Re: can only print first page / cat I/O error

["Dr. Werner Fink" <werner@xxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Apr 26, 2001 at 08:37:49AM +0200, Andreas Klemm wrote:
> Hi !
> 
> Wrong support channel...
> You use susefilter from SuSe not apsfilter.
> Unfortunately they still called it apsfilter since in former times
> it was based on apsfilter. But now they only have the name in common.
> 
> Read your docs..., Werner Fink told me he stated this out in config files
> and will try to get rid of the name "apsfilter" in his product, since
> it confuses customers like you.

Yep this is what I've done. To be more sure that such mails do not
happen I've put the following into the header of the SuSE version
of the apsfilter script:

[...]
#  Copyright 1996-2001 SuSE GmbH
#  Author:   Werner Fink  <werner@suse.de>
#
#  Feedback:             feedback@suse.de
#  Installation Support: isupport@suse.de
#  Professional Service: bsupport@suse.de
#
#  NOTE: You really NEED bash to run this script
#
#  Based on apsfilter-4.9
#
#  Note: this script is the SuSE version of apsfilter.
#  Therefore see e-mail addresses above for feedback,
#  installation support and professional services.
#
#  Please note that the development of the original apsfilter
#  and the SuSE version of apsfilter was splitted a few years
#  ago due to the requirements of SuSE Linux and its customers.
#  You may have a look on the original apsfilter at
#  http://www.apsfilter.org/.

##      Copyright by Andreas Klemm <xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx> 1993, 1994, 1995
##      co-author: Thomas Bueschgens <xxxxxx@xxx.xxx>
##
##      You are permitted to modify and distribute apsfilter in the
##      terms of the GNU Public License (GPL) see below.

[...]

> 
> Feel free to use apsfilter instead...
> 
> http://www.apsfilter.org/

... Clearly without any help by our support line ;^)

> On Tue, Apr 24, 2001 at 11:46:09PM +0200, Sebastian Bossung wrote:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > when I try to print multi-page documents, the first page print fine, the rest 
> > is not printed at all. Instead the following lines are written to the log 
> > file (the error is about half way down):
> > 
> > [... first page works ...]
> > ++ declare -xf print_stdin
> > + /var/lib/apsfilter/rewindstdin
> > + test -n ''
> > + print_stdin
> > + eval /usr/bin/gs -sDEVICE=ljet4 -r600 -sPAPERSIZE=a4 '-sOutputFile=>(cat' - 
> > '1>&3)' - -c quit '1>&2'
> > +++ cat -
> > ++ /usr/bin/gs -sDEVICE=ljet4 -r600 -sPAPERSIZE=a4 -sOutputFile=/dev/fd/63 - 
> > -c quit
> > cat: Fehler beim Schreiben: Eingabe-/Ausgabefehler
> > + pipe_status
> > + test 141 -eq 0
> > + fault_job
> > + echo 'apsfilter: unable to print job stdin'
> > + logger -p lpr.error -t lpd
> > + echo 'apsfilter: unable to print job stdin'
> > + mailx -s 'apsfilter: printer fault during job stdin' -c root asterix
> > + exit 2
> > + rm -f /tmp/aps.1699.9qfkhM
> > [EOF]
> > 
> > The first cat to the same device did work. The device does not exist 
> > afterwards.
> > I use kernel 2.4.0, the printer is a Fujitsu PP10, with a HP ljet4 driver 
> > (this did work before I upgraded my distribution).
> > Any ideas?

What version of SuSE Linux is used now and what version before the update?
What changes where done to this SuSE Linux versions and do you use the
original Kernel 2.4.0 ... BTW: does this happen with the 2.2.18 kernel?
What device is missed (see /etc/printcap)?

A cat onto a real printer character device does not remove the device file
its self.  In this script file descriptor 3 is mapped onto the device file
whereas the standard output of ghostscript is mapped to stderr to catch all
messages done by some PostScript code often used within WIN world.

To restore a device e.g. /dev/lp0 the program mknod (see man page of mknod)
is used as root:

      mknod -m 0660 /dev/lp0 c 6 1

Note that other devices requires other numbers and other names.
A list can be found in /usr/src/linux/Documentation/devices.txt.


     Werner Fink

-- 
 Dr. Werner Fink,    SuSE GmbH,  Schanzaeckerstr. 10,  90443 Nuernberg
 Germany http://www.suse.de/ and USA http://www.suse.com/
 mail:werner@suse.de  http://www.suse.de/~werner/  fax:+49-911-3206727
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