Found the solution !!
On the ExtendNet external print servers there is a port configuration parameter
for "Language Switching"(ie PCL/PS), on mine the value was set to "Auto". The trick
is to set this to "off". Now the "pjl echo" is returned almost immediately. Obviously
the
transfer time does not improve. I verified this with other setups. Suggest you add
this
to the documentation ...
Question : What arguments can I use to persuade our IT department to switch from
external
ExtendNet print servers to internal JetDirect cards ?
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> > From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Oct 6 07:25:37 2000
> > From: David Livingstone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Subject: Re: LPRng: Problem with ifhp-3.3.21
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 09:07:02 -0400 (EDT)
> >
> >
> > Yes there may be a problem with the printer but the point
> > was and still is :
> >
> > - 3.3.21 does not work as per emails.
> > - the below setup is with 3.3.20 and also as noted only works with
> > status enabled(ie status@) causes the below jobs to fail.
> > - with the original config(please see earlier emails) the printer
> > works for all jobs but without status.
> > - for other printer protocols(ie vines) the printer works without
> > a glitch or delays.
>
> I gather that your printer is actually on a parallel port of a
> print server box. I have found that the 'bidirectional' support
> for these boxes can be very 'slow' when you want status. Apparently
> what happens is the box needs to turn the parallel port around.
> It has no knowledge of the 'need' to do this, so it simply uses
> a simple timeout mechanism: after N seconds without writing to the
> parallel port (N seconds idle) try to read status from the port.
>
> There might be a way to configure N so that it is small (N = 5
> is usually about right), but in general I have had little luck
> doing this.
>
> I strongly recommend that you use an internal JetDirect or other
> card that plugs into the printer. This will directly place data
> into an internal buffer and will read status and error information
> from an internal buffer, and act as a true full duplex data channel
> to the printer.
>
> > >
> > > > From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wed Oct 4 13:14:04 2000
> > > > Date: Wed, 04 Oct 2000 18:45:21 +0000
> > > > From: David Livingstone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > > Subject: Re: LPRng: Problem with ifhp-3.3.21
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > My apologies ... I spoke too soon. On small jobs everything appears to work.
>On larger
> > > > jobs in PS only some or none of the output is printed. However in these cases
>the
> > > > status according to LPRng is okay - ie sent correctly and removed from queue.
>However
> > > > on the printer the status is still the name of the user who sent the file, ie
>root, and
> > > > it stays that way until the printer is sent another job.
> > > >
> > > > If I remove the status@ the job does print properly(and the pagecount is
>updated). However
> > > > at this point I am back to the problem of the printer taking 2 minutes to
>complete !
> > > >
> > > > using model 'hp8000' at 14:31:20.531
> > > > pagecount using 'pjl info pagecount' at 14:31:20.533
> > > > setting up printer at 14:31:20.533
> > > > getting sync using 'pjl echo' at 14:31:20.533
> > > > sync done at 14:33:03.274
> > > > pagecounter 118788 at 14:33:03.275
> > > > pagecounter 118788 at 14:33:03.275
> > > > sending job file at 14:33:03.276
> > > > starting transfer at 14:33:03.276
> > > > initial job type 'POSTSCRIPT' at 14:33:03.276
> > > > decoded job type 'POSTSCRIPT' at 14:33:03.276
> > > > job type 'POSTSCRIPT' at 14:33:03.276
> > > > transferring 141754 bytes at 14:33:03.277
> > > > 28 percent done at 14:33:03.279
> > > > 57 percent done at 14:33:04.235
> > > > 86 percent done at 14:33:05.758
> > > > data sent at 14:33:06.875
> > > > sent job file at 14:33:06.875
> > > > getting end using 'pjl job/eoj' at 14:33:06.876
> > > > end of job detected at 14:33:38.909
> > > > pagecounter 118790 at 14:33:39.406
> > > > pagecounter 118790, pages 2 at 14:33:39.406
> > > > done at 14:33:39.407
> > > >
> > >
> > > Well, you can see what is happening here:
> > >
> > > > getting sync using 'pjl echo' at 14:31:20.533
> > > > sync done at 14:33:03.274
> > >
> > > This is where things are nasty - it took over a minute to wake up
> > > and respond!
> > >
> > > > pagecounter 118788 at 14:33:03.275
> > > > pagecounter 118788 at 14:33:03.275
> > > > sending job file at 14:33:03.276
> > >
> > > And the page counter getting was probably part of the same message
> > >
> > > > sent job file at 14:33:06.875
> > >
> > > This is slow, 3 secs for 141K, but it got there...
> > >
> > > > getting end using 'pjl job/eoj' at 14:33:06.876
> > >
> > > Well, it thinks that the printer started responding after 30 seconds,
> > > and the paper path is flushed.
> > >
> > > > end of job detected at 14:33:38.909
> > >
> > > And it takes its time responding with the page counter value.
> > >
> > > > pagecounter 118790 at 14:33:39.406
> > >
> > > Which it did and
> > > > pagecounter 118790, pages 2 at 14:33:39.406
> > > > done at 14:33:39.407
> > >
> > > You started getting responses at:
> > > > sync done at 14:33:03.274
> > > > done at 14:33:39.407
> > >
> > > This is about 37 seconds.
> > >
> > > I don't know why it takes the HP this long to respond.
> > >
> > > Perhaps a trouble call to HP?
> > >
> > > Patrick Powell Astart Technologies,
> > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] 9475 Chesapeake Drive, Suite D,
> > > Network and System San Diego, CA 92123
> > > Consulting 858-874-6543 FAX 858-279-8424
> > > LPRng - Print Spooler (http://www.astart.com)
> > >
> > > -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > If you need help, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (or lprng-requests
> > > or lprng-digest-requests) with the word 'help' in the body. For the impatient,
> > > to subscribe to a list with name LIST, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > with: | example:
> > > subscribe LIST <mailaddr> | subscribe lprng-digest [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > unsubscribe LIST <mailaddr> | unsubscribe lprng [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > >
> > > If you have major problems, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word
> > > LPRNGLIST in the SUBJECT line.
> > > -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > David Kerr Livingstone
> > Canadian National Railway, Signals & Communications
> > 935 de La Gauchetiere St. West
> > 12th Floor
> > Montreal, Quebec, Canada
> > H3B-2M9
> > Phone : (514)399-7731 Fax : (514)399-7503
> > Internet : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > If you need help, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (or lprng-requests
> > or lprng-digest-requests) with the word 'help' in the body. For the impatient,
> > to subscribe to a list with name LIST, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > with: | example:
> > subscribe LIST <mailaddr> | subscribe lprng-digest [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > unsubscribe LIST <mailaddr> | unsubscribe lprng [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> > If you have major problems, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word
> > LPRNGLIST in the SUBJECT line.
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> Patrick Powell Astart Technologies,
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 9475 Chesapeake Drive, Suite D,
> Network and System San Diego, CA 92123
> Consulting 858-874-6543 FAX 858-279-8424
> LPRng - Print Spooler (http://www.astart.com)
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> If you need help, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (or lprng-requests
> or lprng-digest-requests) with the word 'help' in the body. For the impatient,
> to subscribe to a list with name LIST, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> with: | example:
> subscribe LIST <mailaddr> | subscribe lprng-digest [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> unsubscribe LIST <mailaddr> | unsubscribe lprng [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> If you have major problems, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word
> LPRNGLIST in the SUBJECT line.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you need help, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (or lprng-requests
or lprng-digest-requests) with the word 'help' in the body. For the impatient,
to subscribe to a list with name LIST, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
with: | example:
subscribe LIST <mailaddr> | subscribe lprng-digest [EMAIL PROTECTED]
unsubscribe LIST <mailaddr> | unsubscribe lprng [EMAIL PROTECTED]
If you have major problems, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word
LPRNGLIST in the SUBJECT line.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
