A.P. Lawrence

See Where do I get natcat and how do I use it?

Setting up Netcat Printers

Boy, I like netcat. Just finished converting one client's SCO 5.0.5 system from Berkeley LPD to netcat and recommend the change to anyone now using LPD to print to dedicated print servers.

I cobbled the following script to parse the /etc/printers file and automatically setup one or all printers. I also include my version of HPLaserJet.net supporting duplex enable printers, 66 line portrait and 66 line landscape as well as 88 line 16.6cpi portrait.

>/usr/local/bin/printeradmin:
option=$1
tprinter=$2
[ -z "$option" ] || opt="opt=$1"
[ -z "$tprinter" ] || printer="ptr="$2
awk  ' BEGIN { FS = ":" }
{
#       print ARGC, ARGV[0], ARGV[1], ARGV[2] , ARGV[3], ARGV[4]

        if ( ARGC < 3 ) {
                printf "\n\n Usage: printeradmin add    <- create all printers in /etc/printers\n        printeradmin delete <- delete all printers in /etc/printers\n\n"
                printf "\n\n Usage: printeradmin add    name <- create named printer in /etc/printers\n        printeradmin delete name <- delete named printer in /etc/printers\n\n"
        exit
        }
        if ( ARGC == 3 ) {
        if ( NF == 4 ) {
                if ( opt == "add" ) {
                        printf "/usr/lib/lpadmin -p %s -v /dev/null -m HPLaserJet.net -D \042%s\042\n", $1, $4
                        printf "/usr/lib/accept  %s\n", $1
                        printf "enable  %s\n", $1
                }
                if ( opt == "delete" ) {
                        printf "/usr/lib/lpadmin -x %s \n", $1
                }
        }
        }
        if ( ARGC == 4 ) {
        if ( NF == 4 ) {
                if ( opt == "add" && ptr == $1 ) {
                        printf "/usr/lib/lpadmin -p %s -v /dev/null -m HPLaserJet.net -D \042%s\042\n", $1, $4
                        printf "/usr/lib/accept  %s\n", $1
                        printf "enable  %s\n", $1
                }
                if ( opt == "delete"  && ptr == $1 ) {
                        printf "/usr/lib/lpadmin -x %s \n", $1
                }
        }
        }
} ' $opt $printer /etc/printers

printeradmin writes its output to standardout and does not execuite the commands. I just run printeradmin > /tmp/doit and then "sh /tmp/doit" after I page /tmp/doit to see that it's correct.

Once I am comfortable with the output of printeradmin, I just run printeradmin options | sh to skip the step of outputting to a temporary file and then using sh to execute the file.

>HPLaserJet.net:
:
#
printer=`basename $0`
request=$1
name=$2
title=$3
copies=$4
options=$5
shift; shift; shift; shift; shift
spool=/usr/spool/lp
FILTER="xtod | ${spool}/bin/ffstrip"

# Look for HOST and Port address
PRTSETUP=`grep "^$printer:" /etc/printers`
if [ $? = 0 ]
then
PRTHOST=`echo $PRTSETUP|awk -F: '{ print $2 }'`
PRTPORT=`echo $PRTSETUP|awk -F: '{ print $3 }'`
else
 exit 1
fi

# border around the banner
x="XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"

Phone and Email Support at Monthly rates

Graphics=no
Landscape=no
Wide=no
banner=no  # I don't use banners, have not tested banner=yes
sixlines=no
tencpi=no
Duplex=no
for i in $options
do
        case $i in
        raw|g|G|pro)    Graphics=yes
                        ;;
                l|L)    Landscape=yes
                        ;;
                d|D)    Duplex=yes
                        ;;
                w|W)   Wide=yes
                        ;;
         nobanner|b)    banner=no
                        ;;
                6lpi)   sixlines=yes
                        ;;
                10cpi)  tencpi=yes
                        ;;
        esac
done
#
# Set up FILTER environment variable.
#
#
: ${SPOOLDIR:=/usr/spool/lp}
: ${LOCALPATH:=${SPOOLDIR}/bin}
if [ ! -x "${LPCAT:=${LOCALPATH}/lp.cat}" ]
then
        LPCAT="cat"
fi

if [ "$Graphics" = "yes" ]
then
        FILTER="${LPCAT} 0"
fi

(

if [ "$Landscape" = yes ]
then
        echo "\033E\033&l1o5.45c66F\033(s16.66H\c"
        [ "$tencpi" = yes ] &&  echo "\033(s10H\c"
elif [ "$Wide" = yes ]
then
        echo "\033E\033&l0o5.47c88F\033(s16.66H\c"
else
        echo "\033E\033&a0L\033&l0o7.27c66F\c"  

fi

if [ "$Duplex" = "yes" ]
then
        echo "\033&l1S\c"
else
        echo "\033&l0S\c"
fi

if [ "$sixlines" = yes ]
then
        echo "\033&l6D\c"
fi

[ "$banner" = yes ] && {
        # get the local system id
        if test -r /etc/systemid; then
                sysid=`sed 1q /etc/systemid`
        else
                sysid=`uname -n`
        fi

        # user = fifth field of /etc/passwd
        user=`sed -n "s/^$name:.*:.*:.*:\(.*\):.*:.*$/\1/p" /etc/passwd`

        # nhead gets the value of BANNERS or 1 by default
        nhead=`sed -n 's/^BANNERS=//p' /etc/default/lpd`
        [ "$nhead" -ge 0 -a "$nhead" -le 5 ] || nhead=1

        # print the banner $nhead times
        while   [ "$nhead" -gt 0 ]
        do
                echo "$x\n"
                banner "$name"
                echo "$x\n"
                [ "$user" ] && echo "User: $user\n"
                echo "Request id: $request\n"
                echo "Printer: $printer\n"
                echo "Options: $options\n"
                date
                echo "\nMachine: $sysid\n"
                [ "$title" ] && banner $title
                echo "\f\c"
                nhead=`expr $nhead - 1`
        done
}

# send the file(s) to the standard out $copies times
while   [ "$copies" -gt 0 ]

do
        for file
        do
                0<${file} eval ${FILTER} 

        done
        copies=`expr $copies - 1`
done ) | /usr/local/bin/netcat -h $PRTHOST -p $PRTPORT
sleep 1 
exit 0 

> Modified /etc/printers:
printer:printserver host:port
laser1:hpnet1:9100:HP 4050D in accounting
boblaser:hpnet2:9100:Lexmark T522N 192.168.10.20

The comment field was added and these comments appear as printer comments with the scoadmin printer screen.

Feb 2007: Steve added the following:

The following are changes to my /etc/printers and printeradmin scripts to reflect their current evolution.

Printeradmin and /etc/printers have been modified to add a field to specify lp model name in the /etc/printers file.

Please update the code on your website to reflect the current versions..

The files printers, HPLaserJet.net, Netcat.dotmatrix, /etc/printers printeradmin, ffstrip and ffstrip.c are contained in the ftp://aplawrence.com/pub/fabac_netcat_files.tgz

/etc/printers:

----Start----
# /etc/printers
# "/usr/local/bin/printeradmin add | sh" will add all printers below
# "/usr/local/bin/printeradmin add printer_name | sh" will add the named printer
# "/usr/local/bin/printeradmin"  will print help message
#
# NOTE: the example record format below has semicolon in place of colon (:)
#       replace the ";" with ":" in active records below
#
# printer_name;host_name;port_number;comment;model
#
# printer_name: UNIX printer name
#    host_name: Host name in /etc/hosts for IP address
#         port: Printserver dependent 9101 for HPJet direct
#      comment: Comment that appears in mkdev lp screen
#        model: /usr/spool/lp/model/model_name
#
#  Stock netcat models: HPLaserJet.net Netcat.dotmatrix
#
# Example of Entry for ActiveFax HP laserJet emulation
# Must embed ActiveFax fields in print stream prior to sending to lp.
#fax;faxserver;9150;Active Fax server on Windows host;HPLaserJet.net
#milan2;milan2;2000;Laser in Accounting 192.168.10.240;HPLaserJet.net
#axis1;axis1;9101;Laser in Engineering 192.168.10.230;HPLaserJet.net
#hpig;hp3;9101;HP 4050N Laser in shipping 192.168.10.231;HPLaserJet.net
#lexmark;lexlaser1;9100;Lexmark T522N in shipping;HPLaserJet.net
fax:win981:9150:ActivFax server on Win98 192.168.111.10:HPLaserJet.net
homeptr:localhost:SSH_PRINTER:remote printer for ssh USER:homeptr
report:report:report:Print to /tmp/report.out:Netcat.dotmatrix
----End-----

/usr/local/bin/printeradmin:

----Start----
option=$1
tprinter=$2
[ -z "$option" ] || opt="opt=$1"
[ -z "$tprinter" ] || printer="ptr="$2
awk  ' BEGIN { FS = ":" }
{
#       print ARGC, ARGV[0], ARGV[1], ARGV[2] , ARGV[3], ARGV[4]

       if ( ARGC < 3 ) {
               printf "\n\n Usage: printeradmin add    <- create all printers in /etc/printers\n"
               printf "        printeradmin delete <- delete all printers in /etc/printers\n\n"
               printf "\n\n Usage: printeradmin add    name <- create named printer in /etc/printers\n"
               printf "        printeradmin delete name <- delete named printer in /etc/printers\n\n"
       exit
       }
       if ( ARGC == 3 ) {
       if ( NF == 5 ) {
               if ( opt == "add" ) {
                       printf "/usr/lib/lpadmin -p %s -v /dev/null -m %s -D \042%s\042\n", $1, $5, $4
                       printf "/usr/lib/accept  %s\n", $1
                       printf "enable  %s\n", $1
               }
               if ( opt == "delete" ) {
                       printf "/usr/lib/lpadmin -x %s \n", $1
               }
       }
       }
       if ( ARGC == 4 ) {
       if ( NF == 5 ) {
               if ( opt == "add" && ptr == $1 ) {
                       printf "/usr/lib/lpadmin -p %s -v /dev/null -m %s -D \042%s\042\n", $1, $5, $4
                       printf "/usr/lib/accept  %s\n", $1
                       printf "enable  %s\n", $1
               }
               if ( opt == "delete"  && ptr == $1 ) {
                       printf "/usr/lib/lpadmin -x %s \n", $1
               }
       }
       }
} ' $opt $printer /etc/printers
----End------

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