Printing on OpenVMS/Alpha

[dillona_aix]

Hi,
I'm hoping miker can answer this for me. I want to be able to some how set up a print queue through my ssh session to my local laser printer. I'm using PuTTY if that matters. I know I have done this many times in Terminal Services on Windows Server, and I like to believe that anything Windows can do, OpenVMS can do better.

EDIT: And I would like it to be secure so that only I have read access to it.

[zoli]

hi,

that sounds cool... and very useful.

However, I do not this that it is possible - MikeR must be a magician in order to fix a remote print queue through an ssl session on VMS.

[dillona_aix]

Hi,
Yes I do believe that it would be very useful. I am not sure if you misunderstood me or if it was a typo, but I am talking about a SSH session not SSL. If it is not possible do not spend much time thinking about it, it was just something I would like to do. I think miker has almost reached magician status before.

[miker_alpha]

First: I do not know how to setup a printer on OpenVMS over SSH

Second: It is possible to setup a printer on OpenVMS to a net-accessable printer using one of:
i. If the printer has its own IP address, setup a queue using LPR/LPD or TELNET protocol to the printer directly.
ii. If the printer is setup as a queue on a host which knows how to accept print jobs sent using LPR protocol, set up a queue on VMS relaying to the queue on the printer server.
iii. Sending directly to a printer connected to the host you are using, through whatever terminal emulator you have connected to the OpenVMS host

Options i and ii require privilege on the OpenVMS machine, and limiting access to the queue, otherwise the whole world (or at least anyone logged in to OpenVMS ) can send to your printer.
Option iii requires the capability to do the setup on whichever terminal emulator you use. It also locks the emulator while printing, as all input from OpenVMS is sent to your printer port.

There are other options like using a printer connected directly to the OpenVMS machine via either RS232 or parallel port, or using a Terminal Server (NOT windows/Unix Terminal server software; This is a device that sits on the LAN or WAN and has 8, 16 or 32 RS232 outputs.)

On second thought, I suppose that if, from a Wintel or Unix you connected *twice* to openVMS (using SSH or not) and set one session to send its output to the printer/parallel port you could *possibly* (No I haven't tried this) sent files to be printed from the other session. I really wouldn't like to have to set this up as a regular habit...

Oh and I recall I still owe Dillon some info on connecting to VMS using SSH...

Sorry if I don't have a solution; Do you want this 'to see if it works' or do you have some printing to do?

MikeR

N.B. in case you want to try reaching the printer over the net, remember that the printer and/or its server must be reachable over the net.

[miker_alpha]

To continue my previous reply:

I connected to an OpenVMS server (not Polarhome, sio I hope there are no substantial differences) and tried two terminal emulators:
The first, eXcursion, connected as a X server and opened a terminal window - really convenient, but I could not get it to work as a printer controller to the PC's printer.

Then tried something called Powerterm - fairly standard terminal emulator IIRC distributed with OpenVMS, with the advantage - for me - that it recognizes Hebrew. In the terminal window did: file --> 'start auto print' , opened another session and did
$ copy <filename> TNAxx:
where TNAxx: was the terminal device (Telnet session) the first Powerterm had connected to (he says, ending the sentence with a preposition...)

Now that I think back, the 'copy' to another session *might* require privilege, but that could be solved by using a utility program, installed with privileges....

Anyway - it worked!

Contact me offline to pursue this further if neccessary
HTH

MikeR

[zoli]

miker... you are magician, indeed.
This is a brilliant solution.

[afonic]

Last time I checked, miker's name was in the dictionary, right next to the OpenVMS entry.

[miker_alpha]

/me blushes ...

thanks, guys.

MikeR

[dillona_aix]

You know I wanted to put his name in Wikipedia under OpenVMS, but I figured someone would delete it.

[afonic]

LOL

[glow]

there is always urbandictionary

[eh41]

[quote="dillona_aix"]
Hi,
I'm hoping miker can answer this for me. I want to be able to some how set up a print queue through my ssh session to my local laser printer. I'm using PuTTY if that matters. I know I have done this many times in Terminal Services on Windows Server, and I like to believe that anything Windows can do, OpenVMS can do better.

EDIT: And I would like it to be secure so that only I have read access to it.
[/quote]

A bit late, but:

Not the way via print queue, but there is a tool called PPF (print port facility), this triggers a remote printout on a terminal and works with putty. Source code is provided. Maybe this was useful for you?

However, I can't remember where I found it. If you'd like to give it a try, I can mail it to you (85 Blocks, ZIP). Mail me at eh41 (at) alpha.polarhome.com. But beware, I'm not continuously connected