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Conference 7.286::postscript_printing

Title:Digital PostScript printers and their associated software
Moderator:REGENT::LASKOHER
Created:Wed Jan 24 1990
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:7230
Total number of notes:31971

7094.0. "LN17 displays prosessing-online-prosessing-online continually" by SNOFS1::wookii.pc.sno.dec.com::Ken Jeffreys () Mon Feb 24 1997 21:12

Hello

I have a LN17 which is configured with TCP/IP and Windows 95 clients are printing
directly to the printer. Everything works okay except every now and then the 
printer goes into a state where it displays "prosessing - online - processing -
online" and continues to toggle this message, it looks like it is stuck in a loop
I've left the printer for over 30 minutes and it still displays the same thing 
"prosessing - online - processing - online".

I then have to power the printer off and back on again. The printer will then continue
to print okay for a while before it goes back to displaying "prosessing - online - 
processing - online". Has anyone seen these symptoms or have any ideas what could 
be causing this to happen. 

I can post more information about the printer and 95 client settings if required.

Thanks
	
Ken Jeffreys
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7094.1REGENT::POWERSTue Feb 25 1997 08:466
Are all the jobs on all the clients similar?
All PostScript, perhaps?
Can you tell which client's jobs are causing this behavior?
Is the printer set to auto language sensing (in the Ethernet menu)?

- tom]
7094.2I have also seen this happen60600::LUCREPaul Lucre - from down under (Australia)Wed Feb 26 1997 16:1826
The printer LN17ps is set up for LAT TCP/IP. The VMS host are configured to
access the printer using DCPS.

This all worked well untill the PC running windows 95 were added with direct
connections.

The symptom I now see is that a job sent from the DCPS host will print however
the printer will remain in this state online - processing untill a stop/reset is
isued on the host. Then the queue will be released.

I have tested this on both DCPS 1.3 and the field test 1.4 kit and the symptom
remains.

I'm considering sending a reset string to the printer after each print job to
see if that will release the printer connection.

The queue state is busy and the entry goes from printing to stalled.

Is it possible that either DCPS or the windows 95 driver for the printer are not
releasing the connection after the job is printed or is some communication
getting lost like and end of job etc to the host.


thanks for any help 

Paul Lucre 
7094.3REGENT::POWERSThu Feb 27 1997 08:487
There have been recent reports about DCPS problems with the way the LN17's
internal clocks work.
Have these printers been power cycled within the past month?
It may be necessary to do this every three weeks or so to keep the printer's
clocks in synch.

- tom]
7094.4Not seeing thisSHRMSG::HOWARDWhoever it takesThu Feb 27 1997 14:146
    We have a lot of LN17's in a similar configuration, and have only seen
    this once.  About a month ago I switched from UCX/LPD to DCPS over LAT
    on the VMS side, there is a lot of activity.  Powering off the printer
    fixed it that one time. 
    
    Ben
7094.5Must be a little slow in AustraliaGIDDAY::LUCREPaul Lucre - from down under (Australia)Thu Feb 27 1997 16:4831
I didn't think to power the printer off and on again to clear this problem.

This may help as I did some more investigation into what happened with this
printer as we have only had it installed for about one week.

Powered the printer off and on - This cleared the problem I then installed the
printer drivers onto another PC in the area and printed to the LN17 from that
PC. 

The printout was produced.

I then printed from my DCPS host and the problem returned.

Powering the printer off and on again cleared this problem and all PCs and DCPS
hosts are able to now use the printer.

This will work as a workaround for me as we continue to add PCs using this
printer.

This printer had only been running for a week so I will take the advise about
Power cycling the printer every 3 weeks. 

I will also make it a routine to power the printer off and on as I make this
printer available to more PCs. ( install the windows 95 drivers etc..) 


Thank you for your help

Regards 

Paul Lucre 
7094.6I've found a fixSNOFS1::wookii.pc.sno.dec.com::Ken JeffreysThu Feb 27 1997 18:5922
Hi,

	I posted the original note, and since then I have found a fix that worked 
for me. By diabling Netware and Appletalk the problem has gone away, the users
have been printing with no problems for the last few days. Below is the command 
used to do this FYI.

	define server auth netware disable
	define server auth appletalk disable

	You then need to power cycle the printer. I don't know what difference 
this should make, but it worked and the users are happy and so am I.

	With regards to .1 and .2 in my experience clients sending print jobs 
didn't cause the printer to go into this state. If no one sent a job and you
watched to printer for it would to into processing-online-processing-online state
on its own. I figured a Netware server must be polling the network to see whats 
out there. Not knowning anything about Netware this could be a completely 
assumption.

Regards,
	Ken Jeffreys
7094.7no DCPS problems with LN17ps' internal clockHANNAH::SCHULLMANDan SchullmanSat Mar 01 1997 08:4313
RE: .3

To avert any misconceptions before they go further... there have NOT been
any known *DCPS* problems with the LN17ps' internal clock.  Hence, I see
no need to reboot the printer periodically [though if all else fails, this
probably isn't a bad remedy to try.]

[I was debugging a PS program last week to "pause" the printer, so that I
 could look into a DCPS T1.4 problem with some HP NIC idle timeout values.
 In the process of debugging my "pause" program, I ran into a problem with
 the LN17ps' clock not wrapping when it maxed out.]

						--Dan S.