Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 50609
remote unix (lpd) postscript does'nt work
Last modified: 2007-04-18 12:35:23 EDT
Description of Problem: Defined a remote Unix lpd printer. Unfortunately, output is the text listing of the postscript How Reproducible: Steps to Reproduce: 1. Using printconf-gui, define a remote unix lpd printer 2. For printer type, select HP 4050 Postscript. 3. exit to save changed (another problem) 4. restart lpd 5. printsomething using a2ps Actual Results: text of the generated prostscipt Expected Results: the printed page in "a2ps format". Additional Information:
printconf in beta3/Roswell has a "traceback problem" if just "Postscript" is selected for a printer type. This is fixed in 0.3.6 from rawhide and when just "Postscript" is selected for a remote Unix lpd then everything works OK. However, if HP->4050->Postscript is selected, it still does not work BECAUSE when that is selected, some "@PJL" commands are inserted into the from of the file. When the file gets to the print server, it does not see the expected "%!PS-Adobe" as the first list and treats the whole thing as text. While the "@PJL" commands are a nice touch, I believe it will cause more confusion and problems for users than it is worth.
This defect is considered SHOULD-FIX for Fairfax.
garr. What sort of spool is the remote machine running? Trying to track this down. There are interaction issues here. Are double filtering (filtering locally, and then again on the remote machine)? If you are, all remote clients should be printing to Postscript, because the remote printer is the =server=, and it is looking for postscript.
The remote printer is running rhl 6.2 with LPRng and ifhp (filtering) ... yes, there is double filtering. What I did to configure worked with 7.1 (selecting the HP 4050 printer). It is the new features in 7.2 that give the trouble. Now that I understand what is going on it is simple to specify only "Postscript" on the local rather than "HP-4050-Postscript". However, I believe that this will be confusing to other folks. Maybe an up-front option for "remote lpd printer" and a 2nd option for "remote Unix lpd printer server" (which would only have the simple options such as Postscript, PCL, etc).
oh no, now I've gone cross eyed. I would still like to know if this is /actually/ the problem. Can you set up a raw, unfiltered spool on the remote queue, and a filtered spool on your local client, and send it that PJL job? I'd like to know if this is just borken.
I believe I actualy did this test already which is how I found the problem. The actual interface to the printer is an HP JetDirect (ethernet) interface. If I define the JetDirect interface (ip address plus "raw" as the queue name) as the remote Unix LPD "system" and use the HP->4050->Postscript selection, everything works fine. If I define the print server managing this printer (ip address plus "lp" queue) as the remote Unix LPD system and use the HP->4050->Postscript selection, then I get text of the postscript. Is this what you need or do you want me to change the server definition?
yep. thats what I wanted to know. Good. Double filtration is a problem, but there isnt really a good way to warn people about it. Grr. oh well.
How about something in the release notes?? This won't help folks who don't read them but it is something.