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If you use the PAGE_LIMIT parameter with the /JOB_COUNT qualifier, you are apt to get undesired results. In particular, if your intent is to suppress some initial pages of your job, DCPS will suppress them for the first copy of the job but print all pages of subsequent job copies. If your intent is to suppress some of the trailing pages of your job, DCPS will suppress them for the first copy of the job and omit subsequent job copies.
If you want multiple copies of your job with some pages suppressed,
issue the PRINT command the desired number of times rather than using
the /JOB_COUNT qualifier.
2.20 Printers with Auto-Sensing Features
Some printers, such as the DEClaser 5100 and the HP LaserJet 4SiMX, can sense the data type of a print job. Such printers allow you to specify how and whether the auto-sensing feature is enabled, per interconnect channel, through the front panel.
For most printers that offer this feature, the DECprint Supervisor software works properly when the printer is set to "PostScript" mode, or to "Automatic" mode. You must set such printers to operate in one of these modes before starting the DCPS queues. The DCPS software does not operate properly if the printer is set to "PCL" mode.
See Chapter 4 and the DECprint Supervisor for OpenVMS System Manager's Guide for additional information.
2.21 Setting I/O Buffers Too Small May Produce OPCOM Errors
If the size of the I/O buffers, set by the SYSGEN parameter MAXBUF, is too small, the print queue will be stopped, and the following message will be displayed to OPCOM:
%SYSTEM-E-EXQUOTA, process quota exceeded |
If this error occurs, increase the value of the SYSGEN parameter MAXBUF.
2.22 Cannot Start Queue for PrintServer Printer
Because of a CPAP protocol bug in some versions of DIGITAL PrintServer Software, DCPS symbionts can be given a badly formatted packet in response to a resource query. The bad packet prevents a symbiont from starting.
The problem is triggered by loading enough resources to require more than one packet describing the resources loaded to be returned. The suggested workaround is to load fewer resources. Empirical testing has found the limit to be 7 fonts.
This problem is fixed in version S5.0-29 and later of the PrintServer Software.
This section contains information about OpenVMS problems that are known to impact DECprint Supervisor and remedial patch kits ("ECOs") that address some of these problems.
You can obtain these remedial patch kits (or an update to them)
All sites running the DECprint Supervisor as a multistreamed process should install the Queue Manager Remedial Update.
The Queue Manager remedial update kits are:
This update corrects problems that cause the START/QUEUE command to hang under certain circumstances when operating with a multistreamed symbiont. The release notes provided with the kit describe all the problems fixed by this update. After installing this update, you need to reboot your system to enable these changes.
If this update is not installed you may encounter the following problem. If a queue running in a multistreamed process is stopped with STOP/QUEUE/RESET, then quickly started with START/QUEUE, it is possible that the start request will hang. In addition, sometimes the following message will be written to OPCOM:
%DCPS-F-STREAMUSE, Request 4 for Stream Id x ignored. Not consistent with symbiont state |
To recover, issue a Ctrl/Y to return to the DCL prompt, then issue a
STOP/QUEUE/RESET again, wait a few seconds, and try to start the queue
again. To avoid this problem, install the queue manager update.
3.2 Problem Starting Queues for LAT- and Direct-Connected Printers
There is an OpenVMS V7.0 terminal driver problem that may hinder you in using DCPS with LAT- and direct-connected printers. The symptom is that the associated queue cannot be started, with messages like the following being written to OPCOM:
%%%%%%%%%%% OPCOM 31-OCT-1995 21:53:55.73 %%%%%%%%%%% Message from user SYSTEM on FUNYET Queue SYS$PRINT: %DCPS-E-UNSUPPORTED, unsupported operation or function %%%%%%%%%%% OPCOM 31-OCT-1995 21:53:55.74 %%%%%%%%%%% Message from user QUEUE_MANAGE on FUNYET %QMAN-I-QUENOTSTART, queue SYS$PRINT could not be started on node FUNYET %%%%%%%%%%% OPCOM 31-OCT-1995 21:53:55.74 %%%%%%%%%%% Message from user QUEUE_MANAGE on FUNYET -SYSTEM-F-ABORT, abort |
The failure may be constant or intermittent. If you subsequently attempt to start the queue, you may succeed.
The following patch kits fix this problem:
There is an OpenVMS terminal driver problem that may result in your printer reporting I/O problems when connected to a serial port of your OpenVMS system. You may see the problem with OpenVMS Alpha V6.2 through V7.0, and with OpenVMS VAX V5.5 through V7.0, depending in part on what kind of serial port you are using.
The problem is that the terminal driver sometimes does not respond quickly enough to an XOFF request from the printer to prevent the printer from losing data.
This problem is fixed in OpenVMS Alpha V7.1.
The following patch kits fix this problem:
There is a DECthreads problem on OpenVMS VAX V7.0 and V7.1 systems that results in the DCPS symbiont aborting with an INSFMEM error. The DCPS symbiont consumes an increasing amount of memory over time, eventually aborting when it attempts to obtain more than the available dynamic memory. The probability of the symbiont aborting increases with each new print job that it processes.
The following patch kits fix this problem:
The DCPS symbiont can abort with an ACCVIO or BADPARAM error, possibly also indicating the CMA (DECthreads) facility, beginning 19 May 1997. Other software on your system, including DIGITAL TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS and anything layered upon DECthreads, may also fail after this date.
The problem is related to a long-standing OpenVMS restriction of fewer than 10,000 days in a delta-time value. POSIX-related software in particular, using the UNIX reference date of 1 January 1970, can encounter this limit on and after 19 May 1997. Refer to the OpenVMS web pages (www.openvms.digital.com) for more information about the "Delta-Time Limit".
The following patch kits fix this problem:
The following sections provide information about using DCPS with
specific printers. The DECprint Supervisor for OpenVMS System Manager's Guide and DECprint Supervisor for OpenVMS User's Guide contain a
dditional printer-specific information.
4.1 DIGITAL Laser Printer LNC02
4.1.1 Minimum Firmware Version
To use the DIGITAL Laser Printer LNC02 with the Raw TCP/IP protocol from DCPS, the printer must be running a minimum firmware version of System Release 1.1.1, Revision 3.11. This firmware version number is displayed on the printer's startup page.
If your LNC02 printer is running an older version of firmware, you can download the newer version from the DIGITAL Printers Web site at
http://www.digital.com/printers/sofwar/prt_sofwar.html
You can also use the online help from the Web page on the LNC02 to be
directed to the location of the firmware update.
4.1.2 Raw TCP/IP Port Number
When creating a DCPS queue for the LNC02 using the Raw TCP/IP protocol,
specify port number 6869. This bidirectional port is not the same as
the unidirectional port that is configured with the printer console.
4.1.3 Incorrect Sheet Count
The sheet count reported on the job trailer page and in the OpenVMS
accounting file is incorrect due to a limitation with the LNC02
printer. There is no known workaround. The LNC02 has, however, an
accounting feature that can be used to track printer utilization.
4.2 DIGITAL Laser Printer LN15+
The DIGITAL Laser Printer LN15+ is an upgrade to the DIGITAL Laser
Printer LN15. References in the DCPS documentation to the DIGITAL Laser
Printer LN15 also apply to the DIGITAL Laser Printer LN15+.
4.2.1 Raw TCP/IP Port Number
When creating a DCPS queue for the LN15 using the Raw TCP/IP protocol,
specify port number 3001.
4.2.2 Printer Configuration Settings
DCPS requires certain LN15 printer characteristics to be set. If these values, described in Table 4-1, are not set, DCPS jobs will remain in a Starting state and never print.
| Setting | Value | Where Set | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PERSONALITY | PS | Printer console CONFIG menu | LN15 User Manual |
| NPAP MODE | OFF | Printer console PARALLEL menu | LN15 User Manual |
| PORT 1 BITRONICS | ENABLED | Ethernet card management | RapidPrint 600 Print Server Installation Guide |
When creating a DCPS queue for the LN20 or LN40 using the Raw TCP/IP
protocol, specify port number 6869. This bidirectional port is not the
same as the unidirectional port that is configured with the printer
console.
4.3.2 Incorrect Sheet Count
The sheet count reported on the job trailer page and in the OpenVMS accounting file is incorrect due to a limitation with the LN20 and LN40 printers. There is no known workaround. The LN20 and LN40 have, however, an accounting feature that can be used to track printer utilization.
This section lists problems that have been corrected in DCPS V1.5-2.
5.1.1 No Job is Printed if Output Tray is Specified
If you specified the OUTPUT_TRAY parameter with DCPS V1.5-1, DCPS would not produce any printed output for your job. If you also specified the NOTIFY qualifier, you would see error messages similar to the following on your screen:
Job MY-FILE (queue MY_QUEUE, entry 330) started on MY_QUEUE $ %DCPS-I-JOBSTART, Job MY-FILE (queue SYS$PRINT, entry 330) started on MY_QUEUE $ %DCPS-W-UNDEF, undefined: Name not known - offending command is $ -DCPS-I-JOB_ID, for job MY-FILE (queue SYS$PRINT, entry 330) on MY_QUEUE $ %DCPS-E-FLUSHING, Rest of Job (to EOJ) will be ignored -DCPS-I-JOB_ID, for job MY-FILE (queue SYS$PRINT, entry 330) on MY_QUEUE $ %DCPS-W-UNDEF, undefined: Name not known - offending command is $ -DCPS-I-JOB_ID, for job MY-FILE (queue SYS$PRINT, entry 330) on MY_QUEUE $ %DCPS-E-FLUSHING, Rest of Job (to EOJ) will be ignored -DCPS-I-JOB_ID, for job MY-FILE (queue SYS$PRINT, entry 330) on MY_QUEUE $ Job MY-FILE (queue MY_QUEUE, entry 330) terminated with error status %SYSTEM-F-ABORT, abort |
DECprint Supervisor Version 1.5-1 adds support for the DIGITAL Laser Printer LN20.
You can find more information about this printer in Chapter 4 of
these release notes.
6.2 DCPS Version 1.5-1 Fixes
This section lists problems that have been corrected in DCPS V1.5-1.
6.2.1 Colorwriter LSR 2000 Jobs Remain in Starting State
When attempting to print to the Colorwriter LSR 2000 printer with DCPS
V1.5, the job would remain in a starting state and never print.
6.2.2 CONFIDENTIAL Does Not Appear When Using LAYUP or NUMBER_UP
If you specified the LAYUP or NUMBER_UP parameter when printing the
DCPS example file CONFIDENTIAL.PS with DCPS V1.4 or later, the word
"CONFIDENTIAL" would not appear on the output.
6.3 DCPS Version 1.5-1 Changes
This section describes changes made in DCPS V1.5-1.
6.3.1 New Paper Sizes
DCPS now supports the 12x19.5 inch (864x1404 mm) and 13x19 inch (936x1368 mm) paper sizes. You can specify 12X19.5 or 13X19 as the logical PAGE_SIZE value for any printer, and as the physical SHEET_SIZE value for the LN20 printer. Note that the LN20 console and documentation refer to the 12x19.5 and 13x19 paper sizes as 12x19 and Universal respectively.
DECprint Supervisor Version 1.5 adds support for the following printers:
You can find more information about these printers in Chapter 4 of these release notes.
* Sold in Europe and Asia Pacific areas. |
This section lists problems that have been corrected in DCPS V1.5.
7.2.1 Printing ANSI Document with User-Defined Fonts Fails
When printing an ANSI document that contains a user-defined font, the
print job would sometimes fail. This problem has been corrected in DCPS
V1.5.
7.3 DCPS Version 1.5 Changes
This section describes changes made in DCPS V1.5.
7.3.1 Sending ANSI Documents Using the DEClaser 3500 Fax Option
You can now fax ANSI documents using the DEClaser 3500 fax option, in
addition to previously supported PostScript and text files. Documents
consisting only of lines of printable ASCII characters can be sent as a
text file following the instructions in
SYS$COMMON:[SYSHLP.EXAMPLES.DCPS]FAX_3500_PRINTME.PS, or as an ANSI
document as described in the DECprint Supervisor for OpenVMS User's Guide.
7.3.2 Cisco MultiNet is Now Process Software MultiNet
The TCP/IP software product MultiNet has been sold by Cisco Systems, Incorporated to Process Software Corporation. References to Cisco MultiNet will be changed to Process Software MultiNet as DCPS documentation is revised.
The following list provides a brief description of the significant changes included in DECprint Supervisor Version 1.4. You can find more information for several of these changes elsewhere in these release notes.
This section lists problems that have been corrected in DCPS V1.4.
8.2.1 Only One Bin Gets a Separator Page if Collating without OUTPUT_TRAY
If the default output tray for the LN17ps was set to the collator and a
SHEET_COUNT=n parameter for the print job was specified without also
specifying the OUTPUT_TRAY=xxx parameter, only one copy of any
separator page (job burst, flag, or trailer page) would be generated.
Further, such pages would be delivered to random bins.
8.2.2 LN17ps Printer Hangs in Processing State
When the LN17ps collator was specified as the default output tray and the input tray was MANUAL_FEED, the printer would hang when the specified SHEET_COUNT was greater than one.
This error occurred most often while printing trailer pages.
On some occasions, a blank data sheet was sent to the collator just prior to the printer hanging.
This problem is attributed to both a bug in the LN17ps printer and in
DCPS V1.3. With the DCPS V1.4 fix, you are unlikely to see this problem.
8.2.3 Output may be Clipped on the LN17ps
Printer output on the LN17ps might have been clipped when the following conditions were met:
To avoid such clipping, use INPUT_TRAY=MANUAL_FEED.
When you specify an INPUT_TRAY value of FRONT or MULTIPURPOSE for the
LN17ps along with a sheet size, DCPS V1.4 now requires you to specify
the sheet size that matches the console-specified manual size.
8.2.4 Erroneous TRAYSUBST messages
Erroneous DCPS-I-TRAYSUBST messages may have occurred for specific output trays for the following printers:
| Printer | Output Tray | Substitution Reported |
|---|---|---|
| LN17ps | Top | OCT |
| LN17ps | Upper | OCT |
| LPS17 | LCOS | 2 |
| LPS32 | LCOS | 4 |
| LPS40 | LCOS | 4 |
The correct tray was selected even though the erroneous TRAYSUBST
message was issued.
8.2.5 Required Device Control Module Not Found for PrintServer Printers
If the first job submitted to a DIGITAL PrintServer printer contained an invalid parameter, a "Required device control module LPS$$INITPSDEVICE not found" error message was issued and the print queue stopped. This error occurred only if the first job printed contained an invalid parameter.
This error did not occur with desktop printers.
8.2.6 Erroneous Connection Termination Error for DEClaser 5100
DCPS was unable to communicate with the DEClaser 5100 via the NIC card, and would instead consistently fail with CONTERMINATED errors.
This problem was erroneously believed to have been fixed in DCPS V1.3,
as reported in Section 9.2.2.
8.2.7 PrintServer Printer Hangs when Network Connection is Lost and Jobs are Pending
A DCPS print queue could hang when all the following conditions were true:
This was fixed in DCPS V1.4 by enabling the KEEPALIVE option for such TCP/IP connections. However, if your system is configured for unusually long KEEPALIVE timeouts, you may continue to see this problem. If so, you may recover by deleting the job (DELETE/ENTRY) or stoping the queue (STOP/QUEUE/RESET).
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