IPD/SCS Printer Support for Linux? 10
All Dead Homiez asks: "My company has several very nice printers left over from our old mainframe setup. Unfortunately, they have a BNC interface that speaks the IPD/SCS protocol instead of Ethernet. We are an all-Linux shop now and we'd hate for all of these perfectly good printers to go to waste, so does anyone know if there is any software for Linux that speaks IPD/SCS?"
According to the webpage... (Score:2)
Re:According to the webpage... (Score:2, Insightful)
Cost effective (Score:2)
Just like an HP LaserJet... (Score:3, Insightful)
From the web page:
MarkNet XL internal network adapter options for Token-Ring, LocalTalk and Ethernet...
You'll just have to swap the twinax board for an Ethernet one, which would (presumably) also contain an LPD server. You won't need anything else, as the printer already understands PostScript and PCL5e.
Google is your friend (Score:1, Informative)
http://gimp-plug-ins.sourceforge.net/ipds/home.
(interesting... maybe hackable).
http://www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/ipds
(you'd probably want to investigate this PSF...)
also here: http://www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/downloa
If you want to do a quick hack: (shudder)
http://www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/ipntw
more info here too:
http://www.linuxguruz.org/foldoc/foldoc.php?PSF
I'll post again if I find more.
Re:Google is your friend [even better] (Score:3, Informative)
"IBM 5250 IPDS PRINTER EMULATION. source code has not yet been converted for suitability
to Linux, if you need the source to the IPDS engine contact me. "
http://linux.nf/ipds.html
also: http://linux.nf/scs.html
also of interest:
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:PLzzgNOg34
THe first link here should raelly be of help.
have fun.
- Colin@NOSPAMninja.ca
Re:Google is your friend [last thing] (Score:1, Interesting)
definitely useful if you're somehow against using the parallel port on the printer (or if it is not an option.)
also: http://193.251.76.19/US/
tn5250 et al. (Score:2)
tn5250 [sourceforge.com] also includes lp5250d, a daemon that will pass SCS print jobs to Unix print queues. Which is the opposite of what you're trying to do.
For you to use IPDS/SCS printers from Unix or Windows apps, you'll need either to do the translation through an AS/400 (create Windows/Unix print queues on your 400, and use it as a print server to get at the printers), or as others mentioned, get a new network module and possibly a Postscript or PCL cartridge for each of the printers. I'm pretty sure there aren't any free software PS-to-IPDS translators, but there may be some commercial ones. Check the AS/400 community sites like mindrange.com. There are active user communities out there and a lot of nice hacks and shareware for OS/400. Perl for the 400. Python for the 400. Tetris for the 5250 terminal, etc.