Re: [tlug] "Interesting" printing issue.

[Edward Wright <edw@example.com>]

On Fri, Aug 06, 2004 at 11:24:42AM +0200, Godwin Stewart wrote:
> This is YAOTCHTNBM[1].
> 
> I have a server providing print services for 2 workstations.
> 
> The (Linux, Slackware 8.0) server is running the stock BSD line printer
> daemon - and before you all throw your arms up in despair, it works
> perfectly well except for this weirdness. The clients are spooling using
> LPRng, which hands the job off to apsfilter, which in turn pumps it through
> GhostScript/hpijs and then spits the raster over to the server's "lp" queue.
> An example entry of a client-site printcap is:
> 
> lp|ijs/DESKJET_5600;r=600x600;q=high;c=gray;p=a4;m=auto:\
>     :lp=:\
>     :rm=192.168.1.1:\
>     :rp=lp:\
>     :if=/etc/apsfilter/basedir/bin/apsfilter:\
>     :sd=/var/spool/lpd/lp:\
>     :lf=/var/spool/lpd/lp/log:\
>     :af=/var/spool/lpd/lp/acct:\
>     :mx#0:\
>     :sh:
> 
> The entry in the server's printcap file is:
> 
> # Generic printer:
> lp:lp=/dev/lp0:sd=/var/spool/lpd:sh:ff=
> 

I have a very similar setup - the only significant difference that I see
is that I am running the filter on the server rather that the client - I
don't see why that should make any difference, though.

client side printcap:

p2txt:\
        :sh:\
        :lp=:\
        :rm=192.168.0.9:\
        :rp=djtxt:\
        :ml=0:\
        :mx=0:\
        :sd=/var/spool/lpd/p2txt:\
        :af=/var/spool/lpd/p2txt/p2txt.acct:\
        :lpd_bounce=true:

server side:

djtxt:\
        :sh:\
        :ml=0:\
        :mx=0:\
        :sd=/var/spool/lpd/djtxt:\
        :af=/var/spool/lpd/djtxt/djtxt.acct:\
        :lp=/dev/lp0:\
        :lpd_bounce=true:\
        :if=/usr/local/bin/eQprint/txt1filt:

> For every print job, lpd mails off not one, but THREE identical mails to the
> originator of the job, saying "Your printer job ((STDIN)) was not printed
> because it was not linked to the original file".
> 

I DON'T know what that means :) but it sounds like the job is trying to print
3 times (the default) and sending an email each time. Does lpd think it's
printing from STDIN (a pipe?) rather than the file in the spool dir?

> Any ideas (other than "don't use LPR")?
> 

Does the same thing happen if you print locally on the server?
Does it make any difference if you use a subdirectory of
/var/spool/lpd as a spool for lp? (e.g. /var/spool/lpd/lp)

You've probably tried these, but just in case:

make sure all files & directories are correctly setup on
	both client and server (run "checkpc -f" a couple of times)
HUP lpd after any config changes
read the status files in the spool directories on both client and server
	for clues

Have fun,
Ed