Introduction and Setup

Part 1 of this manual describes the basics of LP Plus including:

What is LP Plus?

LP Plus is a comprehensive and easy-to-use Print Management System for UNIX. It delivers the power and flexibility you need to manage a dynamic print operation all from within a real-time menu system. It's a product designed by people who realize that priorities change, printers break down, and sometimes you need only one page of a 50-page report. Above all, LP Plus understands that all users have different printing needs, and those needs change every day. That's why LP Plus provides the power to let you control your print operation, no matter if you have 4 serial printers or 300 network printers.

LP Plus provides powerful print spooling features from the UNIX command line, or from its own comprehensive Status and Control menu system. Changing print jobs that are in the print queue has never been more simple. With LP Plus, you can stop and restart print jobs, print a range of pages, save print jobs for later, view print jobs, and more. By looking at the real-time status of print jobs, any user can quickly see where their print jobs are in the queue, what page is printing, and how many pages are in the print job. Viewing a print job in 80 or 132 column mode allows any user to check their work before it prints. Users can also check the result of their print job before it is removed from the queue system. All of these features add up to savings in time, effort, and paper for your business.

LP Plus can replace the existing UNIX lp facility or run concurrently with lp. All of the command line programs and files are provided to allow programmers and integrators to completely customize their print environments using LP Plus.

Some of the many features of LP Plus are:

A Road Map to Quick Success with LP Plus

With any new software package there is a learning curve to overcome before you can use the software effectively. We have attempted to make LP Plus as easy-to-use and as comprehensive as possible, however, with new concepts and terms involved a hint never hurts. This road map points out the major functions of getting LP Plus installed, setup, and integrated as quickly as possible, as well as where in the manual to get additional information on these procedures. A few things you should know before you start:

I. Installation

The installation of LP Plus is performed using the cpio command and copying the contents of the tape or diskettes to the "/tmp" directory, then running the installation program. Refer to the specific installation sheet that came with your LP Plus media kit.

II. Starting the LP Plus Print Scheduler

Before running dccadmin, ensure that the LPHOME environment variable is set to where you installed LP Plus (e.g. LPHOME=/usr/lpplus) and your path has been updated to reflect the LP Plus bin directory (/usr/lpplus/bin).

The LP Plus scheduler controls the print jobs after they are spooled. The scheduler needs to be "active" in order to despool (print).

1. From the command prompt run the LP Plus administration program:

$ dccadmin

2. Using the arrow keys, select "Services" from the LP Plus Administration main menu. Select "Start Scheduler" by pressing [ENTER]. The message below appears.

3. Press [ESC] to acknowledge the message. The "Services" menu item changes to "Stop Scheduler" . The LP Plus print scheduler is now started.

III. Adding Printers

LP Plus is a separate printing system from UNIX lp, therefore, you must add your printers using the LP Plus administration program "dccadmin" before you can print to them. In this section we will add the parallel printer as an example. Adding other printers is a matter of selecting the appropriate mode and UNIX device name. Printers can be divided into three basic types:

Local - A local printer is one that is connected to the local UNIX host by parallel, serial, SCSI, directory, etc.

Network - A network printer is one that is connected to a TCP/IP network via a print server, terminal server, or directly to the network (e.g. JetDirect or compatible).

Remote - A remote printer is one that is connected to another computer system (UNIX, NT, Windows, Novell, etc.).

1. After starting the scheduler, use the arrow keys and select "Printer Configuration" from the "Setup" menu by pressing [ENTER].

2. The Printer Configuration Menu is where printers are added, modified, and deleted. Usually the easiest printer to add first is the printer (if one is attached) on the parallel port. If you would like to add a different type of printer connection, select the appropriate printer mode. Refer to Part 3, the LP Plus Administration Guide, for information on adding different types of printers.

3. Enter the name of the printer to add (8 characters or less is recommended). This can be the same name as the current lp system printer or a different name. Press [ENTER] to move to the "Printer Mode" field.

4. Press the function key <F4> or (<CNTL> + f then 4) for printer mode choices.

5. Using the arrow keys (or the - and = alternate up/down cursor keys) select the mode "parallel" and press [ENTER].

6. Enter the UNIX Device Name for the parallel printer (e.g. /dev/lp0).

7. The other fields on this screen and the advanced screen are not required to print and will not be mentioned in this section. Refer to Part 3, the LP Plus Administration Guide, for detailed information on printer configurations.

Press the function key <F3> or (<CNTL> + f then 3) to save this printer. The message below appears to confirm the printer has been added.

8. Press <ESC> to go back to the LP Plus Administration Main menu and quit LP Plus Administration.

IV. Sending a Print Job to LP Plus

After adding the new printer (destination) print jobs can be spooled to LP Plus much in the same way print jobs are sent to the UNIX lp system.

1. Send a print job to the new printer by using the "dcclp" command. The "-d printer_name" refers to the name of the printer just added (our example is "system1"). In this example the "/etc/profile" file is sent to LP Plus printer "system1".

$ dcclp -d system1 /etc/profile

The messages below are displayed:

These messages can be turned off using the "-s" dcclp command line option (e.g. $ dcclp -d system1 -s /etc/profile). The print job is now in the LP Plus system.

V. Checking the Status and Controlling Print Jobs and Printers

After printers are added and print jobs are submitted, they can be managed using the LP Plus Status and Control menu "dccstat".

1. To access dccstat enter the following command:

$ dccstat

2. The LP Plus Status and Control menu displays the status of print jobs and printers. It also lets you select a printer, print job, or a group of print jobs in order to issue commands. The default display for "dccstat" displays the print jobs. The example print job just submitted is displayed above.

3. Press the "5" key to display the printer status.

4. The printer status shows the basic information about the printer just added in this example. As with the UNIX lp system, a newly added printer is disabled and must be enabled in order to despool (print). With the cursor on the example printer press [ENTER].

5. Using the arrow keys, select "Enable Printer" and press [ENTER]. The message below appears confirming the enable.

6. Respond with "y" and press [ENTER]. The "N" in the "ENB" (enabled) column changes to a "Y". The printer is now enabled and ready to print.

7. Press "5" or [ESC] to go back to the print job screen.

The print job should be printing. The status of the job will change from "ready", then to "activ", then "prntd" (printed). If the status of the print job is "retry" or "intrd" (interrupted) there is a problem with either the printer or the printer port. If you have difficulties getting your printer to print, contact your software provider or Digital Controls for prompt technical support.

VI. Integrating LP Plus with Your Applications

After printers are added and tested the next step is usually to integrate the new printing system with applications. The two aspects of this are getting print reports to spool into LP Plus instead of UNIX lp and potentially giving users access to "dccstat" in order to let them manage their own printing. There are two basic methods of doing this:

Running LP Plus and UNIX lp simultaneously-

The existing UNIX lp system and LP Plus can coexist. An example of this would be if there are a total of 12 printers, using LP Plus to print to 4 printers and the existing lp system for the others. When LP Plus is first installed it is a separate printing system. The only time lp and LP Plus conflict is if two printers are printed to simultaneously. The method of segregating where the print jobs go is by sending LP Plus print jobs to "dcclp" and UNIX lp print jobs to lp, lpr, or enq.

Printer Program to Run

system1 | dcclp -d system1

laser7 | dcclp -d laser7

printer2 | lp -d printer2

If the applications currently print to "lp" and the printers have the same virtual name in LP Plus as they do in UNIX lp, then it is likely that adding a "dcc" prefix to the existing lp command will work. If you do not know how to set up printers in your application software, consult your applications administration guide or your software provider.

Having LP Plus Replace UNIX lp-

If you cannot change (or do not want to) the command that your application software prints to and it is printing to "lp -d printer_name", then linking LP Plus to lp is the method of integration.

After you have installed, configured, and tested LP Plus, you have the option to have it replace (link) itself with the lp system. This is only an option if the lp command (or lp front end for AIX users) is currently in use. If, for example, you are running IBM AIX and are using enq or lpr as a front end this does not apply. Linking makes LP Plus transparent to any existing programs that call the UNIX lp command. The script "$LPHOME/bin/dcclplink" copies the existing UNIX lp, lpstat, and lpadmin commands and adds an ".lpp" extension to them. It then links the above commands to the LP Plus supplied commands "$LPHOME/bin/dcclp, lpstat, and lpadmin". The script also edits the "rc" files to prevent the UNIX lp scheduler from coming up. This script disables UNIX lp. The script "$LPHOME/bin/dcclpunlink" unlinks LP Plus from lp and therefore enables the UNIX lp system. Refer to Appendix B for this and other integration issues.

Who Should Use LP Plus?

LP Plus is user friendly UNIX Print Management software. It can be used by System Administrators as a powerful tool to manage the systems printing and quickly resolve problems and by users to manage their own printing environments. With complete security, LP Plus can be easily integrated into a user’s menu system to provide quick access and control to the system printing. Users can view print jobs, decide whether or not to print, print only select pages, cancel print jobs, move reports to another print destination and much more. In either scenario, LP Plus provides the power and the ease-of-use needed to manage any print environment. Whether the system(s) has two printers or several hundred, LP Plus saves both users and administrators time, paper, and effort.

Installing and Removing LP Plus

Refer to the specific installation and removal instructions sheet that came with your media kit.

Licensing and Upgrading LP Plus

LP Plus is licensed by the number of printers configured through LP Plus administration. Refer to the price sheet included with your LP Plus information kit.

All LP Plus media is shipped as evaluation software. This allows us to let all of our customers try the fully functional product before they buy it. It runs for 30 days from the time it is installed. A "Days Remaining to Register" indication appears at the top of the Status and Control (dccstat) screen. YOU MUST REGISTER YOUR SOFTWARE OR IT WILL STOP RUNNING AFTER 30 DAYS!

How The Process Works:-

IF YOU ARE EVALUATING LP PLUS, you can purchase and register LP Plus any time during or after the 30-day evaluation period. However, the LP Plus scheduler will not run after the 30-day evaluation period has expired. Contact your retailer or Digital Controls to register LP Plus.

IF YOU HAVE PURCHASED LP PLUS, you must register it within 30 days from the date of installation or it will stop running. If the message "nn (number) Days Remaining to Register" appears at the top of the Status and Control (dccstat) screen, then your copy of LP Plus has not been registered. Use the LP Plus License and Registration Kit provided by your retailer or Digital Controls to officially register and activate LP Plus.

Your UNIX Environment

For LP Plus to function properly, any user using it must have the variable LPHOME set to the base LP Plus directory (e.g. /usr/lpplus) and the PATH must have an entry for the LP Plus programs (e.g. /usr/lpplus/bin). During the LP Plus installation process an entry is placed in the /etc/profile for you. To determine if your environment is set for LP Plus use, you can enter the following command from the UNIX prompt:

$ env

An example of what is displayed is shown below with the LP Plus variables highlighted.

HOME=/

HZ=100

LOGNAME=root

LPHOME=/usr/lpplus

LPPCONFIRM=

MAIL=/var/mail/root

NONAMESERVER=1

PATH=/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/etc:/usr/lpplus/bin

TERM=vt100

TERMCAP=/etc/termcap

TZ=EST5EDT

Getting Technical Support

Quite often you will get technical support from the retailer or the distributor you purchased LP Plus from. They may understand your system and want to be "in the loop" when you have problems.

However, please know that we at Digital Controls want your problems to be solved and have a capable and willing staff of support engineers ready to assist you. If you have any problems with LP Plus, at any time, please feel free to contact us.

How to Contact Digital Controls

Where to From Here?

If you have followed the "Roadmap to Quick Success with LP Plus", then where you go from here depends on what you want to accomplish. For the Administrator, you may want to add the rest of your printers and customize your LP Plus system. Adding the rest of your printers will be just like the above procedures except for the different printer modes (method of connection) and the device names. Detailed information about printer configuration, security, printer classes, defaults, and others can be found in Part 3, the LP Plus Administration Guide.

For the user, you may want to try some of the many print queue features of LP Plus. Part 2, the User Reference Guide, provides step-by-step instructions for print queue and printer management. Such items as restarting, canceling, moving, and suspending print jobs are described as well as enabling, disabling, and mounting forms on printers.