can't print from IBM mainframe to LJ Pro M452dn printer share

[JillJerome]

I gave a user a new HP LaserJet Pro Color M452dn printer.

Now she cannot print reports from the IBM mainframe. If I put her older printer back, an HP LaserJet 3015, it can print mainframe reports.

Other users have the M451nw, and it can print mainframe reports.

THe LPD print job requires PCL6 drivers, which the M452dn has. So what is up?

thanks,

Jill

[dansdaduk]

>> ... THe LPD print job requires PCL6 drivers, which the M452dn has ...

I'm not quite sure that I understand exactly what you mean by this.

Is the LPD responder you are 'sending' a print job to:

• On the printer itself  - most LaserJet printers support this protocol (although it may optionally be switched off).
• On a host Windows workstation - this is an optional Windows 'feature' that is not enabled by default. 

If you are sending the print job direct to the printer (via its IP-address?), the format of the data received by the printer would be determined by the sending (IBM) regime (which is probably unlilkey to generate a PCL6 (PCL XL) print stream?).

In what format is the data 'sent' by the IBM system - plain text , or what?

If you are sending the print job to a host workstation, the responder on that system has to be configured to (optionally reformat) and forward the job to the real target device; I've never used this, so am unfamiliar with the exact mechanism.

[JillJerome]

Good morning and thank youi for the reply.

This mechanism has been set up and working on this particular computer for some time. The new printer is the problem, I can only conclude that the driver is not completely PCL5 compliant for some reason.

The way this works is that LPD Print Services are enables on the computer and the printer is shared, With the option 'Render print jobs on client computer' enabled. The mainframe job is then sent to the IP address of the computer and it prints out. 

Witht he LJ Pro M452dn, the job passes through the mainframe print queue and is sent to the computer, but it never prints, it just vanishes.

When I swap this printer with the LJ 3015, the job will print.

I have trteid downloading other drivers from the HP website, but they all all the same.

I have expeienced this problem in the past with HP printers that did not use PCL6. THe LJ 3600 only used JetReady 4.2 language, and therefore could not accept mainframe print jobs.

I feel that with a different, PCL6 only driver, the M452 would work correctly.

thanks,

Jill

[dansdaduk]

I'm still a bit confused - you've referred to both the PCL5 and PCL6 PDLs in your last response:

• PCL5 is an escape-based language, although primitive print jobs using this PDL can just contain plain ASCII text (relying on defaults set on the printer itslef to control text size, pagination, margins, etc.).

•  PCL6 (a.k.a. PCL XL)  is a stack-based post-fix (cf PostScript), object oriented, protocol, but using a binary (rather than ASCII) binding.
  

As I understand the LPD mechanism:

• The LPD Print Service feature is enabled on the Windows system - this causes the LPD service to be set up and started automatically.

• Printers which are to be printed to from external system LPR print requests are each 'shared' and given an appopriate 'share name' - I don't know whether or not there are restrictions on the length and content of these share names.

• The external systems use the LPR command to send print jobs to the LPD responder; two files are sent: the control file (which holds the parameters /options required) and the data file.

• I think that the LPR print request specifies the 'share name' of the target printer as the required queue-name; I';m not sure if other Windows-specific details (e.g. driver name) are also (optionally?) sent.

[dansdaduk]

The first step would be to check whether simple print jobs (e.g. from NotePad) on the Windows system print OK when sent to the target printer.

i.e. checking that the printer and Windows spooler/driver is working OK before introducing the complication of forwarding a print job from an external regime.

... and can you be more specific about what is meant by "... cannot print ..."?

• Are error messages produced? If so, what are they?

• Or does the print job just 'disappear'?

• ... or what? 

EDIT: just re-read your second post where you stated "... Witht he LJ Pro M452dn, the job passes through the mainframe print queue and is sent to the computer, but it never prints, it just vanishes ...", so this ansewrds the abobve question.

[JillJerome]

I am sorry about the typo - I meant PCL6 in both instances.

THe LPD service is set up correctly and the external system that sends the jobs is also set up correctly.

I can replace the LJ M452 with another printer and print jobs from the mainframe, so the print queue is functioning.

THe only problem is this particular printer.

It has to be the printer driver that is causing the problem.

I apologise if my explanations have been unclear.

You are correct in your understanding of the LPD process.

The LPD Print Servie is enabled on the WIndows computer.

THe printer is shared with a certain queue name which is specified in the TN3270 session when requesting a print job.

Let me reiterate - the computer print queue works fine with any other HP laser printer I have tried, except the LJ Pro M452.

I just connected the LJ 451 and sent manframe print jobs to it.

There has to be something different with the PLC6 printer driver.

thanks,

Jill

[dansdaduk]

Jill

Sorry, I'm still in "learning mode" with this mechanism.

You say:

>> ... the computer print queue works fine with any other HP laser printer I have tried, except the LJ Pro M452.

>> ... I just connected the LJ 451 and sent manframe print jobs to it.

>> ... There has to be something different with the PLC6 printer driver

Which (sorry) raises a few more questions:

When you "connect the LJ 451" do you mean:

• That you just plug this in to whatever port (USB or Ethernet) was used by the LJ M452?

• Do you change the queue-name (or whatever it is) in the lpr request, on the IBM system, to refer to the share name of the LJ 451 instead of the equivalent name of the LJ M452?

I have seen a few obscure references to problems with remote print requests when using v4 printer drivers (the latest Windows printer driver model - I'm not sure in which Windows version these were introduced, so this may be irrelevant).

It may be worth checking if a v3 (or other) printer driver is available instead.

I see that there are several Windows 7 64-bit drivers available:

[JillJerome]

The workstation can print any regular document to the LJ M452 printer.

So the print spooler seems to be working correctly.

I would not be taking up your valuable time if the problem were not more complicated than that.

There are no error messages produced.

The mainrame operator can see the print job passing through the queue and being sent to the specified print queue and yes it seems to just disappear.

I thought that maybe the job is being stored on the printer but according to the user guide, you have to plug in a usb drive in order to configure storage.

By 'cannot print', I mean that requested mainframe jobs do not print out on the printer.

All other jobs initiated from within Windows 7 print on the printer.

I specifically downloaded the Windows 7 installer for this printer also, but it made no difference.

thanks,

Jill

[dansdaduk]

It would be useful to be able to 'capture' a sample incoming pair of lpr control and data files - this would aid my understanding of exactly what is being received by the Window system, and with what control 'instructions', in case this yields any clues.

[As an aside, I'm getting on for 70 years old now, and have been a bit 'out of the loop' for nearly 10 years now, so my time is not nearly as valuable as it once was!].

But I've no idea how to enable such a 'capture', or where the files are held before being processed.

There may be some additional evidence available in the Windows Print Service | Admin logs:

• Open the Windows Event Viewer application; on Windows 10, via Control Panel | System and Security | Administrative Tools, but I don't know the Windows 7 equivalent; note that you will probably need to supply administrative credentials.

• Select Applications and Service Logs | Microsoft | Windows | PrintService | Admin, or the Windows 7 equivalent.

• Look through the logs, especially those that correspond with the times of your failing prints; is anything which seems (potentially) to be relevant logged?

[JillJerome]

I am using the USB port for these printers.

When I plug another printer in, I have to rename the share on the M452, then uncheck the Share option, name the share on the M451 to the print queue name.

Then I request a print job from th emainframe and out it spews.

Yes I think you are on to something with the v3 vs v4 printer drivers.

I have tested all 3 of the drivers you listed.

I was excited about the Classic one, but I had trouble installing it.

Once I deleted the M452 driver Windows installs when you plug th eprinter in, the virtual USB port disappeared.

So I had to port to use for the driver installation.

Do you have nay suggestions on how to work aroudn that?

My Google search did not bring up anything useful.

thanks,

Jill