How to print landscape files from another server via LPD?
John MacLerran
macljohn at isu.edu
Thu Jul 29 10:57:15 PDT 2010
> John MacLerran wrote:
>
> >> John MacLerran wrote:
> >>
> >> >> John MacLerran wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> > Dear CUPS Forum members
> >> >> >
> >> >> > I'm trying to set up a queue in CUPS to print landscape all the
> >> >> > time. I have searched the documentation and forums, and found
> >> >> > several similar questions, but the solutions presented there did not
> >> >> > help.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > The reason I need this is that our ERP system sends its reports in
> >> >> > 132
> >> >> > column landscape format by default, and I'm trying to set up a CUPS
> >> >> > queue that will accept that output and print it. Alternatively, I'm
> >> >> > trying to get a defnintive answer of "no, this can't be done", so
> >> >> > that I can present other, better options (like pdf printing and
> >> >> > electronic delivery of reports), and still have done due diligence.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > There are a few wrinkles, however. Our ERP servers are running
> >> >> > Solaris 10, using LPD to send the output to a linux box that acts as
> >> >> > our print server.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > On Solaris, the print queue is configured like this (the lines don't
> >> >> > wrap):
> >> >> >
> >> >> > ccenterapp_land:\
> >> >> > :printer-uri-
> >> >> supported=lpd\://anaerobic.isu.edu/printers/ccenterapp_land#Solaris:\
> >> >> > :bsdaddr=anaerobic.isu.edu,ccenterapp_land,Solaris:
> >> >> >
> >> >> > (Anaerobic is our Linux box. It is Red Hat Enterprise 5.5 and cups
> >> >> > 1.3.7, patch level 18, the Red Hat default.)
> >> >> >
> >> >> > On Linux, our lpoptions file for this queue looks like this (again,
> >> >> > no wrap in the real file):
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Default ccenterapp_land landscape=true cpi=14 lpi=8
> >> >> > page-left=36
> >> >> > page-right=36 page-top=36 page-bottom=36
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > When I send a 132-column text file from Linux, it prints correctly
> >> >> > -- output is flipped landscape, and extends out to the 132-column
> >> >> > mark, using this lp command:
> >> >> >
> >> >> > lp -d ccenterapp_land testprint.txt
> >> >> >
> >> >> > However, when I send that exact same test file from the Solaris
> >> >> > boxes,
> >> >> > using the same lp command, I get output that is partially correct.
> >> >> > It is flipped landscape, but the lines are wrapped into portrait
> >> >> > margins -- 101 columns, to be exact.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > I specified various options in the cups-lpd config file (xinitd, I
> >> >> > think, I'm not the linux box's sysadmin), but, frankly, I'm not sure
> >> >> > what options to try, and neither a search here, nor a google search,
> >> >> > turned up a list of what options are valid.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > The current cups-lpd config entry looks like this:
> >> >> >
> >> >> > service printer
> >> >> > {
> >> >> > disable = no
> >> >> > socket_type = stream
> >> >> > protocol = tcp
> >> >> > wait = no
> >> >> > user = lp
> >> >> > server = /usr/lib/cups/daemon/cups-lpd
> >> >> > server_args = -o job-sheets=none,none
> >> >> > }
> >> >> >
> >> >> > In the server_args parameter, I've tried the following options:
> >> >> >
> >> >> > -o document-format=application/octet-stream -- as indicated by the
> >> >> > man page
> >> >> > -o document-format=application/vnd.cups-raw -- from a google
> >> >> > search
> >> >> > -o landscape -- a s.w.a.g. on my
> >> >> > part
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Neither of which helped. The vnd.cups-raw one really clobbered the
> >> >> > output -- reducing it to one line, portrait, that ran off the right
> >> >> > side of the page and was dropped.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > What am I missing? How can I make the linux queue print landscape,
> >> >> > all 132 columns, without wrapping, when the file is sent from
> >> >> > Solaris?
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Thank you
> >> >> > -John MacLerran
> >> >> > macljohn at isu.edu
> >> >>
> >> >> I think you are using the default system V printing system on your
> >> >> solaris box. In that system, every print queue is associated with one
> >> >> or more of the following descriptions:
> >> >> - printer type
> >> >> - content type (ASCII, PostScript, etc)
> >> >> - form name (especially for ASCII content type defining cpi, width
> >> >> (chars per line, etc.)
> >> >>
> >> >> Please post how the respective printer on your Solaris box is defined
> >> >> with respect to these attributes. Perhaps you only need to modify one
> >> >> of these.
> >> >>
> >> >> Helge
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> > ------
> >> > Thanks Helge.
> >> > I'm not sure those attributes are set up for this print queue.
> >> >
> >> > I looked in this directory:
> >> > /var/spool/lp/admins/lp/printers/
> >> > and saw directories for some of our printers -- the ones that are
> >> > defined locally on the Solaris box, but the queue in question is not
> >> > related to a printer that is local on the Solaris box (which is named
> >> > Poseidon), but is just a 'remote' queue that resides on Anerobic, a
> >> > completely different server.
> >> >
> >> > I've asked our unix sysadmin if he's aware of another directory where
> >> > those attributes reside, and we'll check for them. Do you know if the
> >> > /var/spool/lp/admins/lp/printers/ directory is the one I should be
> >> > looking in? -john -----------
> >>
> >> John,
> >>
> >> I currently do not have access to a real Solaris 10 box, which means I'm
> >> not able to do real tests on that issue.
> >> But you could try the following:
> >> - stop the respective printer on your print server
> >> - print a (small) sample file from your Solaris box
> >> - post (an URL to) both the job's control and data file from the
> >> Linux box (the cxxxxx and the dxxxxx-001 file from the
> >> /var/spool/cups directory).
> >>
> >> Looking into these files, I should be able to determine if the unwanted
> >> wrapping occurs on the Solaris or the Linix box and, perhaps, give hints
> >> how to settle down this issue.
> >>
> >> Helge
> >>
> > ---
> > Thanks, Helge.
> > You can view the files at:
> > http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/c11535
> > http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/d11535-001
> >
> > To me, the data in d11535-001 does not look wrapped. I'm not sure what I'm
> > looking at in the control file, but it doesn't look obviously wrong.
> >
> > -john
> > ---------------
>
> John,
>
> the two files look OK, so the job should print OK. For further
> investigation, could you , on the Linux box, execute the command
> cupsctl --debug-logging
> and print this (or a similar) job (with the printer enaqbled, of course),
> then, if the print is finished, execute
> cupsctl --no-debug-logging
> and post (an URL to) the current /var/log/cups/error_log ?
> From that log file, I hope to be able to determine what your CUPS is really
> doing.
>
> Helge
>
-------
Hi Helge,
I've posted the following files in the location specified:
http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/error_log
http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/cupsd.conf
http://www.isu.edu/~macljohn/ccenterapp_land.ppd
The error log contains material since July 26. Today's information begins around line 500 or so. In the material related to today, I see that it uses the cupsd.conf file, the ppd file for the printer, and a few other filters - textopaps and pstops, I think. I think those are binary program files that are standard with cups, so I didn't include those.
Let me know if you need anything else.
Thanks for being so helpful with this. I really appreciate it.
-john
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