Subject: [netatalk-admins] perplexing papd printing problem (perhaps pap problem?)

From: Mark <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 15:43:49 +0300

I'm having trouble printing from Macs (System 7.n) via papd. I've got a number 
of printers (AppleLaser Writers on AppleTalk and HP 5MX/P LaserJets on a SMB 
network). The Apple printers are each in different zones (93 Building, 94 
Building, etc.) The Linux server (RH 5.1+, netatalk-1.4b2) is broadcasting the 
existence of a new zone, "printers" (registered as a second zone with atalkd). 
The zone appears under the chooser, and the printers (listed in papd.conf) all 
show up.

I am not using ".papd" files, but am explicitely supplying the printer name via 
"-p" to pap. I am not using .ppd files.

I am not running afpd.

>From the Linux server, I can successfully send a print job "by hand" to either 
the Apple or HP printers, via the "printers" zone, with something like:

	cat testfile.ps | pap -e -p "ComputerLab@printers"

I have tried listing the printers in the papd.conf file as both:
	ComputerLab@printers:\
        	:pr=|/usr/bin/lpr -Plibprinter:  
and
	ComputerLab@printers:\
        	:pr=libprinter:  
either method works fine for printing "by hand" from Linux, and both fail from 
Macs.

>From a Macintosh, I can select any device from the "printers" zone in the 
chooser, and printing seems to begin to work. When printing, the PrintMonitor 
first shows

	Looking for LaserWriter ComputerLab

then, apparently having "found" the printer, the message changes to 
	
	print spooler processing job

After several minutes, a window comes up announcing that there was a 
"communication error" with the printer, and nothing has printed.

It appears that the papd process isn't accepting data being sent to the server.
None of the Linux log files show any attempt to print. Since none of the 
printers are directly attached to the Linux box or are TCP/IP devices, the 
input filters listed in /etc/printcap are actually scripts that call smbprint 
or papd as appropriate. Those scripts provide some logging of print jobs, but 
no log entries appear when the printing attempt is coming from a Mac.

I've tried running papd with the -d option (from the command line), but it also 
gives no indication that anything is being accepted or printed.

Any suggestions?

-- 
Mark Bergman    		[email-masked]
Computer Coordinator		90-312-266-4961 x141
Bilkent University Prep School
Ankara, Turkey

---

From: [email-masked] (Jason F. McBrayer)
Date: 06 May 1999 11:26:34 -0500

>>>>> "M" == Mark  <[email-masked]> writes:

[prints fine "manually" using pap]

>> From a Macintosh, I can select any device from the "printers" zone in
M> the chooser, and printing seems to begin to work. When printing, the
M> PrintMonitor first shows
M> 	Looking for LaserWriter ComputerLab
M> then, apparently having "found" the printer, the message changes to
M> 	print spooler processing job

And then breaks...

What version of the LaserWriter software do you have?  I think this is
normal (broken) behavior for LaserWriter 7; at least, I get the same
behavior from the one System 7.1 machine at work.  The MacOS 8.1
machines all print fine.

I think if you are running System 7.5 or later you can install the
LaserWriter 8 driver and associated software.  Unfortunately, it
doesn't work with System 7.1 afaik.

-- 
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jason F. McBrayer              [email-masked] |
| The scalloped tatters of the King in Yellow must hide Yhtill   |   
| forever.                    R.W. Chambers _The King in Yellow_ |

---

From: Mark <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 14:58:35 +0300

Last week I described a printing problem I was having with netatalk-1.4b2. The printers appear under the chooser, but printing (from Macs, running System 7.5.n) didn't work. I got a number of suggestions, but upgrading the netatalk software on the Linux server to the latest netatalk-1.4b2+asun release fixed
the problem.
-- 
Mark Bergman    		[email-masked]
Computer Coordinator		90-312-266-4961 x141
Bilkent University Prep School
Ankara, Turkey