Digital Equipment RapidPrint 500 Reference Manual

RapidPrint 500

Multiprotocol Micro Server for Printers

Reference Manual

EK-DSTRP-RM.A01 Digital Equipment Corporation Maynard, Massachusetts

October 1996

© Digital Equipment Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Digital Equipment Corporation. Printed in the United States of America.

The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: Digital, the DIGIT AL logo, LAT , ULTRIX, and VMS.

EtherTalk is a registered trademark of Apple Computer , Inc. HP is a register ed trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines. LaserWriter and LocalTalk are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. NetBIOS is a trademark of Micro Computer Systems, Inc. PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. SCO is a trademark of Santa Cruz Operations, Inc. Solaris and Sun are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, and Windows 95 are registered trademarks and Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Country Ltd.

WARNING

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference when operating in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with this guide, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.

Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference in which case the user, at his or her own expense, will be required to take whatever measures may be required to correct the interference.

Warning: Changes or modiﬁcations to this device not explicitly approved by Digital Equipment Corporation will void the user's authority to operate this device.

Cet appareil doit se soumettre avec la section 15 des statuts et règlements de FCC. Le fonctionnement est subjecté aux conditions suivantes:

1. Cet appareil ne doit pas causer une interférence malfaisante.

2. Cet appareil doît accepter n'importé quelle interférence reìue qui peut causer une opération indésirable.

1 Introduction

1.1 Protocol Support................................................................................................1-1

1.2 Terms...................................................................................................................1-1

1.3 Server Features...................................................................................................1-2

1.3.1 AppleTalk Support...........................................................................1-2

Contents

1.3.2 LAN Manager Support....................................................................1-2

1.3.3 LAT and Digital Compatibility ......................................................1-2

1.3.4 NetWare Support .............................................................................1-2

1.3.5 TCP/IP and UNIX Compatibility..................................................1-2

1.3.6 Small Size...........................................................................................1-2

1.3.7 Easy Configuration ..........................................................................1-2

1.3.8 Command Line Interface................................................................1-2

1.3.9 Host-Initiated Connections.............................................................1-3

1.3.10 Security ............................................................................................1-3

1.3.11 Remote Configuration ...................................................................1-3

1.3.12 SNMP Support................................................................................1-3

1.3.13 Diagnostics ......................................................................................1-3

1.4 How To Use This Manual.................................................................................1-4

iii

2 Concepts

2.1 Network Protocols.............................................................................................2-1

2.2 AppleTalk ...........................................................................................................2-2

2.2.1 Addressing ........................................................................................2-2

2.2.2 Zones..................................................................................................2-2

2.2.3 Name Binding Protocol (NBP) .......................................................2-3

2.3 LAN Manager.....................................................................................................2-3

2.3.1 Networking .......................................................................................2-3

2.4 LAT ......................................................................................................................2-4

2.5 TCP/IP ................................................................................................................2-5

2.5.1 IP Addresses......................................................................................2-5

2.5.2 Subnetworks......................................................................................2-5

2.5.3 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) ........................2-5

2.5.4 Reverse Telnet (RTEL).....................................................................2-6

2.5.5 LPR Support......................................................................................2-6

2.5.6 TCP/IP Utilities and Commands...................................................2-7

2.6 LAT and TCP/IP Connection Methods..........................................................2-7

2.7 NetWare ..............................................................................................................2-7

2.7.1 Networking .......................................................................................2-8

2.7.2 Access Lists........................................................................................2-8

2.8 PostScript Notes.................................................................................................2-8

2.9 Remote Configuration.......................................................................................2-9

2.10 Security..............................................................................................................2-9

3 Getting Started

3.1 Configuration Methods.....................................................................................3-1

3.1.1 EZCon ................................................................................................3-1

3.1.2 Command Line Interface.................................................................3-2

3.2 Maintenance Issues............................................................................................3-4

3.2.1 Changing the Server Name.............................................................3-4

3.2.2 Rebooting the RapidPrint 500.........................................................3-4

3.2.3 Restoring Factory Defaults..............................................................3-5

3.2.4 Reloading Operational Software....................................................3-5

3.2.5 Editing the Boot Parameters...........................................................3-5

3.2.6 System Passwords............................................................................3-6

3.2.7 Configuration Files...........................................................................3-7

4 Server Configuration

4.1 Preconfiguring Virtual Ports............................................................................4-1

4.2 AppleTalk Server Parameters..........................................................................4-1

4.3 LAT Server Parameters.....................................................................................4-2

4.3.1 Server Identification.........................................................................4-2

4.3.2 Network Timers................................................................................4-2

4.3.3 Node Limit ........................................................................................4-2

4.4 NetWare Server Parameters.............................................................................4-3

4.4.1 Routing and Encapsulation.............................................................4-3

4.4.2 NetWare Access Lists.......................................................................4-3

4.5 TCP/IP Server Parameters...............................................................................4-4

4.5.1 IP Address .........................................................................................4-4

4.5.2 Other TCP/IP Parameters...............................................................4-4

4.5.3 Host Limit..........................................................................................4-5

4.6 Creating Services................................................................................................4-5

4.6.1 Creating a Simple Service (Such As a Line Printer) ....................4-6

4.6.2 Setting Up a Service With Group Codes.......................................4-6

4.6.3 TCP/Telnet Service Sockets............................................................4-7

4.6.4 Enabling Other Service Options.....................................................4-7

4.7 Security................................................................................................................4-8

4.7.1 SNMP Security..................................................................................4-8

4.8 Quick Reference.................................................................................................4-9

5 Ports

5.1 Virtual Ports.......................................................................................................5-1

5.2 General Port Characteristics.............................................................................5-1

5.2.1 Group Numbers................................................................................5-1

5.2.2 Naming Ports....................................................................................5-2

5.3 Automatic Logouts............................................................................................5-2

5.4 Quick Reference.................................................................................................5-3

6 AppleTalk Host Setup

6.1 Bitronics Interface..............................................................................................6-1

6.2 Macintosh Service Configuration....................................................................6-2

6.2.1 Using AppleTalk on UNIX or VMS...............................................6-2

6.3 Printing from AppleTalk ..................................................................................6-2

6.3.1 Using LaserPrep ...............................................................................6-2

6.3.2 Printing Bitmap Graphics................................................................6-2

6.4 Troubleshooting Macintosh Printing..............................................................6-3

6.4.1 Error Messages..................................................................................6-4

7 LAN Manager Host Setup

7.1 Printing Methods...............................................................................................7-1

7.1.1 Digital Network Port .......................................................................7-1

7.1.2 NetBIOS .............................................................................................7-3

7.2 Windows NT Troubleshooting........................................................................7-4

8 LAT Host Setup

8.1 Printing to an Application Port .......................................................................8-1

8.2 Printing to a Service...........................................................................................8-2

8.3 Printing Using DCPS Software........................................................................8-3

8.4 The ets$configd Download Server..................................................................8-3

8.5 VMS Printer Troubleshooting..........................................................................8-4

9 NetWare Host Setup

9.1 Access Lists.........................................................................................................9-1

9.2 Printing................................................................................................................9-1

9.2.1 Creating NDS Print Queues............................................................9-2

9.2.2 Creating Bindery Print Queues......................................................9-4

9.2.3 Configuring Rprinter.......................................................................9-8

9.2.4 Printing PCL From NetWare........................................................9-13

9.2.5 Printing PostScript From NetWare..............................................9-13

9.3 Troubleshooting...............................................................................................9-13

9.3.1 QINST Print Queue Troubleshooting..........................................9-13

9.3.2 NDS Print Queue Troubleshooting .............................................9-14

10 UNIX Host Setup

10.1 Selecting A Printing Method........................................................................10-1

10.2 LPR...................................................................................................................10-2

10.2.1 Notes about LPR...........................................................................10-3

10.2.2 LPR on AIX Hosts.........................................................................10-4

10.2.3 LPR on HP Hosts..........................................................................10-5

10.2.4 LPR on SCO UNIX Hosts............................................................10-6

10.2.5 LPR on Sun Solaris Hosts............................................................10-7

10.2.6 LPR on ULTRIX Hosts.................................................................10-8

10.2.7 LPR on Windows NT Hosts........................................................10-8

10.3 Reverse Telnet (RTEL)...................................................................................10-9

10.3.1 Components of RTEL.................................................................10-10

10.3.2 Installing Reverse Telnet Software ..........................................10-10

10.3.3 Queueing with the RTEL Software..........................................10-11

10.3.4 Setting up the RTEL Backend Filter.........................................10-12

10.3.5 Setting up the RTEL Named Pipe Daemon............................10-14

10.3.6 RTEL Troubleshooting...............................................................10-18

10.4 TCP Socket Connections.............................................................................10-18

10.5 PostScript Configuration ............................................................................10-18

11 Command Reference

A Technical Support

B Glossary of Terms

Index

vii

viii

Introduction

1.1 Protocol Support ...............................................................................................................1-1

1.2 Terms ..................................................................................................................................1-1

1.3 Server Features..................................................................................................................1-2

1.3.1 AppleTalk Support ......................................................................................1-2

1.3.2 LAN Manager Support ...............................................................................1-2

1.3.3 LAT and Digital Compatibility..................................................................1-2

1.3.4 NetWare Support.........................................................................................1-2

1.3.5 TCP/IP and UNIX Compatibility..............................................................1-2

1.3.6 Small Size ......................................................................................................1-2

1.3.7 Easy Configuration......................................................................................1-2

1.3.8 Command Line Interface ...........................................................................1-2

1.3.9 Host-Initiated Connections.........................................................................1-3

1.3.10 Security........................................................................................................1-3

1.3.11 Remote Configuration...............................................................................1-3

1.3.12 SNMP Support ...........................................................................................1-3

1.3.13 Diagnostics..................................................................................................1-3

1.4 How To Use This Manual................................................................................................1-4

1 - Introduction

The RapidPrint 500 is a multi-protocol print server that provides shared network access to printers for a variety of network protocols and operating systems.

1.1 Protocol Support

The RapidPrint 500 supports ﬁve industry-standard network protocols:

• AppleTalk AppleTalk allows networked Apple Macintosh computers to see devices attached to

the RapidPrint 500 and access them as they would any networked printer.

• LAN Manager

LAN Manager allows devices attached to the RapidPrint 500 to access networked printers. Systems running OS/2 and Windows NT can access the devices using the Digital Network Port for Windows NT or the NetBIOS protocol.

• Local Area Transport (LAT)

Introduction Protocol Support

LAT is a protocol developed by Digital for local network terminal connections and is supported on almost all Digital operating systems. It provides host-initiated print spooling.

• IPX/SPX (NetWare) NetWare allows devices attached to the RapidPrint 500 to act as networked printers.

The RapidPrint 500 supports all NetWare frame types: Ethernet v2, Native Mode (802.3), 802.2, and 802.2 SNAP. In addition, it supports both Bindery mode and NetWare Directory Service (NDS).

• TCP/IP Support includes Telnet, Rlogin, and the LPR and RTEL printing systems.

1.2 Terms

In this manual, the following terms are used to describe parts of a network. See the Glossary of

Terms for more detailed explanations of these terms.

host A computer, sometimes referred to as a CPU, attached to the network.

node Any intelligent device directly connected to the Ethernet network and

The term host generally denotes interactive computers, or computers that users can log into.

having have its own Ethernet addresses, such as a host, an Ethernet printer , or a terminal or print server. Devices connected to the RapidPrint 500 are not nodes.

service A resource that can be accessed locally or via the network. For example, a

host is a service to which terminals can connect. The RapidPrint 500 can offer attached printers to the network as services.

Local mode The RapidPrint 500 user interface, which is used to issue conﬁguration

and session management commands and establish sessions with services.

1 - 1

Server Features Introduction

1.3 Server Features

1.3.1 AppleTalk Support

The RapidPrint 500 provides Ethernet access to attached laser printers; RapidPrint 500 print services appear in the Macintosh Chooser window like any other printer on the network. Note that bidirectional communication, either a serial or IEEE 1284 parallel interface, is required for this functionality.

1.3.2 LAN Manager Support

The RapidPrint 500 can be conﬁgured to appear as a print node to other LAN Manager nodes. Supported systems include OS/2, Windows NT, and Windows 95.

1.3.3 LAT and Digital Compatibility

The RapidPrint 500 supports LAT and TSM/NCP, making it fully compatible with most Digital operating environments.

1.3.4 NetWare Support

The RapidPrint 500 is used primarily for print serving. The RapidPrint 500 can also be conﬁgured and logged into from a NetWare ﬁleserver , and can function as a print node for other NetWare ﬁleservers.

1.3.5 TCP/IP and UNIX Compatibility

Almost all UNIX systems support Telnet, an established industry standard. T elnet can be usedfor logging into the server to issue conﬁguration commands. UNIX systems generally implement Rlogin as well, unless security considerations dictate that it be disabled at a particular site.

1.3.6 Small Size

The small, attractive case is designed to ﬁt into any ofﬁce environment. Because there is no internal fan, the RapidPrint 500 operates silently.

1.3.7 Easy Conﬁguration

The EZCon utility (provided on CD-ROM) allows users to conﬁgure the RapidPrint 500 from a Macintosh, PC, or UNIX machine as well as conﬁgure NetWare print queues without having to use PCONSOLE. It also allows remote host logins into the RapidPrint 500, which are similar to Telnet and LAT logins.

1.3.8 Command Line Interface

A simple but powerful command interface is provided for both users and system managers. The RapidPrint 500 operating code is downloaded automatically at power-up, making software upgrades as easy as copying a ﬁle. The RapidPrint 500 stores its operating software permanently on-board, so it does not need to download code unless new versions become available. Servers can also be conﬁgured to request a downloaded conﬁguration ﬁle at boot time.

1 - 2

The Command Reference chapter of this reference manual describes the commands available in the RapidPrint 500’s local command line mode. These commands control port and server conﬁguration.

NOTE: See the Command Reference for more information on the command line and com-

mand recall features.

1.3.9 Host-Initiated Connections

The RapidPrint 500 may be conﬁgured to provide its attached devices as services to other nodes, allowing hosts to share printers. AppleTalk, LAN Manager, LAT, NetWare, and TCP/IP hosts can queue jobs to RapidPrint 500 services simultaneously. The optional RTEL host software provides both printer backend access and a named pipe interface to the RapidPrint 500 from TCP/IP hosts.

1.3.10 Security

The RapidPrint 500 includes several conﬁgurable security features. They include:

• Group codes, which allow the RapidPrint 500 to act as a ﬁlter to limit the user’s knowledge of, and access to, speciﬁc services.

Introduction Server Features

• Automatic logouts of sessions when a port is disconnected or when a device is turned off.

• Password protection for privileges, ports, services, maintenance commands, and the remote console.

1.3.11 Remote Conﬁguration

The RapidPrint 500 can be logged into and remotely conﬁgured using one of the following methods:

• Digital’s NCP and TSM facilities

• The Telnet console port, similar to the NCP remote console

• The network login feature, which allows managers to log into the RapidPrint 500 via TCP/IP, LAT, and NetWare using EZCon.

• EZCon, a conﬁguration application that runs on Windows, NetWare, AppleTalk, and UNIX clients

1.3.12 SNMP Support

The RapidPrint 500 supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). SNMP can be used by network managers to monitor network load and error conditions. No enterprise-speciﬁc MIBs are supplied.

1.3.13 Diagnostics

Power-up and interactive diagnostics help system managers troubleshoot network and serial line problems.

1 - 3

How To Use This Manual Introduction

1.4 How To Use This Manual

The rest of the chapters in this manual describe the features and commands of the RapidPrint 500. Information is broken down as follows:

• Chapter 2, Concepts, explains the basic ideas behind RapidPrint 500 operation.

• Chapter 3, Getting Started, explains available conﬁguration methods, as well as steps needed for reconﬁguration and maintenance operation.

• Chapter 4, Server Conﬁguration, explains server-wide conﬁguration options, including protocol-speciﬁc conﬁguration and security issues.

• Chapter 5, Ports, details the port-speciﬁc conﬁguration options.

• Chapter 6 covers the setup needed for AppleTalk hosts to use the RapidPrint 500.

• Chapter 7 covers LAN Manager host setup needed for printing to the RapidPrint 500.

• Chapter 8 explains how to set up a VMS host for LAT printing.

• Chapter 9 details the NetWare ﬁleserver setup needed for printing.

• Chapter 10 explains how to set up a UNIX host for LPR and RTEL printing.

• Chapter 11, Command Reference, lists the RapidPrint 500 command set in detail, including syntax, options, errors, examples, and where to ﬁnd related information.

NOTE: Installation and cabling are covered in the Configuration Guide.

1 - 4

Concepts

2.1 Network Protocols............................................................................................................2-1

2.2 AppleTalk...........................................................................................................................2-2

2.2.1 Addressing....................................................................................................2-2

2.2.2 Zones..............................................................................................................2-2

2.2.3 Name Binding Protocol (NBP)...................................................................2-3

2.3 LAN Manager....................................................................................................................2-3

2.3.1 Networking...................................................................................................2-3

2.4 LAT .....................................................................................................................................2-4

2.5 TCP/IP................................................................................................................................2-5

2.5.1 IP Addresses .................................................................................................2-5

2.5.2 Subnetworks.................................................................................................2-5

2.5.3 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)....................................2-5

2.5.4 Reverse Telnet (RTEL).................................................................................2-6

2.5.5 LPR Support..................................................................................................2-6

2.5.6 TCP/IP Utilities and Commands ..............................................................2-7

2.6 LAT and TCP/IP Connection Methods.........................................................................2-7

2.7 NetWare .............................................................................................................................2-7

2.7.1 Networking...................................................................................................2-8

2.7.2 Access Lists...................................................................................................2-8

2.8 PostScript Notes................................................................................................................2-8

2.9 Remote Configuration......................................................................................................2-9

2.10 Security.............................................................................................................................2-9

2 - Concepts

The RapidPrint 500 supports incoming connections to services, such as printer support.

Services are the basic method of connecting to the RapidPrint 500 from any host or another server. In general, a service is required on the RapidPrint 500 before any job or connection queueing will take place. See the Server Conﬁguration chapter for details on creating and using services on the RapidPrint 500.

2.1 Network Protocols

A network protocol describes the data contained in Ethernet packets. The network protocols provided by the RapidPrint 500 are completely separate, other than the use of the Ethernet data layer. The following ﬁgure shows the protocol stacks supported by the RapidPrint 500.

Figure 2-1: RapidPrint 500 Network Protocols

AppleTalk LAN Manager LAT NetWare TCP/IP

Concepts Network Protocols

Printer Access Protocol

ATP NetBEUI SPX TCP

DDP IPX IP

There are three different “Ethernet” frame formats, one of which is subdivided:

• What is typically called “Ethernet” is technically referred to as Ethernet v2. This is the default frame type for most TCP/IP, LAT, and MOP/ NCP protocol stacks. It can also be used for NetWare.

• The IEEE 802.3 frame format comes with either a regular or SNAP SAP (Service Access Point). AppleTalk uses the SNAP format by default. Both types can be used by NetWare.

• NetWare 2.x and 3.x stations, by default, do not use any of these frame types. They use a “native mode” format that is being phased out.

SMB LAT NCP Telnet/ Rlogin/

RTEL/ lpd

Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 Data Layer

2 - 1

AppleTalk Concepts

2.2 AppleTalk

AppleTalk is a protocol used primarily by Apple Macintoshes to access network resources such as ﬁle servers and printers. AppleTalk is also available for UNIX, NetWare, and other operating systems. The AppleTalk protocol can be run over Ethernet (EtherTalk), Token Ring (TokenTalk), or LocalTalk, which is a medium speed network type built into every Macintosh. These various network media can be connected with AppleTalk routers to allow all nodes to communicate with one another. The AppleTalk protocol supports features such as ﬁle sharing and security in addition to printing.

The RapidPrint 500 supports only the Printer Access Protocol (PAP) and therefore cannot create outgoing AppleTalk sessions—only incoming print requests are accepted. Any services on the RapidPrint 500 with AppleTalk enabled will show up as LaserWriters in Macintosh Chooser windows and are associated with an available zone (explained in Zones, below). Users who select the RapidPrint 500 service as their LaserWriter and then print will have their jobs forwarded to the RapidPrint 500 for printing, or for queueing if the print port on the RapidPrint 500 is in use or otherwise unavailable.

AppleTalk printing is different from printing in other protocols. There are standard Macintosh drivers provided for speciﬁc Apple printer types, such as LaserWriters and ImageWriters, but there are no plain ASCII line printers by default. ASCII jobs are converted into PostScript (for laser printers) or bitmaps (for ImageWriters) when printed. For this reason, only laser printer devices are supported by the RapidPrint 500 under AppleTalk.

In addition, the Macintosh client will need to query the printer about status, so only laser printers that will reply to these interactive PostScript requests can be used. The RapidPrint 500 parallel port supports Bitronics mode, provided the attached laser printer also implements it.

2.2.1 Addressing

AppleTalk provides for dynamic node addressing, allowing a node to choose its address at boot time. It will send network packets to the other nodes to avoid choosing a node ID already in use. A node can also discover its network number by listening for AppleTalk router broadcasts; if none are heard, a default network number is chosen. The RapidPrint 500 will save discovered zone/network/node ID triplets in permanent memory, reducing trafﬁc at reboot time, although the RapidPrint 500’s AppleTalk address may change across boots in response to any network changes.

Network numbers are conﬁgured in the routers, so the only AppleTalk conﬁguration supported by the RapidPrint 500 is the speciﬁcation of a zone name other than the default. Due to the generally non-conﬁgurable nature of AppleTalk, most AppleTalk devices are truly “plug-and-play”— they can be powered up and are used right out of the box.

2.2.2 Zones

Zones are arbitrary groupings of AppleTalk nodes used to organize resources into groups that are easier for users to understand. For example, a college may organize zones around departments, for example, Math Department and Physics Department. Zones allow users to sift through large numbers of nodes by choosing those groups they are familiar with regardless of the organization of the network. In general, zones need not have a correlation to physical or network location, thus any node can declare itself a member of any single zone.

2 - 2

Zones, like nodes, originate from and are conﬁgured on AppleTalk routers. One zone on each network will be chosen by the router as the default zone. If there are no AppleTalk routers on the network, there will be only one zone, the default zone, of which all nodes are members. If no zone

name has been previously deﬁned on the RapidPrint 500, or if the deﬁned zone is no longer valid, the RapidPrint 500 will join the default zone and no other conﬁguration is needed. The RapidPrint 500 can be placed in a different zone with the Define Protocols AppleTalk command. Each time the RapidPrint 500 is booted, or when its zone is changed, it will verify the zone name with a router.

2.2.3 Name Binding Protocol (NBP)

NBP is used by AppleTalk to advertise resources, such as printers and ﬁleservers, to the network. Any resource that other users can access will have NBP information that must be communicated to other nodes. The items in the Chooser windows reﬂect the various NBP resources that are visible on the network.

NBP and the Chooser organize resources by three levels: name, type, and zone. Names are arbitrary strings assigned by users, such as Kathy or MyPrinter. Types are generic classes of resources, such as Macintosh IIci, and LaserWriter. Zones, mentioned above, are collections of nodes on the network. T ypical Macintosh NBP information might be [Kathy, Macintosh IIci, Accounting] for the name, type and zone, respectively. A service offered by the RapidPrint 500 called MyPrinter that had AppleTalk enabled and is located in the Engineering zone would have an NBP description of [MyPrinter, LaserWriter, Engineering]. If LaserWriter resources in the Engineering zone were selected in the Chooser , one of the r esour ces shown would be the MyPrinter service of fer ed by the RapidPrint 500. The Chooser sends out queries whenever a new zone or resource type is selected.

Concepts LAN Manager

NOTE: If an expected RapidPrint 500 service is absent, there is a configuration problem

somewhere.

The NBP type LaserWriter designates a PostScript printer, so nodes printing to printers of type LaserWriter assume that the printer supports PostScript. Care must be taken to attach only PostScript printers to RapidPrint 500 services with AppleTalk enabled, and to disable AppleTalk on services that do not support PostScript printers. It is not possible to print to non PostScript printers (for example, ImageWriters) from a Macintosh via the RapidPrint 500.

2.3 LAN Manager

LAN Manager is used by several PC-based operating systems, notably OS/2, Windows NT, and Windows for Workgroups, although LAN Manager servers have been written for HP and Sun workstations. LAN Manager is based on the NetBIOS protocol. The RapidPrint 500 implements only enough of the NetBIOS protocol stack to provide print services to nodes; no interactive logins are allowed.

The RapidPrint 500 also implements the straightforward and easy to use DLC printer protocol typically used by HP laser printers. DLC operation is only supported under Windows NT. DLC does not provide queueing on the RapidPrint 500, nor does it allow printing to more than one RapidPrint 500 service. You must select the hardware address of the RapidPrint 500 as the target for the print job.

2.3.1 Networking

NetBIOS is not a routable protocol, so the RapidPrint 500 can only communicate with local nodes or nodes that are accessible via a gateway capable of bridging the NetBIOS data.

LAN Manager node lookups take a text resource name and resolve it into a har dwar e addr ess. For this reason, node and resource names must be unique on the network, and the RapidPrint 500 will print an error message if any conﬁguration that violates this rule is attempted.

2 - 3

LAT Concepts

2.4 LAT

Digital Equipment Corporation’s LAT (Local Area Transport) networking software is designed to ease the process of accessing and managing local area networks. LAT software is built around the concept of services. A service may be provided by a dedicated device, such as a printer, or by a network host. A device that offers one or more services, such as the RapidPrint 500, is a node.

In general, all services offered by the RapidPrint 500 are associated with a port; exceptions to this rule will be noted later.

Nodes advertise their services to the network by broadcasting occasional messages about them. These messages, referred to as multicasts, contain the node’s name and its list of services. By monitoring multicast messages, all hosts on the network know what nodes and services are available and can provide this information to their interactive users. The Show Services and Show Nodes commands display this information.

LAT multicast messages contain a rating for each service offered. Ratings range from 0 to 255; 0 means the service is unavailable, while 255 means the service is available and has no current users. Ratings for a given service may change over time. For example, the rating for a computer accepting logins will generally change as its workload changes. Conversely, ratings for a modem are typically either 0 (in use) or 255 (not in use). In the example above, the server with eight modems attached will continue to advertise that the service “modem” is available (a 255 rating) until all eight modems are in use (a 0 rating).

Service ratings may concern even casual users, since they are used to determine which service a user will be connected to whenever there is a choice. For example, if a user types Connect Hub and ﬁve nodes offer service hub, the user will be connected to the least busy node automatically. In the case mentioned above, where both the local RapidPrint 500 and a remote node offered the same service, the ratings determine which node will service the connect attempt.

The other major network management feature of LAT is the concept of service groups. The RapidPrint 500 parallel port and each service on the network can be thought of as belonging to one or more groups. When a user or device requests a service connection, the LAT host will check to see if the groups to which the requester belongs match those of the requested service. If any group number is common to both the requester and the service, the connection attempt continues. If there are no common group numbers, the connection attempt fails. Note that there may be additional access restrictions on the service, such as password protection.

NOTE: See the Set/Define Port Authorized Groups and Set/Define Server Service Groups

commands for more information.

Group numbers also are useful to nodes because each node only needs to pay attention to multicasts that involve its users’ groups. As a result, groups can hide services that would otherwise be visible. The server manager can also hide services from a set of ports. Setting up and managing services and groups is discussed in more detail in the Server Conﬁguration chapter.

LAT is signiﬁcantly different from other protocols in two important ways. First, LAT is not routable. There is no way to divide LAT networks into smaller subnetworks and use routers to reduce trafﬁc between nodes. Second, LAT is a timer-driven protocol. Packets are expected at certain intervals, and the protocol cannot adapt to slow network links dynamically. For these reasons, LAT trafﬁc over wide areas is typically carried inside (or encapsulated in) TCP/IP or IPX/SPX packets. The latter two protocols are fully routable, and can handle wide-ar ea, slow network links.

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NOTE: If LAT is bridged across slow links, session time-outs and errors are very likely.

2.5 TCP/IP

2.5.1 IP Addresses

Every TCP/IP node on a network has an IP address, which is unique to that network, in addition to the Ethernet Address, which is unique across all hardware anywhere in the world. The IP address provides information needed to forward packets across multiple networks, if necessary.

The address is of the form n.n.n.n, where each n is a number from zero to 254, as in 192.0.0.1. The exception is that there cannot be a zero in the last segment of the address.

NOTE: The number 255 is strictly reserved for broadcast packets.

A unique address has to be speciﬁed on the RapidPrint 500 before any of the TCP/IP functionality is available. See your Conﬁguration Guide for more information on conﬁguring the IP address.

2.5.2 Subnetworks

Usually, a TCP/IP internet is broken down into “networks,” where a host is able to see only the hosts on its own network or sub-unit. TCP/IP networks then rely on routers (or gateways) to transfer network trafﬁc to hosts on other networks.

Concepts TCP/IP

Routers are typically connected to two or more networks, and will pass, or route, TCP/IP messages across network boundaries. The RapidPrint 500 can be told explicitly which hosts are the gateways for the local network. If no gateways are currently speciﬁed, the RapidPrint 500 will listen to routing-protocol packets (for example, RIP) to decide which hosts are acting as gateways.

NOTE: See Set/Define Server Gateway for more details.

The RapidPrint 500 decides at connection time whether the desired TCP/IP host is on the local network segment with the help of the subnet mask on the server. This mask tells how much of the IP address is the network address, which is applied to the IP addresses of both the RapidPrint 500 and the remote host. If the resulting addresses are identical, the connection is deemed local and the host is contacted directly. If not, the connection attempt and all subsequent messages to this host will be directed to the RapidPrint 500’s gateway host for forwarding. The subnet mask, if not set explicitly, will be automatically conﬁgured for the given IP address.

NOTE: See Set/Define Server Subnet Mask for more details.

2.5.3 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

The RapidPrint 500 supports the SNMP network protocol, which allows hosts on the network to query nodes for counters and network statistics and change some parameters on those nodes. The form of these requests is documented by RFC 1098. The list of items that can be queried and/or set and the type of data used, such as integer and string, are both documented in various Management Information Bases (MIBs). MIBs cover a variety of things, such as parallel port status, and counters and IP address resolution tables.

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TCP/IP Concepts

The RapidPrint 500 supports the following MIBs:

MIB-II (RFC 1213): System, Interface, Address Translation, IP, ICMP, TCP, and

Parallel MIB (RFC 1660): All objects (parallel devices).

The RapidPrint 500 will respond to queries for unknown MIBs with a “not in MIB” error to the requesting host. See RFC’s 1065, 1066, and 1098 for more information on SNMP queries and the structure of the MIBs.

NOTE: See Set/Define SNMP for more details.

Traps are sent to a host when an abnormal event occurs on the RapidPrint 500. The RapidPrint 500 can generate limited forms of three of the SNMP traps. It will generate a Coldstart trap when it ﬁrst boots, and a Linkup trap when the startupﬁle (if any) has been read from a host and normal operation commences. If a startupﬁle has been conﬁgured but the download fails, the RapidPrint 500 will send an Authentication trap. In all three cases, the trap will be directed to the IP address of the RapidPrint 500’s loadhost. The RapidPrint 500 will not generate traps for cases other than those listed here.

The RapidPrint 500 has a local SNMP security table to restrict or prevent unauthorized SNMP conﬁguration.

2.5.4 Reverse Telnet (RTEL)

UDP. They do not support the EGP group.

When a server provides a service to a LAT host, the connection is often referred to as Reverse LA T, in that “normal” LAT connections are logins from the server to a host. Hosts request a Reverse LAT connection when they wish to access a service, such as a printer or modem, connected to a server . There was no r eal standard (or even analogy) for this type of data connection in the TCP/IP world until now.

To add this functionality to the TCP/IP environment, the RapidPrint 500 comes with special software for your UNIX host. Reverse Telnet, much like Digital’s Reverse LAT, provides the software capability for a UNIX host to initiate connections to the RapidPrint 500. These connections can be made through a back-end program for a printer, or through a named pipe. For example, you can print ﬁles from your UNIX host to a printer attached to the RapidPrint 500 through your host’slp or lpr print system. RapidPrint 500 services do not care what type of hosts are using them. Multiple jobs from any of the supported protocols can be queued up simultaneously on any service.

2.5.5 LPR Support

The RapidPrint 500 and many UNIX systems implement the Berkeley remote printing protocol (lpr). This protocol makes it very easy to add print hosts to a system. To add the RapidPrint 500 as a print host, add the server’s IP address to a host table and add the server’s service name as a print queue. No special host software or other conﬁguration is needed; RapidPrint 500 services can be accessed via the normal lpr commands on the host.

Print jobs can be forwarded multiple “hops” in the network. If you only want one host to know about the RapidPrint 500 print queues, all other hosts can be conﬁgured to forward their print jobs to that one host which then forwards them to the RapidPrint 500 for printing.

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NOTE: See Chapter 10, UNIX Host Setup for more information.

Concepts LAT and TCP/IP Connection Methods

2.5.6 TCP/IP Utilities and Commands

The following commands have been added to help TCP/IP usability:

Netstat Displays the status of the routing tables and current network sessions. Finger Displays users on local and remote hosts. The ﬁnger command by itself

will show the users on the RapidPrint 500. If given with a parameter , such as bob@hydra, it shows information regarding user bob on TCP/IP host hydra. The username can be omitted, in which case all the users on the remote host will be displayed. If the host cannot be reached or accessed, the ﬁnger command fails.

NOTE: To see a list of processes on the RapidPrint 500, issue the command “finger finger.”

2.6 LAT and TCP/IP Connection Methods

Users can “log into” the RapidPrint 500 from either a TCP/IP host (using Telnet or Rlogin) or a LAT host. For example, if the server’s IP address is 192.0.1.92, a Telnet connection from an IP host to this address will return the local prompt just as if the user had logged in on a hardwired port. Also, the server can advertise itself as a “service” to LAT hosts. That is to say, LAT hosts can connect to the server and obtain the local prompt.

Once an incoming (LAT or Telnet) connection has been started, users can use the server as if they were connected on a local port. They can connect to local services and conﬁgure the server. TCP/IP users then have a convenient way to remotely “manage” the server. Managers can simply log in and become the privileged user, change server parameters, and log out again.

2.7 NetWare

Novell’s NetW ar e software pr ovides a way to link computers together and provide ﬁle and printer sharing. It is typically used to network DOS-based PC’s, but is starting to appear under UNIX and other operating systems. NetWare is built around ﬁle servers, which handle user logins, provide network resources, and control security. At least one ﬁle server, such as a PC or UNIX host, is required in any NetWare environment. NetWare users typically have to log into a ﬁle server to enjoy the networked (shared) beneﬁts.

The RapidPrint 500 supports a signiﬁcant subset of the NetWare functionality, most notably print spooling. Fileservers can be conﬁgured to send queued print jobs to printers attached to the RapidPrint 500. No special software is required on the ﬁleserver; conﬁguration uses the EZCon Conﬁguration software or the standard PCONSOLE utility. Any users or applications that can use the NetWare print queues can spool jobs to the RapidPrint 500.

The RapidPrint 500 must periodically query the ﬁle servers for pending jobs. To do so, it logs into a ﬁle server to access the print spooler, and will try to connect to all ﬁle servers on the local network (subject to access lists, below) to check for such jobs.

NOTE: See Set/Define Server NetWare Loadhost for more information.

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PostScript Notes Concepts

2.7.1 Networking

Each NetWare node uses its hardware address as its node ID; no additional address conﬁguration is necessary. In addition, the RapidPrint 500 gets all the networking information it needs from periodic broadcasts sent by NetWare routers on the network. It will learn its own network number as well as routes to non-local ﬁle servers. No further conﬁguration is needed.

The NetWare protocol can use all four Ethernet frame formats. It will listen for all frame formats, and then use the correct one for the connection. The different frame types are treated as different networks, and thus each frame type has a different network number. If there is only one frame format in use on the LAN, the RapidPrint 500 will use the network number for that frame type. If there are multiple frame types, limitations to the NetWare protocol requir e that the RapidPrint 500 use a different network number for each frame type on which it wants to advertise itself.

The RapidPrint 500 can use multiple frame types by creating a new, unique “internal network number” and advertising itself as a router to the internal network. Any nodes or ﬁleservers that need to communicate with the RapidPrint 500 use this new network number, and treat the RapidPrint 500 as a router to that network. If this behavior is not desired, the RapidPrint 500 can be forced to use only one frame type (and thus not need an internal network number).

2.7.2 Access Lists

Since NetWare networks can be quite large, with hundreds of ﬁle servers, a method for restricting the RapidPrint 500 print polling is needed. If polling is left unrestricted, the time needed to poll each server would make printing incredibly slow and inefﬁcient. By using access lists (created with the Set/Define Protocols NetWare Access command) you can control which ﬁle servers the RapidPrint 500 will and won’t poll for print jobs. Note that the ﬁle servers have no control over the RapidPrint 500 access lists, so they will never know if a misconﬁguration of the access list prevents them from spooling print jobs to the RapidPrint 500.

2.8 PostScript Notes

Many printers (including all LaserWriters and other AppleTalk compatible laser printers) use a printing language called PostScript. Unlike other printer protocols, which typically accept ASCII characters and print them verbatim, PostScript is also a programming language. Shapes and fonts can be deﬁned as routines and re-used on successive pages, multiple fonts and copies can be printed, and text and diagrams can be rotated and shifted on pages.

PostScript is also an interactive language, where the printing host can query the printer for its knowledge about fonts and software versions. If the host expects to receive data from the printer (as is the case for all AppleTalk printing), the printer must be connected to a bidirectional port such as the RapidPrint 500 port. Note that the attached printer must also support the Bitronics mode. PostScript printing from UNIX, LAT, and NetWare hosts, where bidirectional data ﬂow is not a requirement, can generally use any parallel port.

Due to the interactive nature of PostScript, it is possible for the printer and host to get out of synch in their communication. Since the printer “interprets” the entire PostScript job and then prints the pages, it is possible for the RapidPrint 500 to complete the transfer and accept a new job while the printer is still digesting the last job. For this reason, an end-of-job character (ASCII 0x4, or Ctrl-D) is used to end all PostScript jobs. Typically the host will send one at the end of the job and the printer will reply with one when it is done processing.

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The RapidPrint 500 will force a Ctrl-D character when PostScript is enabled on the appropriate service and wait for one in return. This is strongly recommended for all PostScript printer applications. It guarantees that the printer is ready to accept new data when the job actually starts. Job loss and printer hangs are the usual result if PostScript is not enabled on the service and the printer cannot keep up with the job rate. High-speed printers may happen to work if the PostScript attribute is not enabled, simply because they ﬁnish the current job in the time it takes for the RapidPrint 500 to accept the next one.

NOTE: For information on end-of-job characters, see Set/Define Service EOJ

2.9 Remote Conﬁguration

VMS hosts can remotely control the RapidPrint 500 using the NCP utility. The NCP program can signal remote hosts to perform speciﬁc operations across the network or form connections to the server. This is especially useful for Flash-ROM servers, which might not be placed in easily accessible locations. The RapidPrint 500 also supports the TSM utility, which uses NCP to start login sessions with the RapidPrint 500 and allows ﬁles of RapidPrint 500 commands to be sent to the server. Access to remote control of the RapidPrint 500 can be protected by the maintenance password.

NOTE: See Set/Define Server Maintenance Password for information on remote access

control.

Concepts Remote Configuration

For TCP/IP environments, the RapidPrint 500 allows a user to Telnet into the TCP console port to conﬁgure the server. Users connecting to this console port (port 7000) will be prompted for the server’s login password as if they had logged in via NCP. After entering the login password, the users can issue normal conﬁguration commands, but will still have to enter the privileged password to issue privileged commands. Connections to this port are not subject to the Set/Define

Server Incoming command, and thus managers can log into this port regardless of whether regu-

lar TCP logins are enabled.

NCP, TSM, and the Telnet console all require the correct login password to be entered. The default password is access. It can be changed via the Set/Define Server Login Password command.

The server also supports the SNMP network protocol. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) allows network hosts to query other hosts for counters and network statistics. In general, one host on a network will be running an SNMP application that queries the other hosts on the network and collects statistics, signals error conditions, and other information. The RapidPrint 500 will not generate queries of its own; it can only respond to queries from other hosts. See the discussion of SNMP in the TCP/IP section for more information.

2.10 Security

Incoming logins can be selectively disabled and/or password protected via theSet/Define Server

Incoming command. In addition, ports used for network logins can be “preconﬁgured” with a

standard set of characteristics for each login.

For more information about security measures and user/connection restriction options, including some RapidPrint 500 features that are used for more than security reasons, see the Server Conﬁgu-

ration and Ports chapters.

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Getting Started

3.1 Configuration Methods....................................................................................................3-1

3.1.1 EZCon............................................................................................................3-1

3.1.2 Command Line Interface ............................................................................3-2

3.2 Maintenance Issues...........................................................................................................3-4

3.2.1 Changing the Server Name ........................................................................3-4

3.2.2 Rebooting the RapidPrint 500 ....................................................................3-4

3.2.3 Restoring Factory Defaults.........................................................................3-5

3.2.4 Reloading Operational Software ...............................................................3-5

3.2.5 Editing the Boot Parameters.......................................................................3-5

3.2.6 System Passwords........................................................................................3-6

3.2.7 Configuration Files ......................................................................................3-7

3 - Getting Started

This chapter covers some background information to get you started using the RapidPrint 500. T opics include methods used to initially set up the RapidPrint 500 as well as ongoing maintenance issues, such as rebooting the server and restoring factory default settings

This chapter assumes the following:

• The RapidPrint 500 has booted properly and is running RapidPrint 500 operational code

• The RapidPrint 500 is connected to the Ethernet

• For IP network users, the RapidPrint 500 has been assigned a valid IP address.

NOTE: See your Configuration Guide for details on booting, connecting your unit to the

Ethernet, and setting the IP address.

3.1 Conﬁguration Methods

Getting Started Configuration Methods

The RapidPrint 500 may be conﬁgured using one of two methods: the EZCon conﬁguration software, or commands issued at the command line (Local> prompt).

To conﬁgure the RapidPrint 500 when a problem has occurred, refer to the Troubleshooting appendix of your Conﬁguration Guide.

3.1.1 EZCon

The EZCon software is the easiest way to conﬁgure the unit. EZCon guides you through conﬁguration using a graphical interface.

UNIX, Macintosh, and Windows versions of EZCon are shipped with the RapidPrint 500 on CDROM. To use the CD-ROM, refer to the instructions on the CD-ROM case. To install EZCon, refer to the appropriate EZCon README ﬁle located on the CD-ROM.

NOTE: EZCon configurations take effect immediately, like Set commands, and are perma-

All instructions for using EZCon are included in each README ﬁle. For assistance once EZCon is running, refer to the EZCon on-line help.

nent, like Define commands. See Command Types for more information.

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Configuration Methods Getting Started

3.1.2 Command Line Interface

To conﬁgure the RapidPrint 500 without EZCon, you must enter conﬁguration commands at a command line. These commands are entered when a port is in character mode; in this mode, the Local> prompt will be displayed.

There are three ways to display the Local> prompt:

1. Establish a Telnet or Rlogin connection to the RapidPrint 500 from a TCP/IP host.

2. In EZCon, click the Terminal icon. The Local> prompt will be displayed in a terminal emulation window.

3. Establish a TCP/IP remote console connection by Telnetting to port 7000:

Figure 3-1: Remote Console Connection

% Telnet 192.0.1.166 7000

Remote console logins are password protected via the server login password. The default login password is access. See Login Password for more information.

3.1.2.1 Entering and Editing Commands

In examples throughout the manual, RapidPrint 500 commands and keywords are displayed in uppercase for clarity. They may be entered in upper, lower, or mixed case.

The Command Reference chapter displays the syntax of each command, and includes restrictions, known errors, and references to related commands. Optional parameters are enclosed in straight brackets [ ]; multiple options may be entered, or options can be omitted entirely. Required parameters are enclosed in curly braces { }; one and only one of the parameters must be used. Usersupplied parameters, such as a particular port number or host name, are shown in italics.

When entering a string, such as a username or ﬁlename, it is important to remember to enclose the string in quotes to preserve case and spacing. If a string is not enclosed in quotes, it will be automatically changed to all uppercase characters.

NOTE: The privileged and login passwords are case-independent, even when entered in

quotes.

All keys used for entering and editing commands are listed in Table 3-1.

Table 3-1: Command Line Editing Keys

Key Purpose

Return Executes the current command line

Delete Deletes the character before the cursor

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Ctrl-A Toggles insert mode (insert or overstrike).

Overstrike is on by default.

Ctrl-D Logs out of the server

Ctrl-E Moves the cursor to the end of the line

Ctrl-H or Backspace Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line

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