KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q165428: LU3 Printers Do Not Translate Control Characters Correctly

Article: Q165428
Product(s): Microsoft SNA Server
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbnetworkkbbuglist
Last Modified: 13-JUN-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft SNA Server, version 3.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SYMPTOMS
========

When you send a host print job that contains unprintable EBCDIC control codes
and embedded PCL commands to a LU3 printer, the job does not print correctly.
This occurs because some of the characters are not properly translated by the
SNA Server Host Print service.

NOTE: The unprintable EBCDIC control codes may not be SCS control codes.

CAUSE
=====

The Host Print service was not translating EBCDIC and PCL control codes for LU3
printer sessions. This was due to the fact that the Bypass GDI option and PDF
files did not work correctly for LU3 print sessions.

RESOLUTION
==========

The Host Print service for SNA Server 3.0 has been updated to allow LU3 print
sessions to correctly print jobs that contain both EBCDIC and PCL control
characters. This requires that the Bypass GDI option is selected for the LU3
print session defined in SNA Server Manager. In addition, a PDF file must be
used for the LU3 print session. The PDF file does not require many entries for
this to work. A PDF with standard mappings for carriage return, line feed, and
so forth, will be sufficient. Because the PDF file can be simple, it should work
for most printer types and there is no need to have different PDF files for
different printers. The following is a sample PDF file that should work in these
types of environments:

  Macro Definitions:

     BEGIN_MACROS
     LFF EQU 0A
     FFF EQU 0C
     CRR EQU 0D
     END_MACROS

  Parameter Definitions:

     CARRIAGE_RETURN=CRR
     NEW_LINE=CRR LFF
     LINE_FEED=LFF
     FORM_FEED=FFF CRR

NOTE: Please refer to Chapter 6 of the "SNA Server 3.0 Reference Guide" for
details on creating PDF files.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SNA Server version 3.0. This
problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft SNA Server 3.0 U.S. Service Pack.
For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

  S E R V P A C K

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbnetwork kbbuglist
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbSNAServSearch kbSNAServ300
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.