HP LaserJet II (with PS) and SS-1!

[* Sandeep Varma *]

I have a stand-alone SparcStation-1 running SunOS 4.1 and have connected
an HP LaserJet II with a PS cartride in it to SS-1's serial port A. The
printer settings can not be changed once you have put PS cartridge in it.
So I have to first set the printer up for Serial I/O, Baud-rate=9600,
etc., then turn the printer off, put the PS cartridge in it, and finally
turn it on again.

  My /etc/ttytab [first few lines] looks as below:

#
# @(#)ttytab 1.6 89/12/19 SMI
#
# name  getty                           type            status  comments
#
console "/usr/etc/getty std.9600"       sun             on  local secure
ttya    "/usr/etc/getty std.9600"       unknown         off local secure
ttyb    "/usr/etc/getty std.9600"       unknown         off local secure
.
.
.

I am using printcap entry for this printer from a previous posting on the
net by "r.d. parachoniak" <rap at physics.ubc.ca>.

=============================================================================
Here is a printcap entry for an hplaserjet:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lp1|pronetics-ttyb1:lp=/dev/ttyb1:br#9600:\
	:ms=-parity,cs8,-cstopb,-tabs,clocal,cread,-echo,ixon,-opost:\
	:pw#80:lf=/var/spool/lp1/error_log:sd=/var/spool/lp1:\
	:of=/usr/lib/hplaserjet:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and here is the output filter that is needed:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#!/bin/csh -f
#
# @(#)hplaserjet 1.1 88/10/27 Sun Microsystems Inc 1988
#
#
# This is the output filter form use with HP laserjets I and II.
# It is called via the of entry in the generic_hp printcap entry
# All it does is send the escape sequence to the printer, so that:
#	CR is mapped to CR
#	LF is mapped to CR LF
#	FF is mapped to CR FF

/usr/bin/echo -n 'E'
sleep 2
/usr/bin/echo -n '&k2G'
sleep 2
/usr/bin/cat
if ($status == 0) then
	sleep 1
	exit 0
else
	exit 1
endif
=============================================================================

Problems:
--------

1. When the printer is connected to ttya and SS-1 is brought up, it
   freezes during boot process right after memory testing (when it says
   "Testing").  Even L1-a does not release this apparent keyboard lock. 

2. If I connect LaserJet II to ttya while SS-1 is up, then it doesn't
   print anything (both PS and non-PS files). Files just sit in the spooler
   and lpq always says "ps is ready and printing". Even a "cat filename >
   /dev/ttya" fails after a while (with no error message) and you don't see
   any lights flashing on the LaserJet, indicating that there is NO data
   reaching it.

Has anyone got this configuration working? Please reply to me by email and
I will summarize if there is enough interest.

Thanks very much,
Sandeep Varma.

(srvarma at zookeeper.cns.syr.edu OR srvarma at suvm.bitnet)

PS: Erata to my previous posting!

2 people pointed out so far that my printcap entry has lp definition for
ttyb while I have connected the printer to ttya, and rightly guessed that
I must have corrected the lp definition before testing the printing. Yes,
I am using "lp=/dev/ttya" and due to an oversight, I did not correct lp
entry in my earlier posting which showed that I am using ttyb.

Sorry for the oversight. My problems, however, remain unsolved.