Configuring a Network Printer with SYSGEN

The set of instructions below take you through the process of adding a network printer to your I/O configuration with SYSGEN. This is the first part of the network printer configuration process.

These instructions assume that you are an experienced system manager who has previously used SYSGEN. If you need more information, read Performing System Management Tasks| (32650-90004). These instructions also assume that you have updated your system to a version of MPE/iX that supports network printing. (Network printer support is available on Release 5.5 and later of the MPE/iX operating system.)




	NOTE: You may, if you wish, configure more network printers than you actually need at this time. To do so, read "Preconfiguring network printers" later in this chapter.

Adding a network printer to your configuration

To use SYSGEN to add a network printer to your system's I/O configuration, do the following:

Make sure you are logged on as MANAGER.SYS and run SYSGEN. At the CI prompt, enter:
:run sysgen.pub.sys
At the sysgen prompt (>), enter io to start the I/O configurator.

Define the logical device identification for each network printer that you want to add. To use the default configuration values, specify HPTCPJD as the device identification and designate the path as NONE. For example, to configure LDEV 19 as a network printer, enter:

   io> ad ldev=19;id=HPTCPJD;path=NONE

To view the device configuration, enter the ld command, for example:



   io> ld 19



     LDEV:     19 DEVNAME:            OUTDEV:        0   MODE:          OS

       ID: HPTCPJD                    RSIZE:        66   DEVTYPE: PP

     PATH: NONE                       MPETYPE:      32   MPESUBTYPE:  0

    CLASS: NETLP

Enter the hold command to save the modified I/O configuration, and then type exit to leave the I/O configurator.
At the SYSGEN prompt, enter the keep command and then type exit to leave SYSGEN.
At a convenient time, perform an orderly shutdown of the system and then restart it to have the new I/O configuration take effect.

The following figure shows you a sample of the SYSGEN dialog needed to begin configuring LDEV 19 as a network printer.

   :SYSGEN



   SYSGEN version E.00.00 : catalog version E.00.00    WED, AUG 23, 1995,  4:16 PM

   Copyright 1987 Hewlett-Packard Co. All Rights Reserved.



           ** First level command **



           io                log (lo)       misc (mi)        spu (sp)

           sysfile (sy)



           basegroup (ba)    keep(ke)       permyes (pe)     show (sh)

           tape (ta)



           clear (cl)(c)     exit (ex)(e)   help (he)(h)     oclose (oc)

           redo

   sysgen> io



           ** IO configurator commands **



           aclass (ac)      adev (ad)       apath (ap)      avol (av)

           dclass (dc)      ddev (dd)       dpath (dp)      dvol (dv)

           lclass (lc)      ldev (ld)       lpath (lp)      lvol (lv)

           maddress(ma)     mclass (mc)     mdev (md)       mpath (mp)

           mvol (mv)



           clear (cl)(c)    exit (ex)(e)    help (he)(h)    hold (ho)

           oclose (oc)      redo

        io> ad ldev=19;id=HPTCPJD;path=NONE

        io> ld 19

    LDEV:     19 DEVNAME:                    OUTDEV:        0   MODE:          OS

      ID: HPTCPJD                            RSIZE:        66   DEVTYPE: PP

    PATH: NONE                               MPETYPE:      32   MPESUBTYPE:  0

   CLASS: NETLP

        io> (...)

        io> hold

        io> exit

    sysgen> keep

    sysgen> exit



   END OF PROGRAM

   :

To complete the configuration of the network printer, you must add entries to the network printer configuration file NPCONFIG.PUB.SYS. Read "Creating the Network Printer Configuration File", later in this chapter, for information.

Preconfiguring network printers

If you have planned the expansion of your network printing capability, you can use SYSGEN to pre-configure the printers you will be physically adding at some future date. Other than counting toward the maximum number of devices on a system, there is no penalty for doing this. As you add the printers, you can write corresponding entries into the network printer configuration file (NPCONFIG.PUB.SYS) and place the printers in service without restarting the system.

To preconfigure network printers:

Use the I/O configurator in SYSGEN to define the additional network printers you will place in service at a later date. You may enter HPTCPJD as the device class name and accept the default values supplied for network printers. For example, to pre-configure LDEV 210 as a network printer enter:
io> ad ldev=210;id=HPTCPJD;path=NONE
Leave the mode of the preconfigured printer set to output spooled (MODE= OS) and the path set to NONE. When the system boots, MPE/iX will try to create a spooler process for the printer. It will fail, however, when it cannot find an address for the device; see the next step.In this case, failure is appropriate since the printer does not exist.
When you are updating the NPCONFIG.PUB.SYS file to complete the configuration, do one of three things: (a) omit an LDEV entry for the preconfigured printer; (b) insert an LDEV entry, but make it a comment (i.e. "comment it out"); or (c) insert an LDEV entry for the preconfigured printer but do not include a network (IP) address for it. In this way, the spooler will not waste valuable CPU resources in a continual attempt to connect to a network printer that does not yet exist. Instead, the spooler process created for the printer will immediately terminate (and display a message) when it can't find the network address.

When you are ready to place the pre-configured printer in service, simply add the device-specific entry to NPCONFIG.PUB.SYS.

Configuring a Network Printer with SYSGEN

Technical documentation

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Adding a network printer to your configuration

Preconfiguring network printers