor to the Accepting Jobs? field.
2. Press CTRL-X to delete No and enter YES.
3. Move the cursor to the Printing Jobs? field.
4. Press CTRL-X to delete No and enter YES.
Note: When enabling or disabling the queue, be sure to check that insert mode is off and to press CTRL-X before entering YES or NO. If you do not turn off insert mode and delete the word first, the change does not take effect.
5. Press F10 to save the changes. You see a message regarding your queue status selections:
- If you enabled the print queue to accept and print jobs, the queue is enabled. When the queue is ready, the Print Queue Status screen disappears, and the system displays a message telling you that the queue is ready to accept print jobs.
- If you chose not to enable the queue to accept and print jobs, the system displays a message telling you that the queue will not accept jobs.
6. Press F10. The Manage A Service menu appears. This menu shows the status of the service you just created.
At this point, the service has been created and started, and at least one destination should have been configured. The print queue can now accept jobs and send them to the configured destination for printing. However, you must make the print service available to users, as summarized in "Making Print Services Available to Users."
You may need to do additional configuration of the new print service; for example, you may need to configure filters or add additional destinations See Chapter 9 for explanations on maintaining print services.
Making Print Services Available to Users
To make a print service available to users, you must assign user workstation printer ports to the print queue. To make printers available each time users log in, include the appropriate SETPRINT commands in user profiles. For more information on the SETPRINT command, see Chapter 11 and the Command Reference.
If the print service uses a PC-based network printer, you must also run the PCPrint program at the DOS workstation where the printer is located. The PCPRINT command connects the printer to the print service. See Chapter 12 for information on the PCPRINT program.
Recommendations for Print Services
Consider these recommendations when you set up print services for your VINES network:
Prevent truncation of alert messages - The print service includes the name of a print service in some of the alert messages sent to the 25th-line of a DOS workstation or to the VINES message box of OS/2, Windows, or Macintosh workstations. To prevent these messages from being truncated, keep the names of the print services as short as possible.
Separate types of printers - Create separate print services for different types of printers, especially for PAP-compatible, PostScript printers and ASCII printers.
Check application printer files - If users other than Macintosh users will be sending print jobs to a PostScript printer, be sure to check the printer files of the applications. The printer files may require some changes for sending jobs to PostScript printers.
Decide the order in which to configure destinations - If you are planning to configure multiple destinations with the same paper format on the same print service, consider the types of jobs that will be sent to the print service and in what order you want to configure the destinations.
When the print service matches incoming print jobs with available destinations, it checks the destinations in the order in which they appear in the Manage Print Service menu. Consequently, if you have jobs that are coming in more slowly than they are being printed, they will always print on the first destination in the list that has a compatible paper format. To avoid this situation, consider the order in which you configure destinations.
Macintosh
Use same version of LaserPrep - For a print service with a PAP-compatible, PostScript printer destination, it is recommended that all Macintosh workstations that access the printer have the same version of LaserPrep. Different versions of LaserPrep cause the printer to restart (to download the new LaserPrep) with each new print job, thus slowing the performance of the printer.
Direct only one print service to PAP-compatible, PostScript printers - While you can direct multiple print services to the same printer, it is not recommended for PAP-compatible, PostScript printers for the following reasons:
The possibility of incompatible versions of LaserPrep is greater with multiple print services in different groups sending jobs to the same printer. Incompatible versions of LaserPrep can significantly slow the performance of the printer. A job can be aborted or mixed with jobs from other users. Because the Apple LaserWriter is a network device and controlled by connections, the print service must occasionally close and reopen the connections to a LaserWriter. When the print service closes its connection, another print service (or a Macintosh workstation selecting the printer by name) can take control of the printer before the print service reopens its connection. If another print service or workstation takes control of the printer, the original print service aborts the job because it cannot connect to the printer. Different print services may be configured differently for the same printer, specifically in the choice of removing or leaving the printer name on the network. If one print service is configured to remove the printer name from the network and another to leave the printer name on the network, jobs sent from both services to the same printer will cause a conflict on the network. With both services trying to keep the printer in a consistent state, printer performance will slow significantly.
