Very Computer

I've been trying for the better part of two days to configure a remote
printer on my Linux 1.1.59 slackware system, and am getting nowhere.  It
appears as though the :if: filter is never executed regardless of what
I do.  I built an /etc/printcap file that looks like:

lp|NEC Mod 95:\
:sh:\
:mx#0:\
:lp=/dev/m200.com1:\
:sd=/var/spool/lp1:\
:if=/var/spool/lp1/filter1:

(Note: the lp=/dev/m200.com1 line is intended to have all print output
stuffed in this file.  I created it with touch, chmod 777. Just trying
to save paper during testing.)

where the filter1 file looks like:

#!/bin/sh
/bin/touch /var/spool/lp1/f1

The f1 file is never created by touch from this last line above.
The /var/adm/messages and syslog do not provide any feedback.  The spool
directory exists, and permissions are generous.  The lpr/lpd permissions
and ownerships all appear to be valid.

Has anyone seen problems like this before?  Any help would be greatly

Thanks...
Rich Adamson

I was playing with this just the other day.  My belief is that
you cannot redirect output to a nonexistant device (in your case
it would be /dev/m200.com1).  Despite what they taught you in
school, files are not the same as devices.  Take a look at the
example myprinter script, its how I got my stuff going here.

This is my input filter.  The device used is irrelevant (try /dev/null),  
if you want to redirect output to a file.   To do so, redirect it within the
filter.   For example, "cat >> /tmp/output" should put output in /tmp/output.

#!/bin/sh
# Filter for HP printers to treat LF as CRLF
# the ``echo -ne'' assumes that /bin/sh is really bash
echo -ne \\033\&k2G
cat
echo -ne \\f

Works for me!

-  Andy

: I was playing with this just the other day.  My belief is that
: you cannot redirect output to a nonexistant device (in your case
: it would be /dev/m200.com1).  Despite what they taught you in
: school, files are not the same as devices.  Take a look at the
: example myprinter script, its how I got my stuff going here.

: > I've been trying for the better part of two days to configure a remote
: > printer on my Linux 1.1.59 slackware system, and am getting nowhere.  It
: > appears as though the :if: filter is never executed regardless of what
: > I do.  I built an /etc/printcap file that looks like:
: >

The problem here is that the ":if=" script does NOT get run if the
printer is remote.  The solution is to create a "pseudo" local printer
which has :lp=/dev/null and have it's :if= script do whatever processing
you need and THEN respool it's output to the real remote printer.

--
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Joe Hance                         Mentor Graphics Corp.


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