In article M21520@mwvm.mitre.org, M21520@mwvm.mitre.org () writes:
>Our office has an Ethernet LAN of approximately 60 Macs, 6 Mac LaserWriters, &
>one Sun workstation. We would like to print to the existing LaserWriters from
>the Sun. Being new to the Sun admin world, I am seeking the wisdom of the
>net.
>
>Can I simply edit the /etc/printcap file with parameters for the LaserWriters?
>Do we need special software to do this? Thanks in advance for any help!
>
I've been in a similar situation as you describe. Most people in my group
use Macs and I'm the only person with a SPARCstation. Sadly, one can't just
add the LaserWriters to /etc/printcap because the Mac and Unix printing
paradigms are very different. Unix systems expect to spool print output
to some print daemon (usually on another workstation dedicated to driving a
printer, but it could be the same machine) via a socket connection. MacOS
applications (as I understand it) enter into a dialog directly with the printer with some network arbitration scheme.
Here are the solutions that I can think of:
1) Set up one of the Suns to drive one of the LaserWriters. Unfortunately,
this means that the Macs will no longer be able to use that LaserWriter.
Also, the Sun driving the printer will probably have performance problems
for anyone trying to use it to do work while printing is in progress.
2) Do what I did and get a copy of Tennon's MachTen for the Macintosh.
MachTen is basically 4.3BSD Unix that runs on the Mac's desktop as an application. MachTen allows one to run a print daemon (lpd) to which Unix systems can talk and which knows how to talk to Mac printers connected directly to the Mac or connected via ethertalk or localtalk. The MachTen lpd also allows one to define "synthetic" printers: Simply put, this allows a Mac running MachTen to make Unix printers (if you had one you wouldn't be asking, I know) available to other Macs. You can get more informati
on by sending mail to info@tenon.com.
You only need the basic MachTen package to do this; about $600 (no need to pop the extra $ for the Xwindows package). I've set this up on a Mac SE and used
it with no problem.
While $600 isn't small change, it seems cheaper than buying another printer.
The Mac running MachTen will probably have performance problems, just as the
Sun would have if it were driving the printer. There may be public domain s/w solutions to this problem, but I never found any.
P.S. I don't work for Tennon, know anyone who works there, or own any of
