Will RPM receive jobs from an HP3000?

Tue, 06/11/2024 - 15:23 By Dave Brooks

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Q: Will RPM Remote Print Manager® ("RPM") receive jobs from an HP3000 running the MPE/iX operating system (OS)?

A: The MPE/iX OS does not natively support the LPR/LPD protocol. If you have a 3rd party LPR client for MPE/iX, we recommend you use it; however, we do not provide instructions for configuring 3rd-party clients.

Before starting, note that TCP/IP printing on the HP3000 is supported on MPE release 5.5 or greater. The first step is to add the printer LDEV. You can add it using SYSGEN, which requires a system reboot, or it can be added dynamically with the IOCONFIG utility.

Creating the LDEV for RPM is the same as any other JetDirect printer.

  1. Log on as Manager.SYS and run IOCONFIG.PUB.SYS.
  2. At the IOCONFIG prompt, type: AD LDEV=nnn PATH=NONE ID=HPTCPJD. Substitute "nnn" with a unique number.
  3. Exit IOCONFIG by typing EXIT.

Next, an entry in the NPCONFIG file must be created or added. The following configuration should be added to the "NPCONFIG.PUB.SYS" file. If this file does not exist, it must be created.

nnn (network_address = x.x.x.x
  tcp_port_number = 9100
  jam_recovery = false
  pjl_supported = false
  snmp_enabled = false
  setup_file = null.hpenv.sys)

Replace nnn with the same number as the LDEV. The "network_address" should reflect the IP address of the PC where RPM is installed.

Note: null.hpenv.sys may not exist.  If not, create it first.  The setup_file should be an empty file.

Note: The "tcp_port_number" setting can be any number you choose. You must configure RPM to receive jobs on this port. Also, you must ensure you are not using a reserved number such as 23 for telnet. Usually, if you use ports in the 9100 range, it will work.

To configure RPM to receive jobs on different ports:

  1. In RPM, choose "Port Settings" from the "Configure" menu.
  2. Choose "Telnet" from the "Select Port Type to Add" list and click Add Port.
  3. Enter 9100 in the Port list, or the number you configured in the "npconfig.pub.sys" file on the HP3000.
  4. From the "Queue" list, choose which RPM queue will receive jobs sent on this port number. We recommend accepting all other default values initially.  Press OK.
  5. The changes should take effect once you press OK on the "Port Settings" dialog.

RPM should now be configured properly for receiving jobs from the MPE/iX OS running on the HP3000 box.

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