Windows 2000 LPR Issues, Please Help

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sean Abrahams
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Sean Abrahams

I have a windows 2000 server receiving print jobs via a unix
environment located in another department. Some of the print jobs come
through fine, while others are cut off in the middle, with the rest
printing out on the following print job.

The printer on the windows 2000 server is configured to use the
Generic / Text driver and RAW print processor.

We have stopped the print job downstairs to ensure it is correct, and
it is. Yet when I enable "Keep Printed Documents" and check the spool
directory. The .SPL files show in fact that the job is cut off, with
the remnants showing up in the following print job.

I have SimulatePassThrough set to 1, and cannot figure out what the
problem is.

I am ready to pull my hair out. Here's to hoping someone can help.

Thank you,
--Sean
 
If you haven't done this already, you might try setting
the spooler to "Start Printing after last page is spooled"
in the printer properties advanced tab. By default this
is set to Print immediately.

Good luck
On the server printer properties, advanced tab,
 
I have the very option selected, and have tried print immediately as
well. No luck, but thank you for the response!

--Sean
 
Sounds like the W2k driver is incorrectly (or correctly,
depending on which way you look at it) interpreting a
character as a end of job control character...

^D (can't remember specific control character so it could
be something else)
have another look at what that unix job is sending...
1) if it all looks cool... try another driver or print
processor... maybe "text" ?
2) if it doesn't look good and actually has an end of job
character in the original unix output... you need to get
them (unix guys/gals) to fix up their output...

it could also be a network glitch... but I've run out of
time in this post... :)
 
The output from unix looks fine before it's sent to my windows 2000
LPD. The file is plain text.

Again, the strange part is, the job gets cut off the first time, with
the remnants showing up in the next job. But the next job is the same
exact file, only this time it has the remnants of the previous job
followed by the *entire* rest of the second job (which is the same
file as the first job).

So, sending it through a second time, immediately after the first
time, results in a complete job, albeit the remnants of the previous
one at the top.

Again, the file is plain text, you can open it, and read it, from any
text editor. Looking at the complete job that comes through, shows no
signs of control characters. Although the first job is cut off with a
E, signaling the end of the job, but this didn't come from the text
file, rather it appears Windows adds it in whenever it pleases.

I'm still lost, but thanks for your help.

(As a test, I setup another machine in a different area to test the
LPD and still get the same problem.)

Thanks,
--Sean
 
This is no answer for you, but we saw a similiar situation
and could never find a way to correct it. We ended up
bypassing the print server and going directly to the
printer. Fortunately in our case we only had two or three
users per printer. I will be curious if you find the
cause. Good luck!
 
Are you sure that the problem is not originating at the UNIX end? The
reason I ask this is becuase each "print job" using the lpr/lpd protocol
consists of two files - a control file and a data file. So, if there are
two print jobs showing up on the Windows server, perhaps the UNIX system is
actually sending two print jobs - four files in all.

Have you tried using Network Monitor (comes with with Windows 2000) to see
what is actually being sent from the UNIX end?
 
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