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Q62362: Printing from a Network Aware/Unaware MS-DOS Application

Article: Q62362
Product(s): Microsoft LAN Manager
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbnetwork
Last Modified: 30-JUL-2001

SUMMARY
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NETWORK AWARENESS

Applications use different methods to print to a network printer, and some are
more "network aware" than others. Many MS-DOS applications are "network
unaware," in that they operate as if printing directly to the output port and,
therefore, do not follow up the print job with an end-of-job marker. The network
spooler, however, needs this end-of-job marker in order to determine when to
quit receiving data for an incoming print job and send the spooled file to the
print device.

Therefore, if an MS-DOS application sends a data stream to the printer port
(which is redirected to the network spooler) without an end-of-job marker, the
data is held in the server print queue with the spooling status "unfinished job"
and is never sent to the printer.

METHODS OF MARKING END-OF-JOB

A properly implemented network-aware application provides some way during
software installation to designate a printer as a network printer (as opposed to
a local printer) and to follow print data sent to it with an end-of-job marker.
Many applications also allow you to specify whether to send a form feed after
the print job (for laser printers and other "page printing" devices).

WordPerfect is an example of a network aware application. When you are installing
a printer, WordPerfect prompts you to identify it as a network printer. This
prompt defaults to NO, but if you select YES WordPerfect allows you to suppress
the linefeed after the job has finished printing. If the printer is installed
properly in WordPerfect as a network printer, jobs should print correctly.

Note: The "Job Size" value reported on the NET ADMIN NIF screen will show "0"
(zero) until the end-of-job marker is received. It then changes to reflect the
actual size of the job.

For non-network aware applications, MS-DOS LAN Manager provides a 4K TSR
(terminate-and-stay-resident) utility named PRTSC.EXE (in the \NETPROG
subdirectory) that you can load in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file at boot time. When an
application indicates that it has finished sending a job to the printer, you
press CTRL+ALT+PRINT SCREEN, and PRTSC sends the end-of-job marker to the print
spooler.

Another solution is make a CHARTIME entry in the LANMAN.INI file. (This is
available only with LAN Manager 2.1, 2.1a, and 2.2 Enhanced MS-DOS workstation).
Adjust the CHARTIME value until the print job can be spooled and printed on the
server correctly and you no longer need to enter the CTRL+ALT+PRINT SCREEN
keystroke sequence every time you print from an application. Please check the
LAN Manager "Administrator's Guide" for more information on this entry.

Additional query words: 2.00 2.0 2.10 2.1 2.10a 2.1a 2.20 2.2 print

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Keywords          : kbnetwork 

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