Managing Printers

7

This chapter discusses the following topics:

Checking the queue of a remote printer
Checking the status of a remote printer

Through the lpstat agent, SunNet Manager allows you to check the queue and check the status of remote printers. A printer can be connected to a machine running SunOS 4.x or Solaris 2.x.

Perform the following steps to manage a remote printer:

Install agents on the machine to which the printer is connected (the printer server).
If the machine is running Solaris 2.x, use pkgadd; if it is running SunOS 4.x, use getagents. See your installation guide for instructions on installing agents.
In the Console window, create an element of category component and type laserwriter, newsprinter, or printer, as appropriate. See the chapter on "Creating and Modifying the Management Database" for instructions on creating an element. Figure 7-1 shows an example Create Object window.

Figure 7-1

After clicking SELECT in the window above, you receive an Element Properties window. In this window, do the following:
a. Enter the name of the printer (print queue name)--not the name of the printer server.
b. Check off the lpstat agent.
c. Enter the name of the connected machine as the proxy. d. Click SELECT on Apply.
Do not check off any agents other than lpstat. See Figure 7-2 for an example Element Properties window.

Figure 7-2

If you want to receive data or event reports from the printer server, you must create a separate element for that machine. When specifying agents for the printer server, do not check off the lpstat agent.

You can obtain Quick Dumps and send data and event requests to the printer, just as you would send such requests to a workstation, server, or other type of element. SunNet Manager is shipped with a predefined event request so that you can be informed if the printer becomes unavailable. Figure 7-3 shows how to submit this request.

Figure 7-3

Through the Quick Dump mechanism (in the printer's glyph menu press MENU on Quick Dump >> lpstat >> queue or >> status), you can view the current job queue for a printer or obtain the current status. Status is reported as one of the following codes:

0 idle
1 waiting
2 printing
3 error

Through the lpstat agent, you can obtain a variety of information about print queue and printer status. There are some differences between information returned from printers connected to SunOS 4.x printer servers and that returned from Solaris 2.x print servers. See the na.lpstat (8) man page for details.