PicLan - Networking for Pick

The end of this chapter include a "how to" for most common printing paths and options.

When the PicLan SERVER-PROCESS receives a network print job, it will re-spool the job into the normal Pick spooler. The job will be re-spooled with the correct H and/or S options and with the correct copy count. Information about who generated the job will be lost in that the Pick spooler does not include a job description field.

The PicLan SERVER-PROCESS will periodically scan the Pick spooler looking for jobs in form queues setup with the PL-ASSIGN statement. The PL-ASSIGN statement can setup print queues to operate in one of two network "modes". These modes are normal and move.

In normal mode, the PicLan SERVER-PROCESS behaves much like a Pick system printer. A job will only be transferred to it's network destination when the job is closed and ready to be printed. If the job is spooled with HS options, the job will sit in the Pick spooler until released by a user. If the job has just an H option, then it will be transmitted across the network immediately, and the job will be retained in the Pick spooler as a printed hold job. If the job has no options, it will be transmitted across the network and then deleted. In any case, the job that is transmitted across the network is sent without any option letters.

In move mode, the PicLan SERVER-PROCESS does not behave like a Pick system printer. Instead of printing jobs, the SERVER-PROCESS moves jobs with options intact to a destination system. This means that a job spooled with HS options will be transmitted to it's destination with the HS option intact and then deleted from the source system. This network printing behavious is intended for destinations that understand hold jobs. A network destination that is another Pick host or a NetWare print queue are examples of destinations that know how to process hold jobs. Slave printers and Windows print queues are examples of destinations that do not understand hold jobs.

In addition to operating mode, the SERVER-PROCESS will interpret four different options which can be used singly or in combination:

• SLFF - Supress Leading Form Feed
  
• STFF - Supress Trailing Form Feed
  
• ALFF - Add Leading Form Feed
  
• ATFF - Add Trailing Form Feed
  

• Pick to Pick printing
  
• Pick to DOS Services Gateway printing
  
• DOS Services Gateway to Pick printing
  
• Pick to PL-DEV TSR printing
  
• PL-DEV TSR to Pick printing
  

In order to use Pick to Pick Printing, you network must be configured with:

• At least two Pick host systems with PicLan.
  
• PicLan must be configured with the Pick to Pick license option on all systems that need to use Pick to Pick printing functions.
  
• A PicLan SERVER-PROCESS must be executing on all Pick systems that need to use Pick to Pick printing functions.
  

                                    --  PL-DSGW  -- PL-DSG32
                               DOS  3.1 WFW  95  NT   95  NT
    
    NW Print Queue (bindery)   YES  yes YES YES YES   no  no
    NW Print Queue (NDS)        no  yes yes yes yes   no  no
    NW Print Queue (via path)   no   no  no  no YES  YES YES
    NW Print Queue - WIN        no   no  no YES YES  YES YES
    DSG LPT hardware device    yes   no  no  no  no   no  no
    DSG COM hardware device    yes   no  no  no  no   no  no
    DOS network path           yes  ??? ??? ??? ???   no  no
    DOS Shelled Command        yes   no  no  no  no   no  no
    Windows LPT attached queue  no  yes YES  no  no  YES YES
    Windows COM attached queue  no  yes YES  no  no  YES YES
    Windows named printer - WIN no   no  no YES YES  YES YES
    Windows local path          no   no  no  no YES   no YES
    Windows local path - WIN    no   no  no YES YES  YES YES
    Windows network path        no   no YES YES YES  YES YES
    Windows network path - WIN  no   no  no YES YES  YES YES

Descriptions in all capital letters were tested on in-house systems at Modular Software. The test client systems included:

• Windows for Workgroups 3.11
  
• Windows 95 production release with Microsoft NetWare client (32-bit PicLan drivers)
  
• Windows 95 production release with NetWare VLM client (real-mode PL-DEV)
  
• Windows 95 production release with beta 1.1 NetWare Client32 (32-bit PicLan drivers)
  
• Windows NT 4.0 with Microsoft NetWare client (32-bit PicLan drivers)
  

NetWare Print Queue (bindery)

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!NWServerName/NWQueueName:0{:options}{!SpoolOptions)

• F - Supress form-feed NetWare option
  
• B - Supress banner NetWare option
  

SpoolOptions are:

• MOVE - transfer and delete hold print jobs to destination
  
• SLFF - Supress Leading Form Feed
  
• STFF - Supress Trailing Form Feed
  
• ALFF - Add Leading Form Feed
  
• ATFF - Add Trailing Form Feed
  

In order to print to NetWare bindery print queues, your DSG system must have one of the following NetWare clients installed:

• NETX
  
• VLM
  
• Client-32 for DOS and Windows 3.x
  
• Client-32 for Windows 95
  
• NetWare client for Windows NT
  

Your workstation must also be logged into each NetWare server that host a print queue with an active licensed attachment and with "user" security priviledges for the specified print queues.

NetWare Print Queue (directory services)

PicLan can print directly into NetWare directory services print queues using NetWare supplied 16-bit Windows APIs. This interface supports copy count and HS option support along with inclusion of Pick generating port numbers and accounts in the job's description fields. This type of printing is specified by using the following format of the PL-ASSIGN command:

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!NDS QueueName:0{:options}{!SpoolOptions)

• F - Supress form-feed NetWare option
  
• B - Supress banner NetWare option
  

SpoolOptions are:

• MOVE - transfer and delete hold print jobs to destination
  
• SLFF - Supress Leading Form Feed
  
• STFF - Supress Trailing Form Feed
  
• ALFF - Add Leading Form Feed
  
• ATFF - Add Trailing Form Feed
  

In order to print to NetWare bindery print queues, your DSG system must have one of the following NetWare clients installed:

• VLM
  
• Client-32 for DOS and Windows 3.x
  
• Client-32 for Windows 95
  
• NetWare client for Windows NT
  

Clients for Windows 95 and Windows NT supplied by Microsoft do not support PicLan printing functions to NetWare print queues (you can use network path printing instead).

Your workstation should be logged into directory services on the same tree as the print queues are located (PicLan does not support printing to non-attached directory trees). When a print job is generated to a print queue, the DSG will automatically attach, authenticate, and license a connection to the NetWare server that hosts the specified print queue. The DSG users does need to have adequate priviledges as a queue user that can add and delete print jobs.

NetWare Print Queue (via network path)

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!//NWServerName/NWQueueName{!SpoolOptions}

DSG LPT Hardware Device

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!LPT#:{!SpoolOptions}

DSG COM Hardware Device

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!COM#:{!SpoolOptions}

The communications parameters for each COM device is specified in the PL-CFG.INI file. The first (and thus default) values for baud rate, parity, etc. are used to initialize the COM port for printing purposes.

DOS Network Path

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!//Server/Queue{!SpoolOptions}

DOS Shelled Command

The shelled command must complete reasonably quickly and without operator intervention.

The shelled command must be reliable.

The PL-ASSIGN syntax for this printer redirection is:

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!EXEC command string{!SpoolOptions}

• %% - insert a '%' character
  
• %N - insert the temporary file name that contains the print job image
  
• %F - insert the '/' character
  
• %B - insert the '\' character
  

Windows LPT Attached Queue

Windows NT does not implement this function. Windows 95 does implement this function, but the temporary spoolfile will not be deleted.

Under Windows 95, you must setup your printer as "capturing" the specified LPT port for DOS-style applications.

The PL-ASSIGN syntax for this is:

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!LPT#:{!SpoolOptions}

Windows COM Attached Queue

This printing methodology has the same limitations as printing to an attached LPT queue.

Under Windows 95, you must setup your printer as "capturing" the specified COM port for DOS-style applications.

The PL-ASSIGN syntax for this printer redirection is:

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!COM#:{!SpoolOptions}

Windows Named Printer (through the WIN spooler)

This function is only available with Windows 95 and Windows NT systems and requires 32-bit PicLan drivers (PicLan on Windows 95 with PL-DEV loaded will not function).

The PL-ASSIGN syntax for this printer redirection is:

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!WIN printer_name{!SpoolOptions}

This type of printer support allows PicLan to print to nearly any printer that Windows can print to. Simply install a printer driver in Windows and let PicLan print through that driver.

Windows Printer by device name (through the WIN spooler)

This function is only available with Windows 95 and Windows NT systems and requires 32-bit PicLan drivers (PicLan on Windows 95 with PL-DEV loaded will not function).

The PL-ASSIGN syntax for this printer redirection is:

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!WIN device_name{!SpoolOptions}

This option uses the same code as printing to a Windows printer by name through the WIN print spooler, but allows you to specify the device by device name instead of by printer name.

Windows Local Path

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!//LocalServer/Queue{!SpoolOptions}

Windows Local Path (through the WIN spooler)

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!WIN //LocalServer/Queue{!SpoolOptions}

Windows Network Path

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!//Server/Queue{!SpoolOptions}

Windows Network Path (through the WIN spooler)

    PL-ASSIGN #=dsgname!WIN //RemoteServer/Queue{!SpoolOptions}

    [DosServicesGateway]
    PrintQueue=queue1 queue2 ...
    Queue1In=Server\Queue:form
    Queue1Out=PickHost!QueueNumber
    ...

NetWare Configuration for Printing

In order to have print jobs move from a NetWare print queue to a Gateway print queue, the Gateway must be able to service print jobs from NetWare print queues. Normally, print servers are configured using the NetWare PCONSOLE utility. However, the DOS Services Gateway must LOGIN to each NetWare file server as a normal user, and the PCONSOLE utility can't be used to add normal users as print servers. The PicLan PLMKPS.EXE utility is provided to do this. This syntax of PLMKPS is as follows:

    PLMKPS user_name queue_name ...

    PLMKPS dsg1 *

You must be logged in as SUPERVISOR on the file server to run PLMKPS. PLMKPS will list all of the queues it will act upon, and prompt whether it should take any action or not.

In order for print jobs to be moved to a NetWare print queue from a Gateway, the Gateway's NetWare user name must be given queue user and queue operator rights on the target print queues. Use the PCONSOLE utility to do this.

When running the Gateway, the Gateway machine should be logged in to all of the necessary NetWare file servers before the PL-TERM.EXE program is run. You may wish to develop special AUTOEXEC.BAT and login script files for the Gateway so that it automatically performs all of the needed actions.

    PL-DEV
    PL-PRN LPT#:=PickHost!QueueNumber {/CopyCount} {/h} {/s} {/t##} {/u} {/i} {/n} {/f} {/?}

• h - Pick H option
  
• s - Pick S option
  
• t## - Timeout to close a print job
  
• u - Unload. Stops capturing LPT device
  
• i - Display information
  
• n - Disable DOS auto end of job sensing
  
• f - Flush and close job
  
• ? - Display help
  

    PL-DEV
    PL-SPRN LPT#:=PRIMARY {/p##} {/t##} {/u} {/i} {/?}

    PL-DEV
    PL-SPRN LPT#:=SECONDARY {/p##} {/t##} {/u} {/i} {/?}

• p## - Set the character polling period
  
• t## - Set the maximum timeout value
  
• u - Unload. Stop printing to the local printer
  
• i - Display information
  
• ? - Display help
  

In order to print to the PL-DEV TSR, you execute a PL-ASSIGN command on the Pick host. There are two different styles of printing that can use the PL-DEV TSR as the receiving end of print jobs.

The syntax of the PL-ASSIGN command for this type of printing is:

    PL-ASSIGN #=SLAVE:0{!SpoolOptions}
    PL-ASSIGN #=SLAVE:1{!SpoolOptions}

The syntax of the PL-ASSIGN command for this type of printing is:

    PL-ASSIGN #=PL-RPRN!ImmAddr:NetNumber:NodeAddr:PrinterNumber{!SpoolOptions}

    PL-ASSIGN #=PL-RPRN!HERE:PrinterNumber{!SpoolOptions}

• ImmAddr - The immediate address from the PL-STAT (A) display for this workstation. If this number is blank, it is assumed that the workstation is located on the local nework using the same default frame type as the Pick host.
  
• NetNumber - The network number for the workstation. If this number is blank, it is assumed that the workstation is located on the local network using the same default frame type as the Pick host.
  
• NodeAddr - The address of the workstation.
  
• PrinterNumber - A 0 to specify the PRIMARY printer or a 1 to specify the SECONDARY printer.
  

    PL-SPOOL command {print job number}

• DISP or null - Display current spooler files with the destinations and statuses.
  
• INIT - reinitialize the PicLan spooler control tables
  
• REFRESH - Refresh the PicLan spooler control tables
  
• DEL (or DELETE or REMOVE) - Delete a spooler job
  
• KILL - Kill a spooler job
  
• HELP (or ?) - Display on-line help for PL-SPOOL
  

    PL-KICK-SERVER

Use the PL-ASSIGN statement:

    PL-ASSIGN #=DSG!WIN printer_name or
    PL-ASSIGN #=DSG!WIN network_path or
    PL-ASSIGN #=DSG!WIN local_port

'network_path' is the share path to a network printer (ie. //server/printer).

'local_port' is the local port number for a printer (ie. lpt1:).

This style of printing is quite transparent and you can specify nearly any destination printer desired (with appropriate network permissions). It is also acceptable to use network share paths to access local printers (even under Win95).

This printing option also works with printer paths that are not "Windows" printers. You can specify printer paths to NetWare print queues using either bindery or NDS paths.

Use the PL-ASSIGN statement:

    PL-ASSIGN #=DSG!server/queue:0 or
    PL-ASSIGN #=DSG!NDS NDSqueue:0 (windows DSG only)

'server' is the name of the NetWare server

'queue' is the name of the NetWare print queu

'NDSqueue' is the name of a Novell Directory Services print queue (either partial or fully specified)

You must only use the 16-bit versions of the Windows DSG to use this method.

• Print to a laser printer in landscape mode
  
• Print in condenced print
  

In order to include a sequence of characters at the front of a print job, you should write a Pick item that contains the characters you wish to include. The file that you write into is named PL.BP,DATA and the item is PRE*nn where 'nn' is the Pick print queue or form number.

In order to include a sequence of characters at the end of a print job, you use the item POST*NN.

Whenever you use printer control PRE strings, be sure to also use POST strings that return the printer to the default settings. If you do not do this, Pick printing operations may interfere with each other or with other network printing functions.