PRINTPATH/SE
Version 9.0Dn
RAC Consulting
2633-B Parkmont Lane SE, Suite G
Olympia, WA 98502 USA
Voice: (360) 357-9572
Fax: (360) 352-8453
E-mail: rac@racc.com
Web: http://www.racc.com/
PRINTPATH/SE provides HP 3000 users with a suite of network printing capabilities, offering flexibility well beyond that available in the MPE/iX FOS. Pricing for PRINTPATH/SE is $1,200 for any CPU size, plus $120 annual support. Right-to-copy for each additional CPU is half price ($600 + $60/yr).
Review by Jon Diercks
PRINTPATH adds network printing capabilities to the MPE spooler, allowing for the convenience of printer sharing and the speed improvements of network transport over serial connections. With PRINTPATH, MPE spoolfiles can be printed on remote network printers. Other computers on the network can use the product to print to the HP 3000's locally spooled printers.
RAC Consulting is best known for ESPUL and ASP, two packages that offer a broad range of capabilities to simplify spooler management and automate spoolfile processing. PRINTPATH is the name given to the components of ESPUL and ASP that support network printing. For customers who need extended network printing capabilities but are otherwise satisfied with MPE's built-in spooling functions, RAC makes PRINTPATH/SE available on an "a la carte" basis.
The baseline product supports JetDirect and LPR/LPD, two of the most popular TCP/IP-based network printing protocols. RAC recommends LPR/LPD for sharing print queues between various flavors of networks and operating systems, including Unix, Windows, Banyan, LAN Manager, and Appletalk. Two supported configurations are available for Novell Netware users. PRINTPATH/NETWARE is included with PRINTPATH/SE, and it allows MPE spoolfiles to be routed through Netware/iX to other Netware print queues using IPX. If you don't have Netware/iX, RAC also sells PRINTPATH/NLM, which installs on a native Netware server and allows bidirectional communication with PRINTPATH/SE on an HP 3000 or LPR/LPD on other systems.
When HP introduced MPE/iX 5.5, some basic network printing capabilities were folded into the fundamental operating system (FOS) for the first time. This is great news for sites that only need the ability to send MPE spoolfiles to JetDirect-equipped printers, but it certainly doesn't make the third-party offerings like PRINTPATH obsolete. The bundled MPE network printing is very functional and nicely integrated with the rest of the spooler, but it only supports JetDirect protocol, and can only transmit network print requests; it cannot receive them.
So if you need to print to non-JetDirect printers such as LPD servers or Novell print queues, or if you have other computers on your network that need to send network print requests to your HP 3000, you will need a supplemental solution like PRINTPATH. Similar products on the market include Minisoft's NetPrint92 and Quest Software's NBSpool; both advertise comparable functionality to PRINTPATH.
The installation process for PRINTPATH is simple and straightforward. As with many other MPE products, the first thing you do is :RESTORE an installation job from tape, then re-mount the tape and :STREAM the installation job. All other account creation and file retrieval tasks are handled by the installation job, which sends informative status reports to the console indicating its progress and completion.
After the software is loaded, a few configuration issues must be addressed. PRINTPATH can be configured to select spoolfiles for redirection to network printers based on almost any criteria (similar to the :LISTSPF;SELEQ= syntax), but the most popular method relies on MPE device classes. Network printer device class names are linked to "dummy" logical device (LDev) numbers, which are mapped to specific network printers. Device classes are commonly used to identify normal MPE spooled printers as well, so the consistency of this method makes it easy to understand and manage. The PRINTPATH documentation includes instructions on using NMMGR to ensure that Ethernet is enabled on your system and to configure as many device classes and dummy LDev's as you needed with network printers.
Another MPE 5.5 improvement allows system managers to add, modify or delete device classes and LDev's without performing a system reboot. This is a great convenience in dynamic environments where frequent additions or changes to network printer setups are required. A new program called IOCONFIG may be used instead of SYSGEN to make device class changes on the fly, and the venerable NMMGR has been enhanced to allow online LDev configuration updates as well.
Once the necessary device classes and LDev's have been configured, the next step is the creation of an ASPCONF file that holds the information PRINTPATH will use to route network printing traffic. The listing below shows a sample file that includes two different types of network printer definitions and also enables support of incoming network print requests from other computers:
* set ASP to pause 60 seconds after * all current spoolfiles are processed INTERVAL=60 * set the highest level of detail to * be logged in the log file LOGDETAIL=HIGH * define a JetDirect printer * for MPE device class MYLJIII * at IP address 199.8.7.6 NETPRINT DEV=MYLJIII NODE 199.8.7.6 OPTIONS PTYPE=JD;PURGE NETLOG END * for MPE device class PCLPD, * use LPR protocol to send spoolfiles to * a remote print queue named "testprt" on * the LPD server running on mypc.domain.net NETPRINT DEV=PCLPD NODE mypc.domain.net OPTIONS PTYPE=LPD;Q="testprt";PURGE NETLOG END * activate LPD capability to receive * incoming LPR requests and spool to the * requested MPE device class NETRECEIVE LPD OPTIONS LOG NETLOG END
When you have the ASPCONF parameters set to your liking, you are ready to stream the EASPJOB that runs continuously in the background, scanning the MPE spooler for qualifying network-printer spoolfiles and monitoring the network for incoming LPR requests.
I always give high marks for a product that installs and runs the first time, without incident. All my tests with PRINTPATH were successful on the first attempt. I was able to print from my HP 3000 to a JetDirect-equipped LaserJet III, and to an LPD server running on my PC. I also created a remote printer definition on an HP-UX system that allowed the HP 9000's reports to be printed using LPR to one of my HP 3000 printers. I had everything setup, configured and running smoothly in about an hour.
I found the product documentation clear and complete, although it states from the start that a basic understanding of MPE system administration is assumed. To the uninitiated, the style of the manual may seem a bit terse; to the seasoned professional, it is simply concise. The "quick start" section was especially helpful in providing an overview of the installation and setup process, with pointers to the detail pages for specific instructions.
The PRINTPATH manual also makes reference to some performance tuning issues for the ASP background job. Depending on your system size and the volume of network printing traffic you experience, it may be necessary to adjust the interval timing or the execution priority of the ASP processes. Settings are available in the ASPCONF file to tweak these variables for optimum performance and minimum system impact.
Operation of PRINTPATH is smooth and transparent. File equations and other application-level print settings look and feel much the same as they would for traditional MPE printers. System operators may need a little re-orientation, as certain spooling functions such as OUTFENCE management are handled differently for networked printers. PRINTPATH/SE includes a limited version of the ESPUL program that provides an ASPCONTROL command used to send spooling control requests to the ASP background job.
RAC has packaged a solid, functional product that is easy to set up and use. For shops using JetDirect and/or LPR/LPD, PRINTPATH/SE is a natural fit.
Jon Diercks has done programming, analysis, application support and system administration in MPE/iX and HP-UX environments at Anderson University for the past six years.